Scan Monthly No. 036February 2006 |
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Signals of Change
Democratizing Cartography
SoC153
Online mapping programs are providing a platform on which independent developers are creating a wide range of services. In what amounts to a revolution in mapmaking, cartography has moved beyond the realm of dedicated cartographers to tap a much wider pool of creative users who are creating maps and electronic mapping applications.
Rethinking Personal Risk
SoC154
Are advances in medical science encouraging risky behavior by repairing injured daredevils rapidly—so they can reengage in more dangerous stunts? What will regulators do with vaccines that can potentially protect society from the costs of risky behavior such as smoking or overeating? Modern technology is driving a continuing evolution of our concepts of personal risk.
Identities in Jeopardy
SoC155
Privacy intrusions used to be the primary worry for many citizens dealing with cyberspace. But social and technological developments have now reached a point where the potential liabilities have gone well beyond mere privacy intrusion. Nothing less than an individual's entire identity is increasingly at stake in cyberspace as identity thieves hijack credit histories or libelous or defamatory information propagates and spreads in a manner that is impossible to correct. People are slowly discovering that one's credibility and reputation are all too easily in jeopardy in cyberspace, whether through criminal intent, misguided bids for bureaucratic efficiency, or "mere" processing errors.
Tuning the Human Senses
SoC156
The Scan™ process has surfaced a variety of data points that suggest that people are intent on finding ways to boost or enhance their sensory capabilities. But for each piece of evidence to support the trend for supercharging the senses, we also see evidence of a countertrend toward toning down if not numbing the human senses.
New Tools for Complex Systems
SoC157
Epidemiologists are discovering helpful new tools from a variety of disciplines—some more surprising than others—for predicting when and how epidemics spread. The new tools demonstrate the advantages of systems thinking when dealing with complex phenomena.
Korean Entertainment Exports
SoC158
The latest wave of exports out of an Asian country—the Korean Wave—has little to do with manufacturing or product design and very much to do with soap operas and cooking. South Korea has become a highly successful exporter of television series to the rest of Asia, and Korean dramas have become an unprecedented pan-Asian cultural phenomenon.
Insights
| Challenges in a Cell-Phone–Centered World | View full summary |
| D06-2522 | Download this Insight |
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D06-2521, Opportunities in a Cell-Phone–Centered World, outlined emerging cell-phone–based applications that businesses can keep in mind to enhance customer service, develop new products, or improve internal company business processes. Unfortunately, developments in the area are proceeding at such a rapid pace that companies that want to take advantage of emerging opportunities face substantial challenges. This study outlines two areas that present problematic issues for the rapid implementation of new cell-phone applications. The first area includes hurdles or challenges related to technology factors and market dynamics. The second area involves the constantly shifting target that designers and producers of cell-phone products and services must address as consumer behavior rapidly shifts under the influence of current technologies. Author: Martin Schwirn. 11 pages. |
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| RFID Technology in the Health-Care and Pharmaceutical Industries | View full summary |
| D06-2523 | Download this Insight |
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Many industries have raised productivity and improved services by implementing information technology (IT) on a large scale. The health-care sector has had a hard time in leveraging IT, in part because the health-care sector is largely a service industry. Services generally involve large amounts of personal attention in delivering value to the end user. The scalability of services is to some extent limited because of the need for personal attention in delivering value to end users. But increasing cost pressures on the medical sector have forced health-care professionals to identify the technologies that they can leverage to improve their performance. Radio-frequency–identification (RFID) technology provides many benefits for health-care and pharmaceutical applications that allow service providers to design and implement more efficient processes, reduce costs, improve service, and—in the end—help save lives. This study identifies the forces driving RFID adoption, what players in the industry are adopting the technology, what the benefits are that adopters expect to see, and what the hurdles and challenges are to commercial success. Author: Martin Schwirn. 12 pages. |
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Calendar
Scan™ Abstract Meetings
Scan abstract meetings (in which SRIC-BI [now SBI] staff participate in a free-form discussion of current Scan abstracts) are open for client observation/participation on:
- 22 March 2006 at 9:00 am
- 17 May 2006 at 9:00 am
- 19 July 2006 at 9:00 am
- 20 September 2006 at 9:00 am
- 18 October 2006 at 9:00 am
- 24 January 2007 at 9:00 am.