As we approach the end of this challenging year, we at the Marconi Society are finding energy and inspiration in a project I believe could have significant bearing on the future of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
You may be familiar with the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, or NASA’s Heliophysics 2024 Decadal Survey—these ambitious roadmaps are the result of deep thinking, collaborative discussion, and a transparent process of examining the state of the field and identifying problems whose solutions could pave the way for potentially dramatic progress. A number of scientific research fields conduct regular ten-year surveys of this kind, called “decadals,” taking time to look critically at the successes, missteps, and overlooked opportunities of the past period and set clear, challenging goals for future work.
The ICT field, to the best of my knowledge, has never held such a survey across all its areas. This conversation couldn’t come at a better time—2020 has forced many of us to examine the future of ICT infrastructure that supports work, education, healthcare, and access to government services, and to confront the continued inequity in access and digital literacy. We have an opportunity to identify new goals for the field and chart a path forward.
Our work has impact on people’s daily lives at microscopic and global scales. While leading edge research and entrepreneurial thinking have created the networks, intelligence, and applications that have helped get us through the pandemic, there are so many more technical breakthroughs needed to create services that are as transparent as the air we breathe.
Through our own ICT survey, we intend to identify the problems whose solutions will create the greatest opportunities. This “Discussion of the Decade” covers all areas of the field, including software development, networking and wireless communications, applications, machine learning and AI, as well as cybersecurity. Over the upcoming months, we will invite those interested in the field to identify problems to be solved in the next decade and then prioritize and select those with the highest potential utility at our 2021 Marconi Society Symposium for publication early the following year.
Our discussions are already underway and I invite you to join us for this timely undertaking. I am grateful to our team of collaborators, whose insights and expertise have already generated some rich ideas for further conversation: Ghadah Aldabbagh, Ana Garcia Armada, Marty Cooper, Arogyaswami Paulraj, Piotr Roztocki, and Tobby Simon.
Watch for opportunities to engage in these decadal discussions.
