The phrase ‘connected cities’ has been steadily creeping into our vocabulary over the last few years. Sure, cities are now connected to an extent that didn’t seem even feasible 20 years ago. Yet just a few years down the track, I’m expecting cities to be connected at a whole new level.
This is not science fiction, but very real advances in technology and the way we work that may well be just around the corner. And the explosive growth of data is right at the heart of it.
Not only is the connected city a vision that experts think is going to happen, but the technology infrastructure for it is already starting to roll out.
What will a connected city be like then? Imagine a world where no-one actually goes to a place of work, everyone collaborates online with thousands of people they’ll never meet and healthcare is given in living rooms while patents sit on their sofas.
In a short film to accompany an in-depth study Virgin Media Business has done with The Future Laboratory, these types of advances are what the experts think will be part and parcel of our working lives – and our lives outside work – In just 13 years time. We’ve looked long and hard at all of this for a campaign we’re running called Generation IP 2025. It gives a breathtaking glimpse into how we may work, rest and play in Britain just 13 short years from now.
By breaking down barriers to change and innovation, and providing the required infrastructure, the building blocks that Generation IP will need are coming together. Connected cities will use things like 5G self-organising networks, cognitive radio networks and multi-antenna transmission arrays to connect with people across the country.
Better get ready for working through avatars, super-crowdsourcing from contacts around the globe, printing your own prescription medication and - wait for it – never going into the office, because there is no office.
Check out our video here: http://www.virginmediabusiness.co.uk/generationip
