Philippine agriculture, farming to benefit from innovative tech

MANILA, Philippines – There are a lot more opportunities to use technology to improve Philippine agriculture and farming, according to digital enterprise transformation consultant Winston Damarillo.

Damarillo, executive chairman of consulting firm Amihan Global Strategies (AGSX), said there is a lot more energy in the Global Shapers, the young version of the World Economic Forum, where many of the members are farmers.

Upgrading India’s cyber security architecture

Two things set aside India’s digital spaces from that of major powers such as the United States and China: design and density. India is a net information exporter. Its information highways point west, carrying with them the data of millions of Indians. This is not a design flaw, but simply reflects the popularity of social media platforms and the lack of any serious effort by the Indian government to restrict the flow of data. Equally important is the density of India’s cyberspace. Nearly 500 million Indians use the Internet today, but they do not access the Internet from the same devices. Apple’s market share in the U.S., for instance, is 44 per cent, but iPhones account for less than 1 per cent in India. The massive gap between the security offered by the cheapest phone in the Indian market and a high-end smartphone makes it impossible for regulators to set legal and technical standards for data protection.

With little control over the hardware used by Indian Internet users as well as the information that is carried through them, India’s national security architecture faces a difficult task in cyberspace. India’s infrastructure is susceptible to four kinds of digital intrusions: espionage, which involves intruding into systems to steal information of strategic or commercial value; cybercrime, referring to electronic fraud or other acts of serious criminal consequence; attacks, intended at disrupting services or systems for a temporary period; and war, caused by a large-scale and systematic digital assault on India’s critical installations.

Indian authorities have spent the lion’s share of their resources tackling localised cybercrime while responding to major attacks on a case-by-case basis. Recognising the strategic dimensions of cyberspace, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) created the position of the National Cyber Security Coordinator in 2014, a welcome first step. There is, however, no national security architecture today that can assess the nature of cyber threats and respond to them effectively. India’s civilian institutions have their own firefighting agencies, and the armed forces have their own insulated platforms to counter cyber attacks.

Read More: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/upgrading-indias-cyber-security-architecture/article8327987.ece

3D Printing and Technology Convergence

Unexpected convergent consequences… this is what happens when eight different exponential technologies all explode onto the scene at once.

This blog (the 5th of 7) is a look at 3D printing. Future blogs will look at other tech areas.

An expert might be reasonably good at predicting the growth of a single exponential technology (e.g. 3D Printing), but try to predict the future when A.I., Robotics, VR, Drones, and Computation are all doubling, morphing and recombining… You have a very exciting (read: unpredictable) future. ​ This year at my Abundance 360 Summit I decided to explore this concept in sessions I called "Convergence Catalyzers."

For each technology, I brought in an industry expert to identify their Top 5 Recent Breakthroughs (2012-2015) and their Top 5 Anticipated Breakthroughs (2016-2018). Then, we explored the patterns that emerged.

3D Printing – Context
At A360 this year, my expert on 3D Printing was Avi Reichental.

Avi is the Founder and CEO of XponentialWorks, an expert advisory, venture investment and incubation ecosystem company that is focused on monetizing exponential tech innovation and business model disruption. For 12 years, Avi was the CEO of 3D Systems, the largest publicly traded 3D printing Company in the world. A dear friend and brilliant entrepreneur, Avi is also part of our core faculty in additive manufacturing at Singularity University.

Before we dive in, here's some more context around 3D printing:

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is the process of printing, layer by layer, any three-dimensional object based on a digital file.

Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/3d-printing--technology-c_b_9397578.html?section=india

Big Data and Hadoop Development 2016

What is Big Data?

Let’s demystify this concept. Simply put, Big Data can be defined as the compilation of huge datasets that can’t be processed making use of conventional computing methodologies. It is neither one single tool nor a procedure. It rather engages multiple areas of technology and business.

Big Data Management & It’s Significance

For companies of every size, data management has gained an added dimension over the years. From being considered as a core competency today it is viewed upon as a crucial differentiator that holds the key to verify market winners. In the recent times, the government bodies as well as Fortune 1000 organizations have immensely benefited from the enhancements brought upon by the web pioneers. Furthermore, these companies are also outlining fresh and revolutionary practices and re-estimating the present strategies to review the methods in which they can convert their businesses with the usage of Big Data. This attempt has made them realize the basic nature and importance of Big Data. Forward thinking organizations today have understood that Big Data indicates a harmonious blend of innovative initiatives and technologies that involves data that is fast-changing, extremely varied and colossal.

However, in this highly developed and high-tech era, that makes it possible for companies to realize the real utility and value that Big Data management entails. For instance, modern day retailers have the choice to keep a track of user web clicks in order to recognize and outline the customer behavioural trends. This in turn allows them to ideate better and enhance their existing marketing and promotional campaigns, pricing structure as well as the stockage. The utilities are able to track the levels of household energy usage and forecast the energy outages and also emphasize on effective consumption of energy. Even government bodies and brands like Google using Big Data management can track and spot the surfacing of disease outbreaks through the social media signs. Furthermore, leading oil and gas corporations can derive the result of sensors in drilling devices in order to arrive at secure and effective drilling decisions.

The Big Data Benefits

Therefore, some of the visible core benefits of Big Data across multiple industry verticals usually include:

Making use of important data in social media platforms like the preferences and product awareness of customers, product organizations and how the retail companies are planning production

Marketing agencies are efficiently utilizing the vital data that is stored in social networking sites like Facebook and constantly updating their know-how about their campaign responses, promotions as well as the advertising channels

Hospitals make use of big data concerning the previous medical history of chosen patients in order to offer fast and improved service

Read More: http://www.smartdatacollective.com/node/365113

Technology can keep people in touch

This is the fifth in a series about how technology affects child growth and skill development.

Q: What are some positive effects of technology on child growth and skill development?

A: The Washington Post released a survey of teens in 2012 stating they have incorporated social media sites and texting into their daily lives but still prefer face-to-face communication. They believe these social media technologies have enabled them to keep in touch with more friends, to get acquainted with other students at their schools and to connect with students with whom they share interests. One in five stated using social networking helps them feel more popular, confident and sympathetic toward others.

This national study of more than 1,000 youth between 13 and 17 years of age by the child advocacy group Common Sense Media generally contradicts the myth that using social media is harmful because of the risks of bullying by peers, isolation, online predators and the release of private/personal information. However, the report talked about “Facebook fatigue.” Forty-one percent of cellphone users said they are addicted, and 36 percent would like to return to a time before Facebook was invented.

Many teens expressed weariness from the constant pressure from texting and posting on social media. Teens have mixed feelings about digital communication and online technology. Research about the developmental and behavioral effects of technology on youth is scant.

Teens still favor texting in communicating online, with two-thirds stating they text everyday. Facebook is the preferred social site over Twitter, Google and MySpace. More teens think social networking helps their friendships than those who feel it does not — 50 percent vs. 4 percent. Half of all the teen respondents surveyed preferred real-life communication.

Our collective embrace of the Internet, social media sites and mobile-mediated devices is obvious in public places. Most individuals are connected on media to others, not talking to the person or persons with whom they are sitting. Dr. Keith Hampton, a communications professor at the University of Pennsylvania and principal author of the Pew Research study “Social Networking Sites and Our Lives,” articulated concerns about technology and social relationships.

Read More: http://www.hdnews.net/lifestyle/community/technology-can-keep-people-in-touch/article_8fa055a0-f093-5ef4-99b3-bbbca54fd48e.html