Technology In A Cold Climate

//INTELLIGENT
PUBLIC SERVICES
//AND AN
INTERCONNECTED
//INNOVATIVE
AND SUSTAINABLE
SOCIETY//
TECHNOLOGY
IN A COLD
CLIMATE //
BY JAMIE YOUNG

TECHNOLOGY
IN A COLD
CLIMATE //
BY JAMIE YOUNG

About the RSA// With many thanks //
The RSA’s central belief is its faith in the To those involved in steering the
power of civic action. At the heart of
project: Julian David, Sam Gaudois,
the RSA’s mission is the desire to bridge the
social aspiration gap: the gap between Carrie Hartnell, Ben Hammersley,
the society people say they want and the John Higgins, William Higham,
way they behave. Our principal challenge Tom Hockaday, Ian Hosking,
is to develop a dynamic, credible and Aled Jones, Patrik Karrberg,
persuasive account of what the future Jonathan Liebenau, Garry Miller,
citizen needs to be if we are to deliver the
Andy Naish and Tristan Wilkinson.
world we want.

The RSA engages practitioners and To the authors that contributed
thinkers in concrete, practical action and academic research papers:
the development of ideas aimed at creating Peter Edwards, John Farrington,
the kind of state, civic and commercial Jeremy Howells, Helen Margetts,
institutions we need to enable active Dennis Pamlin and Sarah Skerratt.
citizenship.

To those who spoke at the
symposium: Stephen Timms for
delivering the keynote speech, and
Ben Hammersley, William Heath,
Luke Johnson and Kevin Smith for
joining the panel discussion.

The Royal Society for the encouragement To those who facilitated seminars
of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce
8 John Adam Street during the symposium or responded
London WC2N 6EZ to the authors: Katherine Corrick,
T +44 (0)20 7930 5115
www.theRSA.org Julian David, Emma Fryer, Nick Leon,
Jonathan Liebenau, Jeff Masters,
Registered as a charity in England
and Wales no. 212424 Garry Miller, Richard Miller,
Jeremy Oates, Jonty Oliff-Cooper
Copyright © RSA 2009
and Graham Walker.
The RSA is an Enlightenment organisation devoted
to ﬁnding innovative practical solutions to today’s
pressing social problems. Through its 27,000-strong To all who attended the
Fellowship it pursues its mission: to help people be symposium and contributed
the people they need to be to see the change they
want in the world. their time and expertise.
The citizens of the future will need to be self-reliant,
engaged and other-regarding if they are to create a To Intellect and their members who
principled and prosperous society. kindly funded this project.
More information can be found at the RSA website:
www.theRSA.org.uk

FOREWORD//

It is time for a new kind of innovation. who leverage intellectual property
The shock-waves caused by the to great effect. Sometimes it is led by
credit crunch are gradually receding individuals who customise the things
from the private sector, but in their they buy, like the first mountain bikes
place they are leaving a massive or extreme surf-boards. Or innovation
public deficit, high unemployment, can be described by the effect it
and a generation of young people has on the market; sometimes it
that are disconnected from the leads to a sustaining, incremental
economy. This could be more than a improvement and sometimes to
“cold snap” – many believe it to be disruptive and radical change.
the start of a long chilly climate. Over the last few years we have
We are not simply facing the also realised the value of innovation
short term costs of an economic clusters; silicon valley in California,
downturn, but the consequences of silicon fen in East Anglia and now
an ageing, unsustainably consuming silicon round-about in Clerkenwell.
and carbon-dependent society.
How do we put this knowledge to
It is an absolute imperative that use? What sort of society are we
we innovate our way out of the innovating towards? Wealth creation
recession. However the right question is usually the incentive behind much
is not simply whether we should be innovation in the private sector.
innovating, rather, to what purpose While there is nothing wrong with
are we innovating? this, it has become abundantly
clear that wealth creation and
The present cold snap should economic measures of success
indeed make governments, alone are insufficient to create the
businesses and charities furiously world to which we aspire.
innovative; generating creative When innovation becomes
new ideas by the bucket-load, then detached from its wider purpose it
testing them and refining the ones can cause problems.
that don’t work out. At the beginning The financial services became
of 2010 we are in a good place to a hot-bed of service-economy
innovate - knowing more than we innovation in recent years, but the
ever have about how new ideas are creativity behind collateralised debt
successfully introduced. obligations and credit-default swaps
failed to satisfy the longer term
We know for example that innovation purposes of society.
be led by an entrepreneur, someone As we enter double figures in
with a vision like James Dyson, or by the new millennium it is time for a
an existing business, such as ARM new level of purposive innovation.

5// TECHNOLOGY IN A COLD CLIMATE

Nicolas Sarkozy recently many of whom are incredibly
commissioned Joseph Stiglitz and innovative individuals. Among the
Amartya Sen to explore a new innovations contained in this report
measure of a nation’s performance are technologies that could give us
that would take into account not one of the best chances we might
just GDP but other factors such as have in mitigating anthropogenic
environmental protection and work/ climate change, help us care for
life balance. Speaking before a G20 the booming number of citizens
summit last year the President said that are approaching old age, and
“The crisis doesn’t only make us free enable everyone from individual
to imagine other models, another home-owners to world leaders and
future, another world. It obliges us international negotiators to make
to do so”. Such concerns are not more informed and longer term
only exhibited by world leaders, but decisions about our communities,
mirrored in today’s graduates, who health and impact on the
are no longer content to work for environment.
organisations simply motivated by
ﬁnancial gain. One poll shows that The recession is the best chance
35% of graduates polled by Fujitsu we will have to turn society on its
Siemens would reject a job head, to ask difﬁcult questions,
offer from a company whose and to work together to create the
ethics did not live up to their own world we want. We know that we
stringent standards. need to innovate, but we need to be
During this short project, the RSA has innovating in the right direction – it’s
explored some of the innovations time for purposive innovation.
and inventions that satisfy more than
simply economic criteria. The UK’s
information and communication
technology sector is the ideal lens Matthew Taylor
through which to look at the future
of innovation; they contribute a
large segment of the UK’s economy
and employ one million people,


CONTENTS//

1. Executive Summary 8
2. Key Findings & Recommendations 11
3. Introduction 13
4. Challenges 16
5. Research & Responses 20
6. Technology in a Cold Climate 24
6.1. Versatile 26
6.2. Parsimonious 29
6.3. Decentralised 35
6.4. Purposive 38
7. Summary 42
8. References 43


1.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY //

The UK faces severe challenges that manifest themselves
in the short term in a cold economic climate, in which
unemployment is high and a large government deficit
threatens to reduce public sector spending.
Furthermore, in the medium term other trends such as a
rising, ageing and unsustainably developing population
are likely to lead to global problems: food, water and
energy shortages. The effects of anthropogenic climate
change will almost certainly compound these threats.
Together such challenges point towards an uncertain
period in which resources are scarce and the threat of
hardship looms large.

We suggest that in difficult times, ICT can be used to raise levels of
the most valuable technological social capital, by joining people and
innovations are those that are communities through collaborative
versatile, purposive and enable community websites that deal
society to become parsimonious and with issues from parenting1 to
decentralised. healthcare2. ICT could also transform
supply chains of energy and other
Versatile resources by connecting sensors and
The diversity of the challenges we intelligent devices together, creating
face, encompassing issues from “smart grids”.
making savings in the cost of law
enforcement to dramatically cutting Although ICT promises great things,
carbon emissions, indicates that it appears that the full benefits are
we need generic technologies not yet being felt across the UK due
that allow a range of outcomes to to a combination of skills, culture
be accomplished using the same and technical infrastructure. While
tools. Rather than specific inventions, broadband is widely available, take
ICT is one such “general purpose” up by individuals is not yet universal
technology which is sufficiently and small businesses have been slow
versatile to contribute to solving to capitalise on the potential.
social, economic and environmental In addition, the copper cables
problems. that form broadband’s current

1
See http://www.mumsnet.com/
2
See http://www.patientopinion.org.uk/


infrastructure would need upgrading Parsimonious
in order to carry sufficient data for the The cold climate requires us to be
most effective applications – such as parsimonious, with public money
high definition video conferencing and with natural resources. Efforts to
– to be used to their full social and reduce the government’s deficit will
environmental effect. make the public sector subject to a
squeeze on spending. This could be
Purposive achieved in some cases by using the
The cold climate requires a greater internet more effectively, for example
level of purposive technological increasing the amount of public
innovation in the public and private services delivered online.
sectors. Purposive innovation would Research estimates that developing
take into account the full range of a facility to allow people to apply
challenges that we face; creating for Job Seekers Allowance online
new solutions that do not simply could save £100 million annually.
mitigate short term economic However the UK’s public sector has
problems, but the enormous social a poor record of using ICT, resulting
and environmental problems that we in unusually large contracts and
all face. missed targets, which is likely to come
under increased scrutiny in a cold
Technological innovation could economic climate.
help mitigate climate change, but
recent measures have favoured Other applications of ICT could
short term economic gains with help society adopt much more
seeming less thought to possible sustainable patterns. For example,
environmental gains. A clearer high speed connectivity could allow
understanding between government energy-intensive activities such as
and private sector over the commuting to be replaced with
technologies and markets required high definition video conferencing.
in the future is critical. More transformative changes could
be brought about as more devices
The UK has had many good become capable of connecting
innovation policies in the past, to the internet, and as electronic
including a number of ground- sensors miniaturise. This combination
breaking initiatives, though they have of sensors and ICT could allow
not always been effectively enforced. many more companies to switch
However there are notable gaps in from selling their products via an
innovation policy. The public and ownership model, to leasing them
private sector, for example, invest as a more environmentally
much lower amounts in research sustainable service.
and development than comparative
economies. In addition, the UK is Decentralised
particularly weak at growing small or Encouraging and empowering
medium businesses into large ones. individuals to play their own part in
the face of the challenges ahead
will be vital; individuals and
communities will need to become


more engaged with the big deeper level, in the way illustrated
challenges and more self-reliant in a by volunteer and third sector
period of uncertainty and possible organisations like MySociety and
hardship. As already noted, ICT can Rewired State who re-publish
join people together, but it’s great public sector data in innovative and
beneﬁt is being able to dissolve useful ways.
distances and harness the power of
many people. As more public sector organisations
release their data and people ﬁnd
An early example of this would new ways to tailor and publish it to
include online public services individuals, new opportunities for
that use web 2.0 features in the communicating that data open up.
way that commercial sites like Providing data in real-time through
Amazon.com use them to harness mobile devices could lead to much
people’s collective knowledge and more effective ways to encourage
experience, sharing advice and and enable people to adopt new
pointing forward to how public behaviours in response.
services could be further developed. The development of augmented
Such social media (and the ICT reality applications for smart phones
that carries it) could also be used could be the forerunners of this.
to co-produce public services at a


2. KEY FINDINGS &
RECOMMENDATIONS //
// High speed digital connectivity offers significant social, environmental
and economic benefits, but it is unlikely to be commercially viable to deliver
them to everyone who wants them. We suggest that where the market fails
to extend access to all, that the government create the conditions through
which this can be corrected.
// Some of the cost savings necessary to reduce the government’s deficit
could be attained by delivering more public services via the internet.
We suggest a combination of segmentation according to personal internet
use, incentives and greater use of intermediaries to establish which
services could be transferred online and encourage and enable people
to use them.
// The UK’s public sector has struggled to effectively procure and apply
technology, leading to higher costs than other countries and a bias towards
large projects which often fail to meet all their targets. We suggest that
dividing projects into smaller, off-the-shelf rather than highly customised,
packages of work and the retention of more internal expertise on
technology could lead to more successful use of technology in the public
sector. Publishing more data on government ICT procurement could also
improve transparency and accountability.
// ICT has a significant environmental cost, but the benefits it brings
through replacing resource-intensive current practices with alternatives
could offset this footprint by as much as five times. We suggest that a
greater emphasis is placed on ICT as an instrument to bring about a more
sustainable society
// Encouraging greater communication and higher levels of engagement
between people and the government will be important in difficult times.
We suggest that online public services provide an excellent enabler of
co-production between public servants and people. More online services
should be designed to encourage and harness this collective knowledge
using features like comments and ratings.
// The trend towards constant and mobile digital connectivity and the
welcome launch of more public sector data could be used to significant
effect by helping people to visualise the effect of their personal actions on
their own health or the natural environment. We suggest that government
become more aware of the new possibilities that mobile technology
platforms enable.


// The UK considers itself an advanced-knowledge economy, but although
it has some excellent innovation policies and mechanisms, it does not
seem to have implemented these well, leading to lower levels of R&D
investment and a poor record of exploiting knowledge to full advantage.
We suggest that the UK’s position is critically assessed, and that innovation
policies are more proactively evaluated throughout their lifetime.
// There does not seem to be a sufﬁciently strong discourse between policy
makers and business regarding the nature of the society we are aiming
towards and the role that technology could play. There is a need for more
collaborative foresight work to establish a clearer vision of the society
we aspire to and the markets and technologies which will be required to
support it.
// Demand-led innovation is critical for the future success of the UK’s
technology sector. Such demand could be stimulated through incentive
schemes and demonstration programmes and also by changing how
ﬁrms view innovation and growth. There is also a key role for public sector
procurement to stimulate the right sort of demand.


3. INTRODUCTION //

The cold snap of the economic downturn has affected
many people and organisations over the last year, but
is only the start of a longer cold economic climate for
many – particularly the public sector. It is clear that we
face challenges on social, environmental and economic
fronts, but it is not yet clear that we are responding by
fully realising our potential for innovation and invention.

Technology in a Cold Climate The statistics are grim: at the time
aims to engender a greater of writing, preliminary figures show
understanding among the that the UK has just emerged by
technology sector and policy a small figure from one of the
makers about the role that longest periods of recession since
technologies could play in meeting in post war history. Unemployment,
the UK’s ambitions and challenges. though not as severe as during
To contribute towards this aim, other recessions is at its highest
through a short period of research since 1992I , and government debt
and validation we have identified is expected to reach its highest
some measures that could help level since the second world war.
the UK make more of technology Additionally, the global population is
in an economic climate of relative growing, ageing and unsustainably
scarcity, uncertainty and adversity. developing. But as others have
notedII , challenges such as
As the set of tools that we use these should not encourage us
to adapt to our environment, to “keep calm and carry on”:
technology is constantly evolving rather we should be energetically
and the cold climate provides a experimenting and inventing.
reason to revisit the options that
are open to us. This project takes The RSA is known to many as “a
a broad look at the role that society for inventions that would
technology, particularly information make the world a better place”III .
and communication technology This confidence that technology has
(ICT), could play in meeting some something to offer society as well
of the big challenges posed by the as pure economic development
cold climate. is exemplified in a story from the
society’s records. Child labour was


rife in eighteenth century London, We commissioned four research
with children being used as near papers from accomplished authors
slaves to carry out dangerous to collate the knowledge on fields
tasks like sweeping the city’s that seemed fertile to us:
filthy chimneys. In 1796 the RSA
responded with a competition // Public sector use of technology
for equipment for “obviating
the necessity of children being // The potential of a more digitally
employed within flues”. interconnected society
The submissions to this competition
were prototypes of the first // The contribution that ICT could
extendible chimney sweeping make towards a more sustainable
brushes, paving the way for society
legislation that eventually outlawed
the practice of child labour in // A review of UK innovation and
sweeping chimneys. the support available to it

The challenges that we face and As well as mapping out the
the technologies that are our tools current landscape, each author
have moved on, but the RSA retains was asked to suggest a few
its enthusiasm for innovation and recommendations that could help
inventions. Today the society is the UK make the most of technology
predominantly concerned with how in a cold climate.
individuals and communities can
become more engaged, pro-social These papers and
and self-reliant in response to the recommendations were
grand challenges we face. subsequently developed during a
Some commentators note that small conference of experts drawn
there is a risk in people becoming from large and small technology
passive consumers rather than businesses, the civil service, political
engaged citizensIV ; making parties, think-tanks and academia.
impossible demands of the These experts met at a symposium
government but contributing little at the RSA in late 2009 to use their
to society themselves. collective experience to discuss the
Among other issues, Technology most important recommendations.
in a Cold Climate examines the
potential of technology to enable The first chapter of this report
and encourage people to become documents the challenges that
more engaged citizens. were uppermost in our mind when
thinking about the cold climate
Through a brisk four month process, and summarise some of the new
we have worked with large and developments in technology.
small technology companies, Secondly, a summary of the
public servants, academics and research that we commissioned
other leading thinkers to explore and the responses made by those
emerging technologies that could from industry or policy given
help us meet such challenges.


during the Technology in a Cold We present this report’s key ﬁndings
Climate symposium. Thirdly, from and suggestions as avenues that
the challenges, the research, the could help the UK maximise
responses and debate of the the social and environmental
symposium, a number of themes potential of technology in the
are extracted, which include current cold climate and the difﬁcult
recommendations of how the times ahead.
potential of technology in a cold
climate could be maximised.


4. CHALLENGES //

“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste”

It was the cold economic climate that sparked this
project into life, but the UK and global society face
challenges on social and environmental sides as well as
the current economic.

As Rahm Emanuel, President has moved on to the public sector.
Obama’s chief of staff, said of the Through bailing out the banks,
economic downturn: “You never quantitative easing and rising
want a serious crisis to go to spending, in September 2009 UK
waste”V. The challenges we face public sector net debt stood at 59%
are opportunities to re-think our of the Gross Domestic ProductVI ,
aims and the way we go about the highest for over ten years.
achieving them. What sort of society The debt is expected to rise to 79%
do we want, how do we measure our of GDP by 2013 – its highest level
progress towards this goal, and what since the Second World WarVII .
challenges stand in our way?
The cost-saving implications for the
The big questions about the society government are severe. The Institute
we want are social and political for Fiscal Studies notes that recent
questions beyond the scope of this pre-budget reports and budget
report, but we can assume that indicate that the government
many of the grand challenges that will need to make increasingly
we face stand in the way. What tightening cuts until they are saving
do we know about these grand £90 billion each year from 2017-18
challenges that could help us onwardsVIII. Such cuts would reverse
identify the nature of the tools and the rise in spending on public
technologies we need to help us services seen under the Labour
meet them? government unless taxes rise or
welfare payments are cut.
The Cold Snap: How can we achieve such
Public Sector Spending tightening while preventing them
Following the credit crunch that sent from adversely affecting our aims
shockwaves through the private for society?
sector, the economic downturn


ICT is often suggested as a way the government to look after their
in which public services could be personal data.
delivered more efficiently, but too
often the opposite occurs. The UK It is clear that spending on public
invests more than any other country services must be cut, but how could
in contracts much larger than any such cuts actually be delivered?
other country, but one government How can the fractured relationship
CIO reportedly said that only 30% of between citizens and the state be
public sector ICT projects meet all of repaired and made productive?
their targets. How can public sector
ICT move from being a source of
waste to a way of contributing real Other Challenges Ahead:
cost savings? Sustainability and Climate Change
If the squeeze on public sector
Cutting public service spending spending is the cold snap, what are
is not simply a matter of making the mid to long term challenges that
efficiencies. As policy makers we face? The economic challenge
wonder exactly how such large is likely to be compounded by even
savings can be made, eyes are more serious demographic and
turning to Canada, who were environmental trends. Forecasted
running a similarly large (to the UK) by the government’s chief scientific
national debt of 70% in the 90s and advisor to coincide in a “perfect
underwent dramatic fiscal reforms in storm” around 2030XI , the intervening
response. Jocelyne Bourgon, head years are our last chance to
of the Canadian civil service said either mitigate or adapt to these
of the reforms that she led that the challenges.
real key is not incremental efficiency
improvements, but “a process of One such trend is the rising
modernisation of public institutions global population. In July 2009,
including the role of the centre of the population of the world was
government, the role of departments estimated at 6.8 billionXII , projected
and rethinking of the relationship to rise to 8.3 billion by 2030, and
with citizens”IX. surpass 9 billion by 2050. A business-
as-usual projection puts the UK
However this crucial relationship on course for a population of 71.6
is at a low ebb, with one recent million in 2033 (currently 61 million),
study indicating that 71% of with a significant contribution made
people distrust the governmentX. by migrationXIII .
This is unusually apparent in the
issues around government use of Another trend linked to development
technology, which too often seems is that society’s population is living
a source of distrust rather than longer. Both in developed and
a means of empowerment and developing countries, the population
engagement. A number of large aged over 60 is growing at the
databases and high profile losses fastest rates ever – currently 2%
of personal information mean annually in the developed worldXII.
that many people do not trust The UK is no exception; over the


last 25 years, the percentage of The expected global impacts of
the population aged under 16 has climate change are well known
decreased and that over 65 has and far reaching; extreme weather,
increasedXIV. By 2033, it is projected glacier retreat, sea level rise,
that 23% of the population will be 65 changes to the oceans’ content,
or over and 18% will be 16 or under. economic and social impacts,
ecosystem change, health impacts,
A growing population is not water scarcity and security
inherently a problem, but the implications to name some of the
manner in which society has headline impacts. The UK has set a
developed to use natural resources target of reducing its GHG emissions
is unsustainable, and rising by 80% (on their 1990 levels) by
populations will exacerbate the 2050XVII. This target is to be achieved
problem. Humanity’s global footprint in a series of five-year carbon
now exceeds the Earth’s capacity budgets. The first three five-year
to regenerate by about 30%XV, budgets require a 34% reduction
and if trends remain the same, by by 2022XVIII .
the mid 2030s we will require two
Earths to provide the resources Such challenges, when collected
we currently consume. The UK’s together, form a broad set of
ecological footprint stands at 5.3 drivers of innovation; where could
global hectares (a unit of land with technology most effectively play a
the average capacity to produce role in helping us address them?
resources and absorb waste) per
person, but the sustainable threshold Technology Trends
is 2.1. The average UK citizen has the Many exciting developments
15th highest ecological footprint in are occurring in various fields of
the world. technology including biotech,
cognitive science, energy
Anthropogenic climate change, technology, material science,
although an example of nanotechnology, robotics and
unsustainable resource use, stands transport. Some startling advances
apart from other sustainability issues are being made that could
for its global impact and urgency. have significant social and
The average global temperature environmental gains.
has risen by 0.74ºCXVI during the
last century and is expected to rise Advances in genome sequencing,
further by up to 6.4ºC during the for example, has led one biotech
current century. The cause of the company to develop miniature chips
warming is accepted as the release that should allow an individual’s
of Green House Gasses (GHGs), entire genome to be sequenced at
including Carbon Dioxide (CO2), very low cost, opening the door to
through some of the industrialised inexpensive personalised medical
world’s activities. treatment such as selecting
the most effective type of
chemotherapy based on the results
of a tumour biopsy.


Likewise, recent advances in effects. Undoubtedly technology
cognitive science are expected can cause harm as well as good.
to result in a wiring diagram for Nowhere is this more obvious than in
the neural circuits of the brain the application of nuclear science
which could bring new insights to weapons technology. The dreadful
to psychiatric illness. Even those potential of such technology once
prosaic ﬁelds such as battery led Albert Einstein to say: “It has
technology which have only seen become appallingly obvious that
incremental improvements for our technology has exceeded
decades are now areas of rapid our humanity”. It is the purpose of
advance, resulting in innovations weapons technologies to cause
like the entirely “liquid” batteries that great damage, but all technologies
will be cheaper, longer-lasting and can have unintended side-effects
operate at far higher currents than on society and the environment.
any battery currently on the market, The main technologies that we rely
enabling entirely solar-powered on for energy also emit greenhouse
street lighting and more effective gasses in such quantity as to
electric cars. unbalance the natural carbon cycle
or leave us with waste that remains
Enthusiasts & Sceptics hazardous for many years to come.
Technology often divides opinions; or leave us with waste that remains
some seeing unlimited potential for hazardous for many years to come.
economic growth or social gain,
others seeing only undesirable side-


5. RESEARCH &
RESPONSES//

Our search for those technologies that could play a
meaningful role in the challenges of the cold climate
began with academic research. We commissioned four
papers from experienced authors, each of whom carried
out a survey of existing knowledge surrounding their
topic, and suggested a few recommendations that
could improve the current situation.

To draw in the perspectives of those The research summarised the
with expertise in industry and policy, ability of ICT to build relationships
we organised a symposium for within and between people and
sixty professionals from business, communities (e.g. social networking
government, the third sector and websites such as Facebook or
academia. During seminars in the Twitter) but also highlighted the role
symposium, each author presented of machine-to-machine connectivity
their research and formal responses in large scale grid computing
were delivered by two experts. applications such as SETI@home.
The development of the semantic
Interconnected Society web, the re-organisation of data
The academic research we to make it understandable by
commissionedXXIII on the computers as well as people, was
interconnected society highlighted outlined. It was suggested that many
some of the benefits that ICT and semantic web applications will
digital connectivity are expected occupy a space that involves both
to bring, particularly in dissolving people-to-people and machine-to-
geographical boundaries. machine connectivity.
Digital connectivity is seen, and not
just by technologists, as a necessity The research also briefly explored
to improve social, economic and the market and policy landscape
environmental standards. It was surrounding the next generation
suggested however that the reality of digital connectivity, noting that
of these benefits did not currently although the government’s 50p
match up to the rhetoric, due to a landline levy could raise the funds
number of barriers and divides – to extend such fast broadband
including the physical infrastructure across the UK, this policy is
and gaps in levels of ICT skills. subject to changes in the UK’s


political landscape. The research The research recommended three
suggested that since the benefits measures to make more of ICT to
of connectivity are felt at various deliver public services and improve
levels, the costs should similarly government administration.
derive from multiple places. It was These included procurement issues;
thought that the EU, UK and regional the adoption of smaller contracts
development agencies may each and more effective use of existing
take a leadership role in extending databases instead of investing in
next generation broadband to larger databases. It was also noted
“the final third”. that other country’s governments
have higher levels of expertise in ICT
Responses to the paper agreed on than is common in the UK.
the benefits of digital connectivity, In addition, the current problem
but suggested that there were of less than universal take up of
many issues surrounding digital broadband could be mitigated by
connectivity that were not yet targeting public services that are
sufficiently publicly understood specific to segments of society that
or debated; including privacy already have high levels of internet
and security, digital inclusion and access. The use of web 2.0 features
exclusion, technical standards and could also allow services to be more
issues of governance. engaging, and allow a level of co-
The benefit of machine-to-machine production of services through the
communication, was highlighted world wide web.
as an application of ICT that could
collect and employ huge amounts Responses to the research included
of data to maximum effect, having the perspective that while smaller
benefits from reducing food wastage ICT contracts could help, they could
to ensuring that energy is generated not expected to be a panacea for
and distributed efficiently. all the problems of public sector
ICT procurement; small contracts
Public Services may also fail. It was noted that the
The research we commissioned contract cost of smaller contracts
explored how digital technologies must be correspondingly lower.
could equip public services to A role was seen for ICT to help
survive the recession. The paper government operate across
included a brief history of central departmental boundaries, with
government’s use of ICT, highlighting the example of the online DVLA
a number of failures in ICT licensing system noted as exemplar.
procurement, and opportunities to The importance of free data as
use ICT to create more engaging a lever to spark innovation was
and effective public services. expounded. Responses also
Estimates were made of the cost emphasised that the challenge
savings made possible through of the “cold climate” would last
transferring delivery of some key for longer than the short term. The
services to the internet. importance of ICT in untangling
central government was again
supported, as was the importance


of using ICT to co-produce public people in real-time. The importance
services. The potential of the of these technologies in three key
web as a field for nudge-like areas of consumption; buildings,
behaviour change interventions transport and food, was highlighted.
was also noted.
The research presented six measures
Sustainable Technology that could support the acceleration
The research we commissionedXIX of transformative technology that
reported on some of the would enable a more sustainable
transformational changes that future society. The adoption of a one-planet
technologies could make to help framework that uses a benchmark
society adopt more sustainable of one million people to assess the
patterns. The difficulties of predicting sustainability of proposed solutions
technological developments for long was highlighted, as was the need
time frames were noted, and three to promote reporting of company’s
key “technology service clusters” positive impacts rather than their
were chosen that were highly likely negative impacts.
scenarios to transpire as well as A focus on transformative solutions
having transformational potential; that achieve savings of over 90%
high speed digital connectivity, rather than those that achieve 10-
miniaturisation leading to ubiquitous 20% was recommended.
computing, and the integration
of the two; allowing data on the Responses to the research
environmental impact of people’s reinforced the importance of the
actions to be communicated to shift to a service rather than
them in real-time. ownership economy and the
cyclical lifespan of products
Faster digital connectivity could that ICT could enable, citing the
allow energy intensive activities example of Integrated Vehicle
such as commuting to be replaced Health Management or modular
with video-conferencing, saving 50- photocopying equipment.
150% of the emissions associated The importance of differentiating
with traditional forms of travel. between technology that allows
Miniaturisation of the devices incremental improvements and
currently able to connect to the those that allow revolutionary
internet will allow parts such as improvements was also noted, as
vehicle components to connect to was the difficulty that policy can
the internet; allowing them to be have in keeping up with latest
tracked geographically. This could developments.
enable a shift towards a much more Responses also highlighted the
effectively-implemented service ability of ICT to monitor and
economy. Integration of digital control energy generation and
connectivity and miniaturisation into distribution, and served as a
people’s lifestyles will encourage reminder that digital infrastructure
the emergence of ubiquitous is just as important as roads
augmented reality, allowing and railways.
information to be presented to


Supporting Innovation combination of incentive schemes
We also commissioned a review and demonstration programmes
of the state of innovationXX and could stimulate the necessary
innovation policies and measures impetus to create demand-led
in the UK. This research reported innovation. The paper concluded
that while often dwelling too much that while the UK has always held
on its failures, that in actual fact, a position as an innovative player,
the UK does relatively well across recent shifts in innovation, growth
various areas. The UK’s success in and productivity towards economies
creativity, the importance of “grand like Brazil, India and China makes
challenges”, sustainability as a driver this position fragile – undermining
of innovation, knowledge exchange, its position as an advanced
the higher education system, the knowledge economy.
value of demand-led innovation and
the recognition of service innovation Responses to this paper broadly
were all noted as exemplar. agreed with its analysis, but drew
a line between technological
However the review also noted innovation and organisational
two particular gaps in innovation, innovation. The response suggested
notably that the UK (both that our expectations of innovation
government and business) invests in the UK should differ from those in
much lower amounts in research areas such as Silicon Valley. It was
and development than comparative urged that the significant amounts
economies, and that the UK of venture capital money available
consistently fails to grow fledgling to UK companies should be used
businesses into larger firms. to energise rather than scare, and
banks should be more encouraging
The paper concluded that while the to those trying to grow businesses.
UK’s policies were ground-breaking, The lack of mechanisms to grow
it has been less successful at little businesses to medium sized
implementing these policies. It was ones was noted, as was the role of
suggested that this could be due organisations such as NESTA and
to insufficient resources assigned government departments like BIS,
to implementing such policies. The but ultimately the importance of
importance of a greater emphasis improving management within
on foresight, and a more proactive business was seen as critical,
evaluation that appraises policies particularly in changing managers’
throughout their lifetime was attitudes towards innovation.
noted. It was also suggested that a


6.TECHNOLOGY IN A
COLD CLIMATE //

The sweeping breadth of the challenges we face is
noticeable; making significant cost efficiencies in
public services involves finding new ways to deliver
health, law enforcement, education and more. Climate
change and demographic shifts bring their particular
problems. It seems appropriate that the technologies
required by the cold climate should be versatile, allowing
a range of outcomes to be accomplished using the
same technologies. Which technologies will be flexible
enough to play a major role on social, economic and
environmental fronts?

Perhaps most strikingly, the big challenges, and how can they
cold climate requires us to be become more self-reliant in an
parsimonious, both with the public age of hardship and uncertainty?
purse and with our natural resources. What role does technology have in
The public sector deficit will require enabling and empowering higher
£90 billion to be saved and the UK levels social productivity?
Climate Change Act’s target of
80% reduction in carbon emissions Finally there is the key question
by 2050 mean that we must find of innovation. The UK currently
radically more efficient ways of using sees itself as an advanced
public money and fossil fuel. knowledge economy, but the cold
How can technology help us make climate will require us to go beyond
our money go further, and could it rhetoric to reality.
even help us do more for less? Are we really innovating sufficiently,
and do we support key innovations
Decentralisation of power and enough? As well as simply innovating,
responsibility seems important; as the foreword to this report urges,
learning from the lesson of Canada we must be innovating with purpose,
in the 90s and from recent with sufficient foresight to look
research on the lack of trust beyond the cold snap to the long
between individuals and central cold climate ahead of us – is our
government. How can citizens innovation purposive?
become more engaged in the


The following sections take each that are versatile, and that enable
of these themes in turn, identifying society to be more parsimonious,
innovations and inventions that could decentralised and innovative, then
be of use in the cold climate. If the which are the options?
cold climate require technologies


6.1 VERSATILE //

The range of social and environmental challenges
provoked by the cold climate includes matters as diverse
as government administration, a diverse spectrum of
public services and environmental sustainability.
It follows that we will require technology that is versatile
enough to be applied to a variety of problems.

Versatility is one of the reasons Instead, our research recommended
that Technology in a Cold Climate that clusters of technologies be
focuses on the potential of identified that could provide the
information and communication same service. For example, the digital
technology (ICT). Rather than any connectivity used by information
specific product, ICT is a general and communication technologies
purpose technologyXXI , a technology provides a service that allows people
that can be applied in diverse ways and machines to communicate,
and which is capable of significant but rather than dependent on one
impact. Other such general technology, it could be provided by
purpose technologies include a range of competitor technologies.
materials technologies, power, tools For the digital connectivity example,
and transportation. such alternative specific technologies
could include fibre, GSM, 3G or
Predicting the Future even satellite.
Our researchXXII illustrated the
difficulties of predicting technology The advantage of identifying such
futures with a example from the clusters is that the foundational
mobile phone market. In 1980, one service is independent of any single
consultancy predicted that there technology. Such clusters should
would be 900 thousand mobile be selected on the basis of the
subscribers by the end of the 20th foundational service being of use to
century, when in fact there were over many areas across different sectors
100 million subscribers in the United so that multiple stakeholders are
States in the year 2000; over 100 investing and a robust market exists,
times more than the prediction. and the presence of a number of
technologies capable of delivering
the service.


Digital Connectivity to analyse radio signals for signs
The development of large digital of extra-terrestrial intelligence.
networks – particularly the internet This machine-to-machine digital
– have given the field of ICT connectivity is likely to become
unparalleled versatility, allowing ever more prevalent, as more and
these technologies to play a role more products are equipped with
in areas as diverse as education, technology (RFID tags or similar)
healthcare, the environment that makes them part of the internet.
and transportation. Through the This so-called “internet of things”
transformational changes that ICT could have significant potential to
has already brought, we live in the help meet some of the challenges of
information age. Today’s technology the cold climate.
allows us to use that information to
complete a wide range of The infrastructure of digital
tasks; from allowing people to learn connectivity would seem to be as
online from the Open University important to the 21st century as the
or the Massachusetts Institute of roads and railways were to the 19th
Technology’s OpenCourseWare3 , century; bringing with it many of the
to holding organisations with benefits highlighted in this report
a public remit to account and forming a platform that allows
through websites such as new businesses to spring up.
TheyWorkForYou.com4. Our research
also emphasised the benefits that However varied and transformational
digital connectivity and ICT bring to the benefits, our research suggested
rural communities by enabling the that although the benefits are
economy and society to become recognised by the government at
less centralised through the ability European and national level, the
of ICT and digital connectivity to advantages are being observed
dissolve the barrier of distance. more slowly. Small to medium sized
enterprises (SME) in particular,
The advantages of digital particularly those in rural areas,
connectivity are often thought of as have been slower than their larger
synonymous with those of the world counterparts to take full advantage
wide web; but in fact encompass of digital connectivity.
a much broader set of channels
including mobile phones, digital A number of reasons were
television, and machine-to-machine suggested for the lagging benefits,
communications. The internet allows including digital infrastructure and
people to communicate with each levels of ICT skills. Such a view is
other across spatial boundaries, and reinforced by the Economist’s annual
web 2.0 websites like Facebook and E-readiness ranking, which in its 2009
Twitter result in new communities. report of different country’s ability to
But other forms of connectivity allow apply ICT for social and economic
machines to communicate with impact, assessed the UK as having
each other, resulting in applications slipped from 8th to 13th placeXXIV.
such as SETI@home that harness the
power of many home computers

3
See http://ocw.mit.edu/
4
See http://www.theyworkforyou.com/


Markets and Policies landline levy, the government plans
The UK’s current digital infrastructure to create leverage sufficient to fund
for broadband is available to 99% the extension of next generation
of the populationXXV, with 63% of connectivity to the “final third” of
households having taken up the the population – the most rural
service by 2009XXVI. Actual speeds areas – allowing high broadband
vary considerably due to the speeds to be available to 90% of the
nature of the current copper based population. Our research indicated
technologies, but average speeds of that the 50p landline
4.1 mega bits per second (Mbps)XXVII levy is subject to changes in the
in 2009 – sufficient for fairly simple political landscape, and if not
tasks such as streaming video, implemented, the question of how
e-mail, and downloading music and to extend the benefits of next-
video files, but not enough to stream generation broadband to the final
high definition television for example. third are unknown.
“Next-generation” broadband,
which offers speeds of up to 50Mbps Rightly, there is reluctance
could open the door to additional among policy makers to pick
digital services like “telepresence” specific technological “winners”.
(high quality teleconferencing), Interfering in the market to support
some of which are examined in the technologies that are likely to
following chapters. Next-generation deliver benefit is undesirable,
broadband is expected to be rolled and an impossible task given
out by providers in the urban and the rapid pace of technological
semi-urban areas that are home to development. However the service
two thirds of the UK’s population, provided by digital connectivity
but the lack of demand in rural is largely independent of specific
areas means the full benefits technologies, being an example
of such connectivity may not r of a general purpose technology,
each everybody. and we suggest that this service will
be of significant value to society
The government’s Digital Britain in the cold climate. In addition to
strategy indicates their commitment providing some of the social and
to extend access of current levels environmental benefits reported
of broadband service to all by in the following chapters, one
2012; as Gordon Brown recently study shows that a (theoretical)
wrote in the Times: “a fast internet investment of £5 billion could result
connection is now seen by most of in the creation or retention
the public as an essential service, as of 280,500 jobs, 94,000 of them in
indispensable as electricity, gas and small businessesXXVIII .
water”. In addition, through the 50p

// High speed digital connectivity offers significant social, environmental
and economic benefits, but it is unlikely to be commercially viable to
deliver them to everyone who wants them. We suggest that where the
market fails to extend access to all, that the government creates the
conditions through which this failure can be corrected.


6.2. PARSIMONIOUS//

Society faces the challenge of radically reducing public
sector spending, as well as the manifestation, in climate
change, of the effects of an unsustainable society.
The cold climate will push us to become economical
rather than extravagant with the resources we have.

Two of the research papers we procurement of ICT itself could
commissioned explored how ICT become more parsimonious.
could enable a more parsimonious
society. One paper examined Although central government has a
how ICT could be used by central long relationship with ICT, there are
government to save money on many public services provided by
internal administration and public the government that make little or
service delivery. The other looked no use of the cost-saving potential
at the role that ICT could play of technology. The government set a
in helping society manage its target in 1999 that all transactions
consumption of natural resources with the public sector should be
more effectively. Our research available online by 2005. This has
highlighted the potential of ICT been fairly successful; a 2005
available today, such as the world survey showed 39% of internet users
wide web, but also pointed forwards reported e-government interaction
to the role that digital connectivity in the last year. In 2007, this ﬁgure
could play in the near future. was 46% and in 2009, 59% had
undertaken some e-government
Cost-effective Public activity. However the same (2009)
Services study showed that while 59% of
Our research showed that there were people interacted with government
signiﬁcant cost-saving opportunities online, 81% of people compared
for central government use of ICT; products and prices, 80% bought
partly in delivering more public good and services online, and 76%
services digitally, and partly by made travel reservations online and
improving use of ICT within and 55% used online banking.
across government departments. Our research showed that only 1%
The research also indicated ways of interactions with Department
in which central government’s for Work and Pensions (which has


by far the largest budgets) are One possible objection to the
carried out online. While growing parsimonious potential of using ICT
online interaction is encouraging, to deliver public services is that an
there is still enormous potential and online service could not displace
necessity to make this the norm. traditionally-run services due to the
current lack of universal access to
Our research highlighted two digital connectivity. It is true that the
examples of cost savings that savings would only be realised if an
could save the Job Centre Plus online service replaced a traditional
service approximately £118 million service, but our research showed
a year. First, applications for Job that the “digital divide” is not
Seekers’ Allowance currently cost as significant a problem as
£89 to deliver, but the cost could previously thought.
be reduced by removing the cost
of phone calls and information Although 70% of households are
gathering costs that could comprise connected to the internet; either
about half (or £45) of the total. through their telephone line, WiFi,
With the rising rate of unemployment PDAs, digital or cable television, 72%
claims, a rate of 81% during the of non-internet-users responded that
latter part of 2008 and early 2009, they definitely or probably could
then the cost saving of allowing “use the internet to send an email
people to apply online for Job or something now” XXIX. These users
Seekers Allowance could be as large have indirect access to broadband,
as £100 million. Secondly, Job Centre through people that they know or
Plus currently spend £235 million library access to the internet. Such
annually on 9,300 personal advisors, intermediaries play a valuable role,
3,400 of which dedicated to new shrinking the digital divide to about
start or new deal programmes at a 8% of people who are firmly excluded
cost of £86 million. By making more from internet access.
use of the internet to deliver such
advice, a saving of perhaps 20% Intermediaries can be family
or £18 million could be made on members or friends, local libraries,
these resources. or schemes such as UK Online
Centres. They also offer the potential
Similar possibilities exist in the to combat another of the objections
national health service. GP often raised at online services –
consultations with people aged 65 that delivering services online can
or over topped 6 million in 2007, at further isolate people from offline
a cost of £20-25 each. If access to social contact. In addition, the
health advice on the internet for internet has far higher penetration
those aged 65 or over could be among particular segments of the
improved, then a modest reduction population. For example, students
of 10% in such consultations could have near universal take up of the
save the NHS £12 to 15 million a year. internet which allows student loan
administration to be delivered as a
purely online service. It is likely
that there will almost certainly be


other services primarily used by rise from 44% to 58% online return)
segments with very high levels together with an understanding of
of internet take up. the importance of intermediaries
and the government’s commitment
A combination of incentives for to universal access to broadband by
people to interact online, such as 2012 open the door to using ICT to
used by HMRC in their policy of much greater effect in public
mandating online interactions for service delivery.
late tax-ﬁling (which achieved a

//Some of the cost savings necessary to reduce the government’s deﬁcit
could be attained by delivering more public services via the internet. We
suggest a combination of segmentation according to personal internet
use, incentives and greater use of intermediaries to establish which
services could be transferred online and encourage and enable people
to use them.

Parsimonious Procurement of wastefulness, that there is still
The UK government has been scope for improvement. A number
dependent on ICT for decades, of comparative models, from tight
but the pressures on the public regulation to maintain a competitive
sector are bringing a new focus on supply market, to retaining in-house
the way in which it is used. capability, to splitting contracts up
Large and centralised databases, into smaller pieces. The research
massive contracts and high concluded that smaller contracts
failure rates make ICT’s reputation were likely to lead to a more
synonymous with making things effective relationship between the
bigger, centralised, complicated, government and ICT contractors.
expensive and intrusive. The pressure A reasonable level of support was
of the cold climate should shown for this suggestion from the
provoke changes. delegates at our symposium, with
the caveat that small contracts
Our research showed that while must mean small packages of work,
ICT procurement has improved and that the contract cost must be
in the UK since its worse points correspondingly low.

// The UK’s public sector has struggled to effectively procure and
apply technology, leading to higher costs than other countries and a
bias towards large projects which often fail to meet all their targets.
We suggest that dividing projects into smaller, off-the-shelf rather
than highly customised, packages of work and the retention of more
internal expertise on technology could lead to more successful use of
technology in the public sector. Publishing more data on government ICT
procurement could also improve transparency and accountability.


New Energy-efficient Services energy and have correspondingly
ICT already has a significant enormous footprints. One study
carbon footprint – primarily due estimates that, even taking into
to the manufacture and use of account its growth, ICT could offset
PCs, data centres infrastructure its own footprint by up to five times,
and other devices – which in 2007 enabling a society that is radically
was estimated to contribute 2% more parsimonious with its
of global carbon emissions, a resource use.
figure comparable to the global
contribution that aviation made in ICT could achieve this partly
the same yearXXX . In spite of efforts through using the internet to replace
to reduce its impact, ICT’s footprint activities such as commuting and
is expected to rise at rate of 6% per business travel with teleworking
year until 2020. and teleconferencing, by replacing
paper mailing with online
However our research shows that communications, by replacing high-
ICT is unusual, in that it enables street shopping with e-commerce
new ways of living and working that and by replacing physical
could completely replace some media such as CDs and DVDs with
practices that consume even more digital media.

// ICT has a significant environmental cost, but the benefits it brings
greater emphasis is placed on ICT as an instrument to bring about a
more sustainable society.

“Make Measurable managers say: what gets measured
What is Not So” gets managed. Measuring resource
The world wide web is not the only use more accurately and frequently
way in which ICT could help society and conveying that information
become more parsimonious. Digital to where it is most required is the
connectivity, as well as enabling first step in reducing waste, and an
people to communicate across obvious and important application
distances, also allows machines to of ICT.
communicate – which opens the
door to new levels of control over our Currently we do not appear to be
distribution and consumption measuring our resource use nearly
of resources. as much as we need to.
Taking energy as an example,
Galileo said “measure what is consumers have no idea how much
measurable, and make measurable energy they are consuming, and
what is not so” – or as modern day suppliers have only a little more.


The next generation of electricity The smart grid also formed part
grids could change the way that of the government’s American
energy is consumed in buildings Recovery and Reinvestment Act –
by making energy consumption with over $11 billion earmarked to
measurable and manageable. fund it. Six trial projects have been
funded to date at a cost of over $47
ICT could be applied in the million. In the UK, the Department for
form of sensors, smart-meters Energy and Climate Change have
and communication lines to the shown interest in smart grids, but
infrastructure that distributes no firm commitments have yet
resources. A smarter electricity grid, been made.
would allow electricity distribution
to become less centralised, allowing Energy use in buildings is only
individuals to contribute their own one area in which we waste
electricity to the grid more easily, resources. There are also enormous
and would be more energy- applications for ICT in the
efficient resilient. area of transportation, such as
telecommuting, teleconferencing
The benefits of the smart electricity and smarter vehicles and traffic
grid have been estimated at; infrastructure. For example, existing
reduced transmission and studies show that greater take-up of
distribution losses (8%), reduced telecommuting could reduce most
congestion (2%), improved people’s commuting GHG emissions
energy efficiency (6%), improved about 75%. If telecommuting was
reliability and power quality (49%), adopted by 10% of the population,
and reduced operations and a saving of 43 mega tonnes of CO2
maintenance(19%). The US National could be achievedXXXII .
Energy Technology Laboratory
estimates that these benefits Transformations
outweigh the investment cost by a A smart electricity grid is just
factor of four to one. They estimate one example of how machine
that the grid will require $165 billion to machine connectivity could
over the following twenty years, enable parsimony in resource
but will benefit society by between consumption. The “internet of
$638 and $802 billion. The direct things” describes the extension of
environmental benefits of such a internet connectivity to all devices:
grid are therefore about 14%, which from fast-moving consumer goods
could make a valuable contribution to engine components. Often
towards the UK’s carbon budgets. described as the addition of radio
frequency identification tags to
Smart grids are at a comparatively components, the internet of things
advanced state in some countries. essentially means that everything
Italy’s smart grid was completed will be traceable throughout its
in 2005, where it saves 500 million lifetime. Although a controversial
(project cost 2.1 billion) each year. idea with a multitude of privacy
In the US, VCs have invested $1 issues, the internet of things could
billion dollars over the last few years have transformational potential for
in smart grid companies. environmental sustainability.


As sensors miniaturise and become any component or product – from a
less expensive, and ambient and can of coke to a car to take its place
wireless connectivity becomes the in a circular, closed-loop economy.
norm, the internet of things could Tags could hold information about
open a door to a dramatically the manufacturer of a finished
transformational shift from an product, enabling a truly cradle to
ownership economy towards a cradle approach to the way that
service economy. we use, re-use and recycle our
natural resources.
Companies such as Xerox and
Rolls Royce are well known for their Both large and small (one start-
service business models, where up have developed a platform
clients buy a photocopying service to aggregate energy and other
or hours of flying time rather than data from a variety of sources)
photocopiers or airplanes. Adding technology companies are heavily
ubiquitous ICT, through RFD tags or innovating in this field.
other wireless sensors could allow

//ICT has a significant environmental cost, but the benefits it brings
greater emphasis is placed on ICT as an instrument to bring about a
more sustainable society.


6.3. DECENTRALISED//

The low level of trust between citizens and government,
and the observation that citizens seem more passive and
less engaged than before are worrying signs in a cold
climate. The experience of Canada, as well as the simple
truth that people will need to become more self-reliant
in an age of austerity indicate that decentralisation of
power and responsibility is important.

Personal Data “volunteered personal data”, which
Research into the rapid increase would allow individuals to own some
in personal data held by the parts of their data and release it to
government indicates that two government to the extent they wish.
thirds of the population do not trust
the government with their personal Public Service Co-production
dataXXXIII. This has been accentuated In addition to highlighting ways
by recent high profile cases of data in which ICT could deliver public
loss, and reports that the amount of services in a more cost-effective
data held by the government has manner, our research also explored
risen rapidly. Our research reported the possibilities of using technology
a “big database” mentality in central to forge more innovative services.
government, and noted that such For example, the ability of web 2.0
large databases were unnecessary applications allows people to leave
and linked to the problem of large feedback in the form of comments
contracts. Instead it was suggested or star ratings on the public services
that more effective use of existing they have experienced.
databases be made. These actions create information
that the government can use to
Personal data, although a topic of improve services, and also
significant debate and a factor in allows other people to make more
the distrust between citizens and informed choices.
government did not feature highly in A variety of low-cost websites offer
our commissioned research, but was such services, and although some
mentioned at several points. lessons from these sites have been
One proposed alternative to adopted into official public sector
government-held data was to websites, such as NHS choices, this
decentralise it in the form of new way of working is not an easy fit


for government’s traditional modes a variety of services to create
of operation. innovative new public services.
Websites such as WhatDoTheyKnow.
Taking such “co-production” of com make it easy for
public services further, the release individuals to submit freedom of
of public sector data allows civic- information requests.
minded individuals with the right
skills to “mash” data together from

// Encouraging greater communication and higher levels of engagement
between people and the government will be important in difficult times.
We suggest that online public services provide an excellent enabler of
co-production between public servants and people. More online services
should be designed to encourage and harness this collective knowledge
using features like comments and ratings.

Making Sense of Data: but rich way to present relevant
Augmented Reality & Nudging information to people.
We live in the information age, and The potential of such information
there is little likelihood of the amount is significant; for example, the
of information we come into contact importance of encouraging
with reducing in the near future. “behaviour change” is recognised
Our research indicates that, as across both political parties.
digital connectivity speeds increase In a speech at the RSA in 2007,
and the devices that we use to David Cameron cited various recent
access digital networks decrease in examples of physical assaults and
size, information is likely to become said “My belief in social responsibility
more integrated in our lifestyles. is not a laissez-faire manifesto.
I believe that government has
Integration is already happening a vital role to play in changing
through the emergence of social behaviour”XXXIV . Likewise the
augmented reality; the layering of present government has carried
data over the real world. out a growing amount of research
Early applications for devices such over the last five years into more
as the iPhone use the device’s sophisticated ways in which people
internal GPS, electronic compass can be encouraged to eat more
and screen to overlay information healthily, drink less alcohol, take
on tourist sites, travel networks and fewer drugs, consume less energy
shared workspaces. This location- and generate less waste.
aware layer of data creates a simple


Encouraging behaviour change is ICT can help us visualise and project
rightly regarded as a challenge, but information into the future – could
here too, ICT has a valuable role to show us the effect that switching
play. Presenting the right information that light off could have, or eating
at the right time has been shown that food, or doing our morning
to enable people to take more exercises. Could also help policy
responsibility for their behaviour. makers make better decisions; how
The most common example being would Copenhagen be different
that of real-time energy displays, if negotiators could see the effect
which trials indicate when installed of their country’s commitment
in peoples’ homes, result in 5-15% projected into the future?
reduction in energy consumption.

// The trend towards constant and mobile digital connectivity and the
welcome launch of more public sector data could be used to signiﬁcant
effect by helping people to visualise the effect of their personal actions
on their own health or the natural environment. We suggest that
government become more aware of the new possibilities that mobile
technology platforms enable.


6.4. PURPOSIVE//

Innovation is always key in an environment of global
competition, but the challenges of the cold climate
make it critical to achieving our goals for society.
We suggest that the pressures of the cold climate first
require innovation to be sufficiently occurring and to be
effectively supported, and secondly, must be purposive.

The State of Innovation identified the role of lead markets
Our research showed that while and particularly the government’s
there are gaps and weaknesses in role of public procurement as critical
UK innovation, the UK has to supporting innovation.
had several successes across
different areas of innovation and However in addition to these
innovation policy. reasons for optimism, the research
also highlighted two weaknesses
First, the UK is home to creative of innovation in the UK. First that
individuals, with a world-renowned business and government invest
design consultancy sector. less in research and development
The higher education system is than comparable economies, and
extremely successful with two second that while the UK has a fairly
universities in the world top ten good record of entrepreneurship, we
and five in the world top fifty, and a are less successful at growing and
good record of licensing, spin-outs sustaining such small businesses.
and knowledge transfer activity.
Knowledge exchange is successfully Our research showed that the UK,
achieved through the exchange of although often representing itself as
personnel between public an advanced knowledge economy,
and private sectors, and falls behind many countries in the
through the Knowledge Transfer amount it invests in R&D. Although
Partnership schemes. investment in innovation can take
other forms than simply R&D, the
Second, the important role of proportion of GDP invested in R&D
demand-led measures to encourage still gives a rough indication of how
and support innovation have seriously a country takes innovation.
become recognised across Europe, In 2006, the UK invested 1.47% of
and recent publications have clearly GDP in R&D – below average for


the EU 27, and only just above particularly difficult. Various reasons
China’s 1.42%. Taking into account are to blame for this. Cultural issues
investment other than percentage may be partly to blame, if the
spent on R&D; for example that entrepreneur is not interested in
spent on plant, equipment, training, growing the business, or conversely
design and software, the UK could keen to quickly sell up and move on
still considered an ‘innovation to their next venture. Another trend
leader’ within Europe but not on an is that various foreign companies
international playing field. are keen to invest in UK innovations,
which can have two negative (for
Our research also highlighted the UK) side-effects; a reduction
that he UK tends to have a good in R&D (often re-located to foreign
record of creative entrepreneurship, sites) and the loss of headquarters;
but it routinely fails to develop which are known to have an
these fledgling businesses into important ‘multiplier’ effect in their
large firms. The transition period surrounding area.
in developing into a large SME is

// The UK considers itself an advanced-knowledge economy, but
although it has some excellent innovation policies and mechanisms, it
does not seem to have implemented these well, leading to lower levels
of R&D investment and a poor record of exploiting knowledge to full
advantage. We suggest that the UK’s position is critically assessed,
and that innovation policies are more proactively evaluated throughout
their lifetime.


Purposive Innovation tackled by innovation platforms from
As Matthew Taylor notes in the the Technology Strategy Board and
foreword, the challenges of the Research Councils. Sustainability is
cold climate are such that it is not one such challenge and represent
sufficient to simply innovate out opportunities for new markets in
of the recession, we must also be innovative products and services
innovating in the direction of the that exploit the need for a low-
society we want. carbon and resource-light society.

Our research showed that the UK Our research indicated however that
is moving in the right direction, although the UK has been strong
having taken on board the fact at foresight in the past, that there is
that many of the issues facing a need for a deeper conversation
today’s society are complex and between government and business
inter-disciplinary. Such “grand to establish which technologies and
challenges”, like those brought markets we must be supporting over
on by the cold climate, are being the coming years.

// There does not seem to be a sufficiently strong discourse between
policy makers and business regarding the nature of the society we are
aiming towards and the role that technology could play. There is a need
for more collaborative foresight work to establish a clearer vision of the
society we aspire to and the markets and technologies which will be
required to support it.

Supporting Demand Led Purposive measures like energy efficiency,
Innovation improved water infrastructure,
Our research also highlighted renewable energy, and other low
the role of the public sector carbon initiatives.
in encouraging demand-led
innovation. In common with other China’s package devoted 38% of its
governments, the UK responded (in total stimulus to developing more
the 2008 pre-budget report and 2009 sustainable rail, grid and water
budget) to the recession with a short infrastructure. This has included
term stimulus package designed cutting sales tax on cars with
to galvanise UK business. Many smaller engines, subsidies for the
such packages were also intended development of electric vehicles,
to stimulate environmentally significant investment in building
sustainable development as well as new rail track, and an improved
economic recovery – with countries electricity grid. It has also earmarked
such as China and the US leading money to invest in broader
the way allocating $221 billion environmental protection such as
and $112 billion respectively for sewage treatment. The American


Recovery and Reinvestment Act aims protection measures like flood
to encourage renewable energy, protection and the reliable supply of
building efficiency, low-carbon clean water.
vehicles, mass transit, better grids
and water through 12% of its total The UK’s package trails slightly in
stimulus. This has included significant the sustainability stakes by devoting
benefits to renewable energy $2 billion, or 7% of its total stimulus
suppliers; tax credits and subsidies package to green measures. This
to encourage plant construction, contained stimulus for low-carbon
but also a commitment to Carbon power, energy efficiency, modal
Capture and Storage demonstration shift and low-carbon vehicles and
projects. Energy efficiency benefits adaptation plans for flood defences.
in the shape of funding for energy The UK’s stimulus package seems
saving programmes, tax credits to have been comparatively weak,
for energy efficiency measures both in terms of size and likely
in the built environment, with impact. It seems unlikely that future
significant amounts also invested stimulus packages will be made
in the electricity grid and transport available, but there is still a key
(funding to develop advanced role for government encouraging
batteries, incentives for plug-in purposive innovation through public
hybrid cars, mass transit). Money sector procurement.
is also set aside for environmental

// Demand-led innovation is critical for the future success of the UK’s
technology sector. Such demand could be stimulated through incentive
schemes and demonstration programmes and also by changing how
firms view innovation and growth. There is also a key role for public sector
procurement to stimulate the right sort of demand.


7. SUMMARY//

Technology is a powerful tool in the face of challenges
of difficult economic times and seemingly huge
problems like unsustainability climate change.
However it is a tool that we do not so far seem effective
at using. Examples from other countries show that the
benefits of general purpose technologies like ICT have
been clearly seized by country’s across the world, but the
UK’s experience to date suggests that there is still plenty
of room for improvement.

Though Technology in a Cold to become parsimonious and
Climate has been a brisk project, decentralised, and we present
the combination of perspectives our suggestions as avenues for
from academic, policy and business further exploration in the process
have been combined to give a of learning to use technology more
relatively consensual snapshot of the effectively. Although there is no
current issues around the potential doubt we face difficult times, the UK
of technology in difficult times. could seize on the difficult times and
use tools like technology to convert
It seems clear that the principal the challenges into the foundation
value lies in those that are versatile, of the next phase of efficient and
purposive and enable society sustainable growth.


8. REFERENCES//

I http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=12

II Matt Jones, Get Excited and Make Things, November 2009,
http://magicalnihilism.com/2009/11/07/get-excited-and-make-things/

III Luke Johnson,

IV Matthew Taylor, A new politics: Citizens not consumers, June 2009,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/03/a-new-politics-constitutional-
reform2

V See http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122721278056345271.html

VI Office for National Statistics, UK Government Debt & Deficit, September 2009,
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=277

VII BBC News, Deficit ‘danger’ worries Cameron, October 2009,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8289350.stm

VIII Institute for Fiscal Studies, Loosening public services squeeze requires tax rises or
welfare cuts, September 2009,
http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/4618

IX David Halpern and Jerrett Myers, Think tank: A model of brutality
Britain can build on, May 2009,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/article6210977.ece

X See http://www.edelman.co.uk/mid-year-trust-2009/omnibus-poll-findings/

XI BBC News, Global crisis ‘to strike by 2030’, March 2009,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7951838.stm

XII United Nations, World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision, 2009,
http://www.un.org/esa/population/unpop.htm

XIII Office for National Statistics, National Projections, November 2009,
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1352

XIV Office for National Statistics, Ageing, November 2009,

XV WWF, Living Planet Report 2008, 2008,
http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report/lpr_2008/

XVI Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 2007: The Physical
Science Basis, 2007,
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wg1_report_the_physical_science_basis.htm

XVII HM Government, Climate Change Act 2008, 2008,
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2008/ukpga_20080027_en_1


XVIII Committee on Climate Change, Carbon Budgets,
http://www.theccc.org.uk/carbon-budgets

XIX Helen Margetts, Technology in a Cold Climate: Public Services, 2009

XX Jeremy Howells, Technology in a Cold Climate: Supporting Innovation, 2009

XXI Jonathan Liebenau, Innovation Trends: Prioritising Emerging Technologies
Shaping the UK to 2017, 2007,
http://www.berr.gov.uk/ﬁles/ﬁle39041.pdf

XXII Dennis Pamlin, Technology in a Cold Climate: Sustainable Technology, 2009

XXIII John Farrington, Peter Edwards and Sarah Skerratt, Technology in a Cold Climate:
Interconnected Society, 2009

XXIV Economist Intelligence Unit, E-readiness rankings 2009 The usage imperative, 2009,
http://graphics.eiu.com/pdf/E-readiness%20rankings.pdf

XXV OFCOM, Access and Inclusion, 2009,
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/access/ai_statement/ai_statement.pdf

XXVI National Statistics, Internet Access, 2009,

XXVII OFCOM, UK Broadband Speeds 2009, 2009,
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speeds/broadbandspeeds.pdf

XXVIII Jonathan Liebenau, Robert Atkinson, Patrik Kärrberg, Daniel Castro and Stephen
Ezell, The UK’s Digital Road to Recovery, 2009,
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/23830/

XXIX William Dutton, Ellen Helsper, Monica Gerber, The Internet in Britain 2009,
http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/research/oxis/OxIS2009_Report.pdf

XXX See http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=503867

XXXII WWF, The potential global CO2 reductions from ICT use, 2008,
http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/ict/

XXXIII Ross Anderson, Ian Brown, Terri Dowty, Philip Inglesant, William Heath, Angela
Sasse, Database State, 2009

XXXIV D Cameron, Civility and Social Progress, 2007


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