National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)

21 Oct Aging in Germany Volume 2: Aging, Education and Lifelong Learning

National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)
2010

What is the notion of lifelong learning all about that one has heard so frequently in public discourse in recent years? To find out, the first thing to do is to study the physical, mental and motivational preconditions for learning over the course of one’s life. Against this backdrop, the great significance that education and lifelong learning have for the productivity and health in adulthood and old age will be subsequently discussed. The volume describes the state of the German advanced educational environment and examines the societal, financial and legal framework conditions in comparison to other countries. The objectives of lifelong learning are discussed and the question posed about measurable results of learning and education. The discussion of the concept of competence and competence models highlight the challenges with which the discourse is faced.

21 Oct Internet Privacy. Options for adequate realisation

National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)
2013

A thorough multidisciplinary analysis of various perspectives on internet privacy was published as the first volume of a study, revealing the results of the acatech project “Internet Privacy – A Culture of Privacy and Trust on the Internet.” The second publication from this project presents integrated, interdisciplinary options for improving privacy on the Internet utilising a normative, value-oriented approach. The ways in which privacy promotes and preconditions fundamental societal values and how privacy violations endanger the flourishing of said values are exemplified. The conditions which must be fulfilled in order to achieve a culture of privacy and trust on the Internet are illuminated. This volume presents options for policy-makers, educators, businesses and technology experts how to facilitate solutions for more privacy on the internet and identifies further research requirements in this area.

21 Oct Smart Service Welt Recommendations for the Strategic Initiative Web-based Services for Business

National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)
2014

Information and communication technology has become an integral part of our industry and society as a whole. Digitally enabled products, processes and services are increasingly being combined in innovative ways to create on-demand, personalised Smart Services that meet the needs of individual consumers. These new services and business models make use of the growing volume of data that is being captured every day in all areas of our private and working lives. The disruptive impact of Smart Services is already being keenly felt in the retail trade, for example in online marketplaces. However, the changes are also affecting the traditional business models of Germany’s flagship industries, such as the automotive, mechanical engineering, chemicals, electrical engineering, medical technology, logistics and energy technology industries, not to mention the rest of the economy. These industries are already benefiting from the support of Webbased services. In the not too distant future, however, the business models of suppliers, manufacturers and operators alike will be faced with a genuine revolution as a result of being systematically digitised, analysed, augmented with Smart Products and Services and networked with each other.

21 Oct Resilien-Tech. “Resilience by Design”: a strategy for the technology issues of the future”

National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)
2014

The digital networks that characterise today’s world, together with the demographic change occurring in Germany and the growing frequency of extreme events are resulting in the emergence of new threats that are increasing the vulnerability of our modern industrialised society. Combined with the continual diversification of safety and security risks, this means that disasters are capable of causing ever more serious harm. In order to continue protecting people and infrastructure against future environmental, economic and social damage, it will be necessary to firmly embed preventive measures in our society and ensure that the right lessons are learned from the past. The concept of resilience provides a holistic approach to this problem that attaches equal importance to the technological and social dimensions and helps to minimise the threats to our safety and security. Accordingly, acatech – National Academy of Science and Engineering launched the “Resilien-Tech” project with the aim of improving our understanding of this concept and enabling security researchers to put it to practical use.The authors of this STUDY analyse the concept of resilience from a civil security research perspective, with particular emphasis on the issue of critical infrastructure protection. They also identify concrete approaches to developing resilient technological and socioeconomic systems.

21 Oct Living in a networked world. Integrated research agenda Cyber-Physical Systems (agendaCPS)

National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)
2015

The rapid progress of information technology allows for increasingly powerful software intensive embedded systems (machines) executing integrated applications connected by and to global networks. Thus these systems are more and more networked among each other, but also with data and services on the Internet. Intelligent solutions originate which gather processes of the living environment by means of sensors and actuators, connect them to virtual software worlds and interpret, monitor and control these processes in interaction with people. In this way, so-called Cyber-Physical Systems evolve – a living in a networked world. The interlocking applications include smart cities, social infrastructures with integrated telemedicine care, enhanced connected mobility with fully or semi-autonomous driving cars and traffic systems, safety, security and privacy as well as networked production and the sustainable energy turnaround.

21 Oct SMART SERVICE WELT Recommendations for the Strategic Initiative Web-based Services for Businesses Final Report Short Version

National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)
2015

The Smart Service Welt 2025 vision focuses on manufacturing, both to provide continuity with the vision of Industrie 4.0 and because Germany is starting from a particularly strong position in this area. Nevertheless, it can also be directly carried over to other fields of application. Automated marketplaces for logistics service providers are already a reality in the private transport sector today and can be expected to become established in heavy goods transport in the future. Data-based optimisation of the value chain – covering everything from seed quantities and fertiliser type to the entire harvest processing and logistics chain – will become increasingly widespread in the agricultural sector. Healthcare will benefit from significant gains in effectiveness and efficiency as a result of both decentralized monitoring of patients’ condition through continuous data collection and personalised treatment thanks to the improved diagnoses enabled by intelligent algorithms. Contributors: Dirk, Stocksmeier, Wolfgang, Wahlster, August-Wilhelm, Scheer, Dieter, Schweer