Page 412 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 4

STS2320 Bruno André R. C. et al.

Moving from traditional data to big data in

assessing knowledge societies
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Bruno André RodriguesCoelho , Stamatis Kalogirou , Iakov Frizis , Anthony
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Fakhoury
1 PwC Luxembourg, United Nations Development Programme
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Abstract
After years of measuring the current state of knowledge based on data from
national statistical and data systems, and given the exponential growth of
knowledge creation, a new knowledge measurement tool using big data is
being designed to better understand the future of knowledge societies. This
report presents a pilot study, covering 20 countries, on the future fields of
knowledge that will shape the future of knowledge societies. The purpose of
the study is to have a better understanding of today’s strong and weak signals
in the next wave of (technology) disruption by testing a new way to capture
and analyse real-time data associated with five key future fields of knowledge:
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Blockchain, Biotechnology, and Future
Skills and to accelerate knowledge development by helping country leaders to
benchmark their performance against that of front-runners.
To ensure a reliable representation of the variation in readiness for the future
across countries, it is essential to use tools that enable the gathering of data
as close to real time as possible. This helps us identify and discuss the latest
technological advances, the future impact of technological change on the
economy and society, and the level of technological awareness that
characterizes labour markets.

Keywords
Real-time data

1. Introduction
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (also called Industry 4.0) is unfolding
before our eyes. It is the era of creative convergence, where a myriad of
technologies that span themes such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud
computing, big data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) begin to connect,
(PriceWaterHouseCoopers, 2016) creating an ecosystem in which each
technology both exploits and fosters the development of the others (OECD,
2017). This revolution creates unprecedented opportunities and challenges for
businesses and societies alike. It is distinct from prior revolutions, given its
intensity, complexity and scope, and it is rooted in a new technological
phenomenon – digitalization, i.e. the integration of digital technologies – that
is penetrating the infrastructure of every business, organization and

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