Information Generation 3

IG3 - Information Generation 3
With the advent of the world wide web, the world has moved into a new information age that is changing not only the way that we do business and commerce but also is changing our lifestyles. It has been predicted that sometime in the near future (before 2020), the total amount of knowledge will double within 12 months. The period of time in which knowledge will double will continue to reduce.

To help define this emerging information age, the following terminology and concepts were introduced. An information generation (IG) can be defined by the availability and general distribution of non-verbal information. Using this definition, there have been three information generations to date; IG1, IG2 and IG3.

IG1 is the information generation that started with rock drawings and paintings, and progressed through hieroglyphics to written language on scrolls and hand-written manuscripts. IG2 started with the invention of the printing press and went through to IG3 which started with the introduction of the world wide web (‘the web’). IG3 owes its existence mainly to innovations in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Evolving from IG1 to IG3 hasn’t been done in 3 clearly defined steps; it has been done through accelerating advances in technology and behavioral changes over many centuries.
Compared to IG2, in IG3:
* the amount of information is orders of magnitude greater
* information access is much faster
* information has become truly global
* information is more accessible
* different search parameters can be utilized
* visual communication is used more extensively
* dynamic information is replacing static information

As soon as information is updated, it is virtually instantly and globally available through passive and active methods. This is referred to as dynamic information compared to the static information used in IG2 where information was produced and distributed in a static form. If the source information was updated, copies of the updated source would need to be printed and then distributed. Compare a web news site (IG3) to a newspaper (IG2); compare a printed encyclopedia with year book updates (IG2) to an online encyclopedia such as (IG3).

Various techniques and facilities such as intelligent agents, GPS, RFID devices, data-mining, knowledge engineering and many others, will continue to enhance the availability of dynamic information and associated knowledge development. Using this technology, it is now possible to know where things are. Using smart phones and personal calendars, it is also possible to know where people are and where they plan to be.

This dynamic information and intelligence was not available in IG2 and was therefore not used in systems designed and implemented in IG2 such as education, finance, marketing, health, logistics, manufacturing, legal practices, social, etc. Consequently, these systems will have to be re-designed and re-developed for IG3 and this is starting to occur.

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