Prospects of Mobile Search

Search faces (at least) two major challenges. One is to improve efficiency of retrieving relevant content for all digital formats (images, audio, video, 3D shapes, etc). The second is making relevant information retrievable in a range of platforms, particularly in high diffusion ones as mobiles. The two challenges are interrelated but distinct. This report aims at assessing the potential of future Mobile Search. Two broad groups of search-based applications can be identified. The first one is the adaptation and emulation of web search processes and services to the mobile environment. The second one is services exploiting the unique features of the mobile devices and the mobile environments. Examples of these context-aware services include location-based services or interfacing to the internet of things (RFID networks). The report starts by providing an introduction to mobile search. It highlights differences and commonalities with search technologies on other platforms (Chapter 1). Chapter 2 is devoted to the supply side of mobile search markets. It describes mobile markets, presents key figures and gives an outline of main business models and players. Chapter 3 is dedicated to the demand side of the market. It studies users¿ acceptance and demand using the results on a case study in Sweden. Chapter 4 presents emerging trends in technology and markets that could shape mobile search. It is the author's view after discussing with many experts. One input to this discussion was the analysis of on forward-looking scenarios for mobile developed by the authors (Chapter 5). Experts were asked to evaluate these scenarios. Another input was a questionnaire to which 61 experts responded. Drivers, barriers and enablers for mobile search have been synthesised into SWOT analysis. The report concludes with some policy recommendations in view of the likely socio-economic implications of mobile search in Europe.JRC.DG.J.4-Information Societ

Future ICTs for Active Ageing: Brain-machine and Brain-computer Interfaces

This chapter aims to exemplify the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the case of brain-machine (BMI) and brain-computer (BCI) interfaces. Applications at the crossroads of ICT and cognitive science have been identified as one of the most promising application areas of the future by both the US National Science Foundation and by the European Commission. Both R&D funding agencies consider that the cross-fertilisation between information and communication technologies and cognitive sciences becomes a co-evolutionary process, where progress in one area accelerates progress in the other. Applications arising from this co-evolutionary process hold the promise of a large economic benefit. Recent bibliometric research does confirm these findings and pinpoint BMI/BCI as particularly impacting to society and economy. Generally speaking, however, the prospects of technologies with a long-term time horizon of a couple of decades are seldom discussed in the frame of active ageing. Brain-machine (BMI) and brain-computer (BCI) interfaces are no exception. However, discussing the potential challenges, opportunities and risks of emerging technologies and relating them to active ageing polices in a quite early stage of innovation can be a useful exercise in order to achieve a sustainable innovation process.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

Techno-economic Challenges of Audiovisual Search Engines

Current retrieval tools (mostly text-based) are key technologies for the Information Society. Given the explosion of audiovisual data, future AV search engines will become even more central to society than they are today. The provision of relevant results in AV search is far more complex than in text-based search, and progress in AV search will depend on new innovations and also on improving existing concepts. For instance, retrieving relevant audio-visual material will benefit from new content-based search (audio, video, images) but it will also largely rely on meta-data (text) concepts. The technological challenges range from basic science to development tasks. Semantic approaches for search or novel technological concepts to master the generation and flow of huge amounts of data are examples of fundamental research tasks. Interactive search concepts, relevance feedback systems, multi-modal analysis or improved retrieval algorithms are examples of bottlenecks that must be removed to improve current applications. Technology and business considerations go hand in hand. How to deal with the processing, storage and traffic of huge amounts of audiovisual data is a technological challenge that will require new computer architectures, and distributed search solutions. There are also important financial implications which could influence considerably the entry barriers for newcomers onto the AV search market. The deployment of AV search technology is, therefore, likely to reinforce many of current techno-economic trends of the web search market. Examples are the concentration effect of general-purpose web search engines, or the emergence of thematic search networks. At the moment, there is a clear distinction in the AV search market, with regard to web search, business solutions or mobile search, due to the nature of the industry, the client structure and the business models. In the future, these differences may blur. Web search engine providers are already starting to acquire companies offering business solutions and non-walled garden business models may emerge in the mobile search sector.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

From Security vs. Privacy to Identity: an Emerging Concept for Policy Design?'

Purpose To examine the electronic identity (eID) market from a social, technical and regulatory viewpoint, and the opportunities / challenges for policymakers. To discuss whether a single European market for identity is realistic and whether a common eID framework for Europe is timely and appropriate. Design/methodology/approach Structured review of user behaviours, timeline of technical developments, analysis of market trends and policy analysis in relation to the eID ecosystem. Findings Users of electronic systems and applications disclose increasingly more identity-relevant data. This data is often prerequisite to the supply of advanced electronic services. In economic terms, the utility functions of users and service providers in relation to eID data are divergent. This generates a market asymmetry, as service providers are able to extract value from user data via opaque value propositions. European policymakers have different options to redress this unbalance. An eID framework based on the 'privacy by design' approach is seen to offer a solution to excessive disclosure, market fragmentation and unclear value propositions. The strengths and weaknesses of the approach are assessed. Practical implications In discussing an eID framework, policymakers should address critical issues concerning 1) resources and funding; 2) balance between online vs. offline transactions and between present vs. future technologies; 3) users' actual behaviours; 4) the infrastructure of certification and trust; 5) governance at industrial, Member State and EU level. Research limitations/implications Results from the application layer of the eID market are based on exploratory research. Evidence from a larger number of cases and sectors is required to determine and articulate emerging value chains. Originality/value The paper draws together research in four domains: social, technical, market and regulatory. It addresses for the first time the barriers to the ¿privacy by design approach¿ alongside its virtues.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

Search Engines for Audio-Visual Content: Copyright Law and its Policy Relevance

The first generation of search engines caused relatively few legal problems in terms of copyright. They merely retrieved text data from the web and displayed short text-snippets in reply to a specific user query. Over time, search engines have become efficient retrieval tools, which have shifted from a reactive response mode ('user pull') to pro-actively proposing options ('user push'). Moreover, they will soon be organising and categorising of all sorts of audio-visual in-formation. Due to these transformations, search engines are becom-ing fully-fledged information portals, rivalling traditional media. This will cause tensions with traditional media and content owners. As premium audiovisual content is generally more costly to produce and commercially more valuable than text-based content, one may expect copyright litigation problems to arise in the future. Given this perspective, this article briefly introduces search engine technology and business rationale and then summarizes the nature of current copyright litigation. The copyright debate is then put in the audio-visual context with a view to discussing elements for future policies.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

The Policy Maker's Anguish: Regulating Personal Data Behaviour Between Paradoxes and Dilemmas

Regulators in Europe and elsewhere are paying great attention to identity, privacy and trust in online and converging environments. Appropriate regulation of identity in a ubiquitous information environment is seen as one of the major drivers of the future Internet economy. Regulation of personal identity data has come to the fore including mapping conducted on digital personhood by the OECD; work on human rights and profiling by the Council of Europe andmajor studies by the European Commission with regard to self-regulation in the privacy market, electronic identity technical interoperability and enhanced safety for young people. These domains overlap onto an increasingly complex model of regulation of individuals¿ identity management, online and offline. This chapter argues that policy makers struggle to deal with issues concerning electronic identity, due to the apparently irrational and unpredictable behaviour of users when engaging in online interactions involving identity management. Building on empirical survey evidence from four EU countries, we examine the first aspect in detail ¿ citizens¿ management of identity in a digital environment. We build on data from a large scale (n = 5,265) online survey of attitudes to electronic identity among young Europeans (France, Germany, Spain, UK) conducted in August 2008. The survey asked questions about perceptions and acceptance of risks, general motivations, attitudes and behaviours concerning electronic identity. Four behavioural paradoxes are identified in the analysis: a privacy paradox (to date well known), but also a control paradox, a responsibility paradox and an awareness paradox. The chapter then examines the paradoxes in relation of three main policy dilemmas framing the debate on digital identity. The paper concludes by arguing for an expanded identity debate spanning policy circles and the engineering community.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

Combining ICT and cognitive science: opportunities and risks

Many experts consider that the technological convergence of previously separated sciences like nanotechnology, biotechnology, information and communication technologies and cognitive sciences, will, in the long term, profoundly affect our society and economy. Key actors in society need to become aware of the challenges linked to Converging Applications (CA) and take some decisions related to the processes of developing these. It is hoped that analyzing CA-related opportunities and risks at a very early stage will contribute to reducing possible adverse effects in the futue.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Mobile Content: Mobile TV vs TV on mobiles

El prometedor mercado de la televisión móvilJRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

Messages from a Foresight Analysis on Information Society Technologies

"Foresight on Information Society Technologies (IST) in the European Research Area" (FISTERA) is a thematic network of researchers. FISTERA aims to accelerate the process of decision-making in research and development for IST in the EU. It is designed to provide useful information about key technological developments and potentials, applications that have social and economic benefits and the challenges and opportunities that arise in this context. Over the last three years, FISTERA has analysed the trends, drivers and challenges -more generally speaking, factors- which will influence future IST development and deployment. Europe¿s position with regard to these "influencing factors" has been analysed in order to find answers to questions like: What are the elements of Europe's strengths and weaknesses in ICT as compared to its global competitors? What are the opportunities, threats and challenges for Europe? What should be done to improve Europe's situation? This paper presents the FISTERA methodology and summarizes some of the FISTERA work.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

RFID implants: Opportunities and Challenges for Identifying People

RFID implant-based applications for I&A are in their infancy. There are some indications of economic and social potential, although quantifying real benefits still needs in-field testing. Todays concerns with respect to security, privacy and ethics are substantial and they seem to block further development. Technology acceptance, however, may change in the future. Although the prospects are uncertain in this framework, this paper shows that a wide use of RFID implants for I&A in a number of applications is not an unlikely scenario.JRC.J.4-Information Societ