Do a Google search for “Internet of Things,” and you will get no less than one billion hits. Technologists and forecasters confidently predict the Internet of Things (IoT) to have dizzying impacts on the economy, which we are just beginning to grasp. Growth is projected to be astronomical: anything from 25 billion to 70 billion connected devices by 2020 – and the century has 80 more years to go.

The latest shiny technology is always exciting. But the truth is that technology advances only at the speed of humanity. The word “technology,” after all, means “knowledge applied for practical purpose.” In our tech-saturated age, we tend to think of the technology itself driving change but that is an illusion. The true revolutionaries of our digital century are human beings applying knowledge to accomplish things both practical and visionary. 

We therefore offer a different phrase – the Internet of Cities – as the theme of ICF’s 2017 Awards and conference program. We focus, not on the connections among machines, but on the connections among people in a specific place on Earth – the place called home – which are enabled and empowered by information and communications technology. Through the Internet of Cities, we work to ensure that technology-powered growth benefits the many rather than the few and contributes to a better life for all.  

Contents 

First Came the Internet…

The internet is the most visible part of the information and communications technology revolution that is disrupting the present and creating the future. More >>>

Then Came the Internet of Things

Some changes are visible before they hit us, in the same way that clouds mass at the edge of the sky before the thunder arrives. The latest is the Internet of Things or IoT. More >>>

The Internet of Cities

While technologists sing the praises of the Internet of Things, we choose to celebrate the Internet of Cities. More >>>

The Digital Tools of City-Building

Intelligent Communities use digital tools to enhance the connections that have always made cities work. More >>>

Open to the World

Intelligent Communities connect to each other across borders, across language and culture and legal frameworks. More >>>

Tell Us Your Story

Everything we know about economic and social development in the digital age comes from the communities that participate in our programs. Take the first step by leaving a comment. More >>>