A thrust always needs a direction
The current coronavirus pandemic and the associated lockdown restrictions are making mobile devices the home worker’s best friend. But will COVID-19 become an accelerator of digitalization in the long term? Yes, says our author Wolfgang Höhl, but we will decide which direction it takes. He is a university lecturer for 3D computer graphics and xR technologies at the Technical University of Munich.
You probably all know this interactive graphic very well. It is a real-time visualization of the global spread of the coronavirus from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. This interactive map was created with ArcGIS Online. As an architect and planner, you are familiar with similar GIS software that can also be used to collect, organize and visualize other spatial data. This graphic processes data and visualizes processes for the end user. This globally shared information also helps us all to save lives.
The current pandemic is accelerating digitalization. This opinion is not only held by Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer (1). Dr Stefanie Hubig, President of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, also expects a boost for digitalization in schools (2). But there are also critical voices. In a petition to the German Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, Munich teacher Tina Uthoff calls for an end to remote schooling (3). Not all families can guarantee the same level of care and are under great pressure. I was much more touched by the news that a Munich wholesale market for gastronomy and retail is now supplying food to senior citizens and food banks with the help of cab drivers. Logistics software provides the taxi drivers with optimized routes. The decisive factors here are a brilliant idea, a mission statement and a direction. A push always needs a direction.
Some guiding principles for digital transformation date back to the 1990s. Mark Weiser (1991) used the term “ubiquitous computing” to describe the ubiquitous and accessible mobile use of spatial information without visible interfaces and end devices (4). Neil Gross (1999) expected “that spontaneous computer networks will emerge in the future and form a ‘giant digital creature'”. (5) He was describing today’s Internet of Things (IoT).
A phone in a lying tree trunk, somewhere out in nature
Today, “pervasive computing” and “ambient intelligence” also describe related topics, albeit with different focuses. (6) Ambient intelligence deals with intelligent systems embedded in the environment that support users in their activities. In contrast to purely commercial considerations, however, the focus here is often on social and procedural issues. These topics also include “smart cities” and “smart homes”.
The most important features of ubiquitous computing are the disappearance of hardware and user interfaces, the adaptivity and self-organization of the digital system, automatic context perception, the ubiquitous availability of information and global and local networking. I fondly remember a photo by Archigram from the sixties. It shows a telephone in a lying tree trunk, somewhere out in nature.
Commercial interests or sustainable benefits?
“The digital transformation permeates all lifestyles, individual and collective decision-making situations and influences how urban spaces in Europe change in the long term.” (7)
Alain Thierstein, Professor of Spatial Economics at the Technical University of Munich, also mentions the importance of the structure of creative and productive processes. He emphasizes the necessary technological competence of the individual (digital literacy (8)) in order to take responsibility, evaluate situations and appropriate the new environment. He is also concerned with the question of the type and origin of data, data analysis and imaging processes. And he sees different levels of digital transformation according to the structure and size of the players involved.
Will Covid-19 accelerate digitalization? To a certain extent, yes. The investments will show which direction we want to take. Whether we want to continue to pursue predominantly commercial interests or rather see the sustainable benefits of a community of solidarity in a healthy and functioning environment.
What kind of world do we want to live in?
Technological developments already fulfill many future scenarios. Although we are not far away from the adaptivity and self-organization of digital systems, there is still a long way to go before automatic context awareness and comprehensive standards are in place. A solid, global non-profit organization would also be desirable in order to make high-quality data openly available. The UN’s World Meteorological Organization has been providing weather data for 70 years.
The current crisis is an opportunity for new ideas, for the sensible restructuring of creative and productive processes. However, this does not just involve investing in infrastructure and digital literacy. First and foremost, it requires successful interpersonal cooperation, precise coordination and rapid communication. It is up to us to decide how we do this. The question remains – what kind of world do we want to live in?
Author and sources
Wolfgang Höhl is a university lecturer in 3D computer graphics and xR technologies at the Technical University of Munich. He is a registered expert for the European Commission, has successfully participated in national funding programs and works as a consultant. As an architect, he has a long-standing professional background in sustainable energy concepts, computer aided architectural design, 3D visualization and solar simulation.
(1) Scheuer: Digitalization gets a boost that was unthinkable just a few weeks ago, in: Deutschlandfunk from 2020-03-24.
(2) KMK President expects boost for digitalization at schools, in: Deutschlandfunk from 2020-03-23.
(3) Schmidt, P.; Ebner, S. (2020): Petition against distance learning, in: Münchner Merkur No. 71 from 2020-03-25, p. 16
(4) Weiser, Mark (1991): The Computer of the 21st Century, in: Scientific American 265 (3)
(5) Gross, Neil (1999): The Earth Will Don An Electronic Skin, in: Bloomberg Business from August 30, 1999. (last accessed on 2020-03-24)
(6) Wiegerling, Klaus (2008): Ubiquitous Computing als konkrete Utopie, in: Grimm, Petra; Capurro, Rafael (eds.): Informations- und Kommunikationsutopien, Franz STEIN Verlag, Stuttgart. S. 15-35
(7) Thierstein, A. (2018): Digital transformation in urban space, in: Stadt Bauwelt No. 219 / 19.2018 – Digital City, pp. 32-35
(8) Schüller, K.; Förster, A. (2017): Digital literacy for the city, in: Information on spatial development 1 (2017), pp. 108-121