Imagine looking at a phone, hard wired into your wall in 1978 and trying to imagine a mobile phone … then imagine looking at a Nokia 5110 on its release in 1998 and trying to imagine the capacity of smartphones like the iPhone XR in 2018. Now think about the massive, exponential jump in technology between each one.
The 4th Industrial Revolution emanating from the Sunshine Coast
Imagine looking at a phone, hard wired into your wall in 1978 and trying to imagine a mobile phone … then imagine looking at a Nokia 5110 on its release in 1998 and trying to imagine the capacity of smartphones like the iPhone XR in 2018. Now think about the massive, exponential jump in technology...
Huge right.
Now, can you even consider or comprehend what 2038 looks like?
Nah too hard, but let’s think about the impacts over the next 10 years of what is being declared by the World Economic Form – the ‘4th Industrial Revolution’.
A smarter way to live.
From steam power to electricity to computers; each a ‘game changer’ that turned everything previously known about the world on its head, is about to happen again. We’ve experienced a number of radical changes but the latest revolution to completely redefine how we live is centred on cyber-physical systems combining digital, physical and biological elements.
Does your brain hurt already? Consider it like an additional infinite dimension that we are only just beginning to explore. While many may only comprehend this in the context of a fictitious sci-fi movie, what we are going to see and live is a future of infinite possibility.
This is not just an upgrade to your smart phone, it’s a phenomenon that’s going to impact every single industry and has the potential to change and improve work, leisure, entertainment, education and health… and that’s only the beginning.
Things like ‘engineered telepathy’ where a combination of hardware and algorithms can read the mind. It’s already here in embryonic forms used by the likes of FB and Google but it’s something that will become very real in a near future.
Experts are predicting transformations of epic proportion as scientists and business experts unlock new ways to solve our problems and expand our opportunities.
Everything will be MORE:
- Convenient
- Powerful
- Accurate
- Streamlined
- Timely
- Reliable
- Attainable
- Curable
- Preventable
And LESS:
- Frustrating
- Slow
- Complicated
- Expensive
- Dangerous
Combining biological, physical and digital means that the smartest minds working on new technologies are able to learn and apply natural phenomenon to specific scenarios to develop desired outcomes. Yea, that was as hard to write as it was to read. What it means is that we can tap into an infinite resource to create pretty much anything we can imagine… a little bit mind blowing.
Still trying to work out what it means? Well, we can potentially reverse the issues previous industrial revolutions caused while continuing to solve the problems such technologies were designed for – to improve and grow across all areas of life.
Without painting it like a one-size-fits-all, one pill to solve it all, one ring to rule them all… the technology being created has the potential to address world issues, cure illnesses, save the environment and ‘level up’ the human race to be healthier, happier, smarter, just all round so much more. Sure, a little ‘geeky’ in the reference, but get used to it. We’re all about to become more ‘techy’ whether we’re ready or not… and fast, real fast!
Thinking about the technology and the ‘how’ may make you think life’s about to become more complex when you perceive it from this angle, but in essence it should be much less complicated, more freeing and with more brain space to create, enjoy and celebrate.
Can you imagine a world where you never have to:
- Drive your car, it drives for you
- Remember every detail, your brain can have a back-up drive
- Use keys or wallets, just a swish of the wrist will get you through most situations
- Worry about disease, there’s a cure for that
- Worry about food sources, it’s growing locally and healthily in abundance
While not all of this is available for you just yet, it’s really not far away.
At a higher level the ethics and governance of such incredible systems are being developed to ensure equitable distribution of the benefits and safe and secure use of the technology. There is a little way to go… but only a little. It is an eminent future we must all prepare for and should be excited for. It is happening and it is very, very exciting.
A smart place to foster growth.
Where is this future? … It’s here and now. The one city in Australia set to benefit, grow and change the most from this revolution is Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. With all the right ingredients to foster creativity and entrepreneurship, matched by world-class facilities and infrastructure, the Sunshine Coast will be central to the future of creating our new tomorrow.
Here’s why it’s happening on the Sunshine Coast:
International Submarine Broadband Cable
If you’re thinking we already have internet, what’s the big deal? The big deal is there is a clear correlation between subsea cables and macro-economic growth in terms of GDP, incomes, capital formation and trade. That is to say that as a country increases their connectivity, their economy expands. Importantly there aren’t any real examples of a regional economy like the Sunshine Coast receiving such a boost. If at the macro-economic level there is a massive boost, and there is much being said about its effect on the Queensland economy, we can only imagine what the impact will be on the Sunshine Coast and how this city by the beach will change forever.
Directly connecting the Sunshine Coast virtually and physically to the rest of world, the installation of the international submarine broadband cable will make telecommunications faster, cheaper and more robust, and therefore highly attractive to data sensitive or latency sensitive sectors or industries that desire quick access to the Asian markets. We will also see an increase in local telecoms infrastructure, service providers and IT service providers. A number of data storage facilities are already making enquiries to set up in the new CBD … Google would you like to move to the sunny Sunshine Coast?
New Maroochydore CBD – The Bright City
Work is well underway for the new Maroochydore City Centre which has been designed for the 21st Century, breaking new ground with its extensive use of technology to create a cleaner, greener, more liveable, dynamic city centre.
Leveraging the incredible opportunity that the Submarine Broadband Cable presents, the new Maroochydore City Centre will offer Australia’s fastest telecommunications and data connection to Asia, while also delivering an incredible list of Smart features setting it apart from other regional centres – and, indeed, the State capitals.
- Australia’s first underground automated waste collection system
- Clean energy via Australia’s fifth-largest solar farm offsetting the electricity consumption of the CBD’s council-owned infrastructure – including street lights and community facilities
- A high-speed, high-quality fibre optic network will be built into the new Maroochydore City Centre’s underground infrastructure and allowing free Smart City Wi-Fi throughout the city centre’s public areas
- Smart signage will provide live travel information to pedestrians throughout the Central Business District.
- Smartphone apps that will allow drivers to find the nearest car parking space quickly.
This is all planned, approved and being built right now. This future is happening and about to be plugged in to the best and newest connectivity Australia will have on offer.
An innovative council and government conducive to change and growth
Championing all this change in the region is a strategic and determined regional council and state government body that are future-thinking with a triple-bottom-line. They are committed to improving the region socially, economically and environmentally and also wouldn’t mind being recognised internationally. Positive change and its speed and impact in a region is heavily determined by the governing bodies being open to such change, allocating the budget and priority, and empowering experts to deliver. It’s these ingredients that the Sunshine Coast has and what makes it the stand out for the driver of the 4th Industrial Revolution in Australia.
The world is already going through its fastest structural change through this industrial revolution. The cities, businesses and individuals that identify the change and get on board will not only lead the way, they will benefit the most. The Sunshine Coast is that city in Australia.
Looking at this future from our 2019 perspective is almost as unfathomable as the latest smartphone technology even from the perspective of just twenty years ago. While it might seem impossible for us now, we’ll look back in 20 years’ time and be boggled at how we managed to live without it for so long and the massive change that took place.
