On the Role of Cross-Disciplinary Research and SSE in Addressing the Challenges of the Digitalization of Society

1. On the Role of Cross-Disciplinary Research and
SSE in Addressing the Challenges of the
Digitalization of Society
Rakesh Rana
Computer Science and Engineering
Chalmers | University of Gothenburg

2. Embedded Software
Image source: http://itsallaboutembedded.blogspot.com/2013/03/what-makes-embedded-system-called-as.html

3. This Car Runs on Code
“It takes dozens of mircroprocessors running 100 million lines of code to get a
premium car out of the driveway, and this software is only going to get more
complex” -ieee spectrum
Ref: http://spectrum.ieee.org/green-tech/advanced-cars/this-car-runs-on-code

4. Size of software in devices is growing

5. Software powering our devices is also
getting more complex

6. Embedded Software
Image source: http://itsallaboutembedded.blogspot.com/2013/03/what-makes-embedded-system-called-as.html
Low Time
to Market

7. Introduction
• Digitalization of society has increased its pace during the last decade.
• Introduction of modern technologies (e.g.~smartphones) the amount and types
of information has increased bringing in new opportunities and new challenges.
• In this paper we review the main opportunities and challenges stemming from
the heavy use of digital technologies in society.
• We outline the needs for applying SSE principles and cross-disciplinary
research for adequately addressing the challenges of digitalized society.
• Our position is that without taking a social view for system development and
cross-disciplinary research we can only address partial problems related to the
digitalization, and
• That by integrating domain-specific disciplines (e.g.~financing) with the
technology related ones (e.g.~software engineering) - we could develop holistic
solutions for the challenges identified in this paper.

8. Challenges of Digital Society
 technological,
 legislative,
 organizational, and
 ethical.

9. Challenges of Digital Society – some e.g.’s
 Problems with big data analytics: Major challenges highlighted include security,
cyber crime, possibility of cyber wars, mis-belief on ability of big data effectiveness,
and privacy.
 Problems with artificial and super-intelligence: With exponential rise of
computing power and predictions of reaching ``singularity'' within foreseeable
future -- problems of over-fitting leading to incorrect knowledge or predictions can
lead to serious consequences. Also deep concerns are raised for scenarios when such
artificial and super-intelligence is infected with viruses or hijacked by people/group
striving for power.
 Problems with manipulative (``persuasive'') technologies: Society wide
experimentation with manipulative technologies can undermine the principle of
``wisdom of crowds'' further undermining the basis of democracy and financial
markets. Further issues such as ``filter bubble'', behaviour manipulation leading to
collapse of diversity can be the undesirable outcomes of widespread use of
persuasive technologies.

10. Challenges of Digital Society – some e.g.’s
 Increasing collection of personal and user generated data has already raised concerns
of privacy and security
 An increasing use of robotics, artificial intelligence, and thus, autonomous systems
is likely to bring disruptive changes to the labour market
 An increasing use of robots and sensors, an increasing collection and use of data to
provide services, will need new systems of rules and regulations both at work
places, in traffic, health services, education, homes, and on the consumer market.

11. Addressing the Challenges of Digital Society
 Cross-Disciplinary Research,
 To meet the challenges of digitalization we need innovations,
legislation, and strategies to support us in building an inclusive digital
society,
 cross-disciplinary research would be to combine these disciplines to
support the development of an inclusive digital society, and
 prevent the devastating consequences by conducting research and
education projects in collaboration between individuals, businesses,
researchers, and non-governmental organizations,
 CDR aimed at understanding and addressing challenges of digital
society would contribute with innovative, reflective and actionable
input to societal challenges

12. Addressing the Challenges of Digital Society
 Social Software Engineering,
 SSE is “the application of processes, methods, and tools to enable
community-driven creation, management, deployment, and use of
software in online environments”
 Software/systems build with emphasis on the social side.
Some of the examples scenarios are:
 Community-centered,
 Collaboration/collectiveness,
 Companionship/relationship,
 Human/social activities, and
 Social inclusion.

13. An example of themes and application for cross-disciplinary
research supporting digital transformation of society

14. The role of cross-disciplinary research and SSE
 Finance and consumer behaviour:
 Indebtedness and a large repayment burden coupled with low savings rates constitute a
source of potential future insolvency,
 Utilizing cross-disciplinary research and applying principles of SSE will provide the
possibility to collect data through crowd-sourcing, virtual communities, social
networking services, and web-based economic experiments and surveys.
 Analytical applications designed to support interactive data visualization will be useful
for identifying new patterns in consumer behaviour and support decision making,
 Smart and safe mobility:
 Future metropolitan mobility solutions will include smart vehicles at different scales to
support the daily living of metropolitans.
 How shall such systems for transportation be organized? Who shall own and run them?
How can digital information infrastructure and associated services contribute to
sustainable expansion of passenger and freight transport?
 The tool-set from SSE and more emphasis on cross-disciplinary work such as human-
machine interface will promote generation of knowledge on how to capture, aggregate,
process, and predict the data that is required to realize mobility and transportation
solutions that are smart and safe

15. The role of cross-disciplinary research and SSE
 Personalized and remote healthcare:
 The spread of health-apps and others that are collecting activity data in wide variety of
settings such as the home, workplace, sidewalk, jogging trail etc.
 Another example is person-centered medical information is no longer bound to or
developed in medical institutions, but have expanded into society at large.
 SSE principles can help us to use such data for expansion of public utility (e.g. health)
rather than use of such technologies and data for profit maximization,
 Innovation and entrepreneurship:
 Digital innovation and entrepreneurship are fundamental drivers in the digital society
generating a multitude of technologies and services that we use extensively.
 Generative capacity is a vital component in processes of open innovation, and it is
generativety rather than openness in it self that seem to drive innovation.
 In addition, cross-disciplinary research will assist us in addressing the important
question i.e. how we affect technology and how technology affects us.

16. Impacts: CDR & SSE - Challenges of Digital Society
 Scientific Impacts
 strengthen our knowledge and understanding of complex systems
 enhance our ability to deal with complex societal problems
 Impacts on Education
 greater collaboration across international researchers
 new awareness and knowledge created (+programmes)
 Impacts on Society
 a sustainable financial system,
 safe mobility solutions,
 more efficient health care, and
 better commercialization of new ideas.

17. Conclusions
 The human society in a short span of time has seen many transformations and
currently we are experiencing the transformation towards a more digitalized
society.
 We communicate and collaborate in new ways, purchase and transfer our goods
with a support of advanced IT solutions. However, there are still challenges
which need to be addressed.
 This integration can be done in multiple ways, and our position is that we should
strive to integrate different disciplines both in research, education, application
and policy-making.
 In this paper we have outlined a research agenda for a cross-disciplinary research
in software engineering, financing, transportation and healthcare.
 In our further work we intend to identify concrete research proposals to address
the challenges.

18. For more details
Contact: Rakesh Rana
rakesh.rana@gu.se