Innovation in ICTs can have a significant impact in mitigating the impact of climate change and have an important role to play in facilitating and managing adaptation to climate change. Slide presentations developed to demonstrate how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) be used to address climate change, and why ICTs are a crucial part of the solution – i.e. in promoting efficiency, Green Growth & sustainable development, in dealing with climate change and for climate and environmental action. These slide presentations were delivered in February 2011 in Seongnam, near Seoul in Korea. These presentations were developed and delivered over 2.5 days on the occasion of a Regional Training of Trainers Workshop for upcoming Academy modules on ICT for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Abatement. These modules were developed as part of the Academy of ICT Essentials for Government leaders developed by the United Nations (UN) Asia Pacific Centre for ICT Training (APCICT), based in Songdo City, in the Republic of South Korea. These presentations were developed in 2011, and are somewhat out of date, but most of the principles still apply. Module 10, which has been published, does not include much of the information outlined in these presentations, which are fairly technical. They were developed to address a significant gap in understanding of the technical basis of using ICTs for climate action and because there is a clear bias in development circles against the importance of dealing with climate change mitigation in developing countries. These presentations are an attempt to redress this lack and are published here with this purpose in mind. The author, Richard Labelle, is presently working on updating these presentations to further highlight the importance of addressing climate change and the important role that technology including ICTs, play in this effort.

1. Module 10
Sections 2 & 3
Section 2: ICTs, the environment and
climate change
&
Section 3: ICT Trends
Richard Labelle
rlab@sympatico.ca

2. 2
Objectives of Module 10
To show that ICTs be used to address
climate change
To demonstrate why ICTs are a crucial
part of the solution – i.e. in promoting
efficiency, Green Growth & sustainable
development

3. 3
ICTs are key!

4. 4
ICTs have 3 types of
environmental impact
ICTs facilitate environmental
observation
ICTs consume energy and this emits
GHGs
ICTs enhance energy use efficiency
and abate GHG emissions

5. ICTs enhance efficiency & facilitate
5
conservation by (1):
Process efficiency
Doing things faster
Use less energy  emit less C
Connecting everything:
The Internet of Things
Measuring everything:
The Internet of Things
More info on energy use

6. ICTs enhance efficiency & facilitate
6
conservation by (2):
Controlling everything
Smart controls
Connect & control all motors & energy
consumption (embedded controls)
More options to reduce consumption:
smart logistics /transport & cities

7. 7
ICTs that enhance energy use
efficiency & reduce GHG emissions
ICTs can help to:
Understand,
Monitor,
Use,
Manage and
Control
…energy and material use and consumption
and GHG emissions.

8. 8
Some examples of smart ICTs for
abating climate change
Smart design technologies:
Building information modeling (BIM)
Variable rate motors with smart control systems
Smart metering systems
Dematerialization technologies
Smart transportation and logistics technologies
Smart grid and related technologies
Smart buildings and building management
system (BMS)
Smart water management technologies

9. 9
Summary
ICTs can make a significant contribution in
reducing GHG emissions.
ICTs have an impact in reducing GHG emissions through both
adaptation and mitigation measures.
The rapid diffusion of ICTs as well as the many
recent and highly beneficial innovations in their
design and use are helping to reduce GHG
emissions, and enhance energy and material use
efficiency.
These are the main reasons that ICTs have an important role
to play in abating climate change.
These points will be explored further in the following sections.
Smart technologies are based on the use of ICTs.
In many cases, the ICTs are networked sensing devices with a
microprocessor embedded in them allowing measurements of
the ambient environment and communication capabilities for
reporting on the physical or chemical status of the object or
environment.

10. 10
ICT Trends: a list (1)
Digitization and dematerialization
Microprocessors
Internet diffusion, broadband and wireless
technologies
Miniaturized computers, smart objects,
low power communication technologies
and environmental sensors

11. 11
ICT Trends: a list (2)
Wireless sensor networks and the Internet
of Things
Cloud computing
IPv6
Improved and greener batteries
Social networking

12. 12
Trends: digitization &
dematerialization
Digitization & dematerialization
Smaller environmental sensing devices
More powerful sensing devices
More digitization (e-government, e-commerce,
etc.)  less need for travel
for rural dwellers, more energy
efficiency
More downloads: video, music, P2P, etc.
Telepresence
Virtualization (servers, networks, etc.)

13. 13
Trends: microprocessors (1)
11 nm dies now, with 1 nm in future
Smarter and more energy efficient
More powerful microprocessors and
microcontrollers
Parallel processing CPUs and GPUs in
portable / handheld devices
Moore’s law still works

14. 14
Trends: microprocessors (2)
45 nm Intel Core i7 processor:
Peak data throughput of 50 GB /sec. vs.
64 MB / sec. for Intel 386
8 cores per microprocessor die
Do more (much) faster & with less
energy

15. 15
Trends: microprocessors (3)
Dual / quad core for mobile devices:
Smartphones more powerful than
netbooks & as powerful as desktops 
…Powering transition to mobile over
desktop computing as main computing
platform
Enable wireless sensor networks
(WSNs) & the Internet of Things
(IoT)

16. 16
Trends: Internet diffusion
Global connectivity is growing

17. 17
Trends: Internet diffusion (1)
Mobile use by consumer & enterprise
markets in developed & emerging
economies increasing
Bandwidth demand from data &
video increasing
M2M connections increase
Backhaul capacity still has to
increase to meet demand
More portability and interoperability

18. 18
Trends: Internet diffusion (2)
New businesses & models emerging:
New forms of advertising, media and
content partnerships, mobile services
Including M2M, live gaming and looking
into the future, augmented reality
Off electrical grid connectivity in
some countries
A cottage industry
Driving use of renewables (solar) for
charging & powering beyond the
electrical grid

19. 19
Trends: Internet diffusion (3)
Tendency is total integration of
“desktop” with the Cloud
High bandwidth, low latency
connectivity
FTTx
4G, 5G…
This means speed of IP / Cloud access
~= to speed of computer buses
Massive data flows
With social nets: everyone is a user and
provider of massive amounts of info.

20. Global ICT development, 1998-2009
(ITU)
20

21. 21
Mobile Internet Outpaces
Desktop Internet Adoption
[Morgan Stanley. 2010. Internet trends. http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/internet_trends042010.html

22. The shift towards mobile computing
22
[Morgan Stanley. 2009. Economy + Internet Trends October 20, 2009. Web 2.0
Summit – San Francisco. mary.meeker@ms.com / scott.devitt@ms.com /
liang.wu@ms.com www.morganstanley.com/techresearch

23. Global mobile data traffic forecast by
region (Cisco)
23
[Cisco. 2011. Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast
Update, 2010–2015.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns827/
white_paper_c11-520862.html

24. Intelligent devices such as notebooks
and laptops lead traffic growth
24
Cisco. 2011. Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast
Update, 2010–2015.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns827/
white_paper_c11-520862.html

25. 25
Trends: Broadband (1)
Passive networking:
Background streaming and downloading
from ambient / environmental video
sources: nannycams, petcams, home
security cams, etc.
Real time HD video:
Internet TV
Video communications: telepresence,…
Ambient video

26. 26
Trends: Broadband (2)
High definition video
Transference: from TV to live HD
video on demand over the Internet
Silicon photonics and hybrid silicon
lasers:
Low cost, high bandwidth optical
communications will affect all connected
devices and networks

27. 27
Trends: Broadband (3)
Wireless broadband:
Exponential growth in traffic
Will outstrip the increased revenue
required to make it profitable
Technical solutions:
Offloading content to the Internet

28. 28
Trends: Nanotechnology
Greater transistor density
More energy efficient chip designs
Enabling Moore’s Law for many years
to come
Will “increase transistor speed,
enhance energy efficiency, and
provide more functionalities”
Has allowed the miniaturization of
computer memory.
This has made the Apple iPOD a reality.

29. 29
Trends: wireless (1)
Digitization of broadcasting signals
will open more spectrum:
Many new wireless channels, devices
and services
Near field communication & medium
and longer range technologies to
operationalize the Internet of Things
ZigBee, 6LowPAN, WirelessHART, etc.
c. Location aware (sometime GPS
enabled) mobile devices or objects

30. 30
Trends: wireless (2)
Augmented reality that is facilitated
through the use of wireless devices
The proliferation of wireless devices
enables social networking & vice
versa

31. 31
Trends: wireless (mobile)
Data from Cisco 2011 (Cisco® Visual Networking Index (VNI))
Mobile Data Traffic Nearly Tripled in
2010
Accelerated adoption of smartphones
 higher usage profile
Other high-usage devices increased
their presence on the mobile network
mobile-connected laptops grew by 63
percent in 2010
Mobile for fixed substitution is NOW!

32. Global Mobile Data Traffic by region
2010–2015 (Cisco VSN 2011)
Cisco® Visual Networking Index
(VNI)
32
Cisco. 2011. Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2010–2015.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns827/white_paper_c11-520862.html

33. Devices with High Usage Profiles Are
Growing in Number on the Mobile
Network (Cisco VSN 2011)
33
Cisco. 2011. Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2010–2015.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns827/white_paper_c11-520862.html

34. High-End Devices Can Multiply Traffic
34
Cisco. 2011. Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2010–2015.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns827/white_paper_c11-520862.html

35. 35
Trends: wireless (mobile)
Data from Cisco 2011
Mobile beyond the power grid
Selling off grid charging: car batteries,
solar powered, etc.
Off-grid, on-net population will reach
137 million by 2015
Mobile network will break the
electricity barrier in 4 major regions
and more than 40 countries

36. 36
Trends: Innovations in display
technology
Multi-touch input, high definition
displays
Cisco identifies the expansion of
digital screen surface area and
resolution as being important drivers
of IP traffic growth
Scratch and break resistant glass:
Gorilla Glass, Dragontail Glass, etc.

37. Trends: GIS & related visualization
37
technologies
Increased use of GIS
If its visual, its easier to measure &
understand
Smartphones as visualization tools
Building information modeling (BIM)
software for building & city wide
energy analysis

38. Using Google Maps to help map the impact
38
of sea level rise on the coast of CA

39. Trends: the Internet of Things (1)
Growth in machine to machine
(M2M) communications - a significant
opportunity for MNOs
39
M2M is driving exponential growth in
connections
Revenue from services to embedded
modems in M2M applications to grow
exponentially until at 2014

40. Trends: the Internet of Things (2)
40
GSM Association (GSMA) has
launched an “embedded SIM”
initiative to support the IOT
To speed up development of M2M
services
Make it easier to bring mobile
broadband to non-traditional devices:
cameras, MP3 players, navigation
devices and e-Readers & smart meters

41. Trends: the Internet of Things (3)
41
87 million embedded mobile M2M
connections last year
… will reach 428 million by 2014
Embedded SIM cards in mobile
phones / smartphones:
Allow users direct control over their
connections: ability to select carrier
networks of choice, bypassing MNOs,
Allow to connect to the Internet of
Things without MNO.

42. Trends: the Internet of Things (4)
42
Global revenues from IOT:
30 x higher than the Internet in the
smart transportation sector alone
(Forrester Research)
Governments have made significant
investments in IOT: EU, Japan,
South Korea, China, USA
In China: revenues from IOT will
reach 750 billion RMB (USD 112
billion) by 2015

43. Trends: the Internet of Things (5)
The number of devices connected to
the Internet: > 5 billion @ Aug. 2010
In an online presentation, an IBM
researcher reports that there will be
a trillion Internet connected devices
by 2011
A VP at Ericsson predicted that “50
billion connected devices are coming
to cellular networks in the next
decade”
43

44. 44
Trends: sensor technology (1)
Radio-frequency identification (RFID)
tags
Low power operating sensors
(energy harvesting motes)
Able to withstand harsh
environments
Self organizing, self configuring, self-healing

45. 45
Trends: sensor technology (2)
Low or zero maintenance
Bandwidth efficient
High data capacity
Many open standards are used, but
not all standardized. Many corporate,
i.e. proprietary technologies in the
market place
Efforts to standardize on IPv6
compliant IP (Contiki operating
system) micro stack

46. 46
Trends: sensor technology (3)
Sensors embedded in devices and
sensor nets (motes)
Smartphone / mobile device
Types of sensors:
Physical: T, P (altitude), density, motion
(accelerometers), light (cameras and
wavelength sensors – infra red –
thermal sensors, etc.), gravity, etc.

47. 47
Trends: sensor technology (4)
Types of sensors:
Chemical sensors evolving as well: wet
chemistry sensors more difficult (unless
in aqueous environment), gaseous
sensors easier to implement
Motion imagery surveillance
Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI)
Security application with environmental
uses

48. What is a wireless sensor network
(WSN) and why they are important
48

49. 49
A wireless sensor network
EmbeddeSoftDev.com, “Wireless sensor network (WSN). What is WSN?”, 13 August 2010. Available from
http://embedsoftdev.com/embedded/wireless-sensor-network-wsn/.

50. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs -1)
50
Tiny sensor “nodes” that collect &
relay data to a network of similar
nodes
Each node: sensor, microprocessor &
transceiver (radio)

51. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs -2)
51
Spatially distributed autonomous
sensors
That cooperatively monitor physical
&/or chemical parameters:
T, P, sounds, vibration, motion
Pollutants, gases,
Limited power
Energy saving communication
protocols
Short range

52. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs -3)
52
Applications
Homeland security
Monitoring of space assets for
potential and human-made threats in
space,
Ground based monitoring of both
land and water
Intelligence gathering for defense
Environmental monitoring
Urban warfare

53. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs -4)
53
Applications
Weather and climate analysis and
prediction
Battlefield monitoring and
surveillance
Exploration of the Solar System and
beyond
Monitoring of seismic acceleration
Strain
GPS data

54. 54
A commercially available sensor node
from Libelium
Libelium. 2011. Waspmote – The sensor device for developers. 20110202. http://www.libelium.com/products/waspmote

55. Sensing applications (commercial: Libelium)
55
[Libelium. 2011. Sensor boards. 20110202 http://www.libelium.com/products/waspmote/sensors

56. Schematic layers of a USN (Ubiquitous
56
Sensor Network)
ITU. 2008. Ubiquitous sensor networks (USN). ITU-T Technology Watch Report # 4. ITU, Geneva, 15 pp.
http://www.itu.int/oth/T2301000004/en

57. 57
WSNs for disaster risk reduction –
monitoring volcanic activity
Harvard Sensor Networks Lab, “ Volcano monitoring”, Available from http://fiji.eecs.harvard.edu/Volcano.

58. 58
Machine to machine (M2M)
communications – a WSN variant
Beacham Research. 2009. M2M world of connected services. The Internet of Things. http://www.beechamresearch.com/Downloads.aspx .
Beecham`s Sector Map shows segmentation of M2M Market in new semi-circular format, including 9 key Service Sectors, key Applications
Groups within Sectors, and examples of Connected Devices within each Sector. Overall, Beecham Research tracks over 300 different device
types.

59. Korea's vision of the Internet of Things (1)
59
Kim, Y.-W. 2009. Korean visions and policies for the Internet of Things. Presented on occasion of RFOD Global Forum and the Internet of
Things.CASAGRAS, EU Framework 7 Peoject.
http://www.rfidglobal.eu/page.asp?pageid=28&pagegroup=RFID%20Global&pagetitle=Final%20Conference%20Presentations

60. Korea's vision of the Internet of Things (2)
60
Kim, Y.-W. 2009. Korean visions and policies for the Internet of Things. Presented on occasion of RFOD Global Forum and the Internet of
Things.CASAGRAS, EU Framework 7 Peoject.
http://www.rfidglobal.eu/page.asp?pageid=28&pagegroup=RFID%20Global&pagetitle=Final%20Conference%20Presentations

61. 61
HP CeNSE -
Hartwell, P. & Williams, R.S. 2010. CeNSE - Central Nervous System for the Earth. Spring 2010. Slideshare.
http://www.slideshare.net/hewlettpackard/hp-cense-sensor-networks-and-the-pulse-of-the-planet

62. 62
WSNs are a hot subject
Merret, G. V. and Y. K. Tan. 2010. Wireless Sensor Networks: Application Centric Design. Edited by Dr. Geoff V Merret and Dr. Yen Kheng
Tan (Wireless Sensor Networks: Application Centric Design Edited by Dr. Geoff V Merret and Dr. Yen Kheng Tan (Editor-in-Chief)Editor-in-
Chief). Published by InTech. Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia. http://www.intechopen.com/books/show/title/wireless-sensor-networks-
application-centric-design

63. Trends in the development of the Internet
63
of Things
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Internet_of_Things.png

64. Number of computing units shipped over
64
time
Braathe, E. 2010. Internet of Things and cloud computing. May 2010. RFID and the Internet of Things - Are you ready? International
Workshop – 10-11 May, Oslo, Norway. http://www.rfid-rnet.
com/Presentations_11_May_2010/E_Braathe_IBM_Workshop_IoT_Oslo_11_May_2010.pdf

65. Growth in data (exabytes) over time as a
65
result of the IoT
Braathe, E. 2010. Internet of Things and cloud computing. May 2010. RFID and the Internet of Things - Are you ready? International
Workshop – 10-11 May, Oslo, Norway. http://www.rfid-rnet.
com/Presentations_11_May_2010/E_Braathe_IBM_Workshop_IoT_Oslo_11_May_2010.pdf

66. Trends: Cloud computing is 3 things:
66
Software as a service (SaaS)
An application is licensed to a customer for use as a
service on demand, usually accessed through a Web
browser.
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
Instead of purchasing and installing servers and
software, a computing platform is purchased as an
outsourced service (including datacenter space, servers,
storage, networking, and software often provided as a
virtual machine environment).
Platform as a service (PaaS)
Also known as “cloudware,”: where both the computing
platform and solution stack are delivered as a service
(used to develop and deliver solutions to end users).

67. 67
Trends: Cloud computing (1)
Allows for Grid computing applied to
environmental needs:
Access to super computing resources
Facilitates access to massive digital
data sets online (INPE – BR, Landsat,
etc.)
The Global Earth Observation System
of Systems (GEOSS)
Google Earth, Microsoft Virtual Earth,
etc.

68. 68
Trends: Cloud computing (2)
Computing on demand increasing in
popularity as broadband speeds rise
Can reduce energy use of a company
by moving cost to provider of Cloud
services
Can favour green energy sources as
fiber connected Cloud service centres
Linked to the Internet of Things
Collection of live environmental data
from embedded sensors in mesh nets.

69. 69
Trends: Advantages of Cloud
computing
Delocalize computing services to
greener energy locations
Increase access to computing
services
Cut capital costs of data centres
Cut costs of applications
Reduce energy consumption & costs
Computing becomes operational
cost, not capital cost

70. Cloud Computing and Sustainability: The
Environmental Benefits of Moving to the
70
Cloud
See Accenture & & WSP Environment & Energy, “Cloud Computing and Sustainability: The Environmental Benefits of Moving to the Cloud”, 4
November 2010. Available from
http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2010/nov10/11-04CloudBenefitsPR.mspx.

71. 71
World map showing distribution of
ClimatePrediction.Net servers
See http://www.climateprediction.net/project.php

72. 72
Trends: IPv6
IPv6:
Will allow the Internet of Things
Will push IP to the edge of the network
More efficient that IPv4
More support for:
Data / user authentication
Data integrity
Data confidentiality
Etc.

73. Trends: IPv6 – implications for the
73
developing world
There re no more IPv4 addresses
available
Some available, but cost very high
IPv6 uptake is not as fast as it was
hoped
Developing countries at disadvantage

Slow down of locally adapted IP apps &
services
ICTs for climate change may suffer

74. Trends: Improved & greener batteries
74
(1)
Many of these ICT innovations
(WSNs especailly) depend on
autonomous power:
Batteries or energy harvesting
technologies
Quest for low or portable power
sources and batteries
Self/ambient powered and/or power
harvesting devices for sensors, RFID &
other embedded devices.

75. Trends: Improved & greener batteries
75
(2)
Standard battery for all portable
devices (ITU)
Higher capacity energy storage
technologies for use in:
Smart grid
Electric vehicles

76. 76
Trends: social networking (1)
3 types:
Imagery social nets
Gaming driven social nets
Interaction driven social nets.
Facebook, Twitter, chat, blogs and
other social networking applications
User generated content
Online content sharing including
video blogging (vlogging)

77. 77
Trends: social networking (2)
Human based computation :
Human flesh search (HFS) engine:
people powered search
Crowdsourcing for soliciting public
feedback using ICTs
Much used by environmental groups
for mobilizing & reporting
environmental observations &
infringements

78. 78
Trends: importance of social
networking
The most popular Internet
application:
Dominates Internet usage in the Asia
Pacific region and beyond
Enabled by wireless technologies
Enhances stakeholder participation
Strengthen communities of practice

79. Different social networking services and
79
related statistics
See Jess3. “The geosocial universe”, May 2011. Available from http://jess3.com/geosocial-universe-2/.

80. Percent of Internet users in the Asia Pacific
80
region (minus China) visiting a social
networking site
See Joe Nguyen, “Social Networking: No Longer a Niche Market in Asia-Pac”, 20 September 2010. Available from
http://blog.comscore.com/2010/09/social_networking_asia_pacific.html.

81. Average time spent online visiting social
networking site in the Asia Pacific region
81
(minus China)
See Joe Nguyen, “Social Networking: No Longer a Niche Market in Asia-Pac”, 20 September 2010. Available from
http://blog.comscore.com/2010/09/social_networking_asia_pacific.html.

82. 82
Discussion