09 February 2009

Futurologist looks ahead at Terra future

Ian Pearson, who spent 16 years predicting future technology trends for BT, is to address delegates at the Terra future conference in London later this month.

Focusing on the future use of technology to combat climate change, Ian will make his keynote speech to an audience of government advisers, business leaders and representatives from the academic and innovation communities.

Ian comments: “Terra future is an important event, falling as it does at the beginning of the convergence of the real and virtual worlds. The ability to link position in the physical world to events or imagery from the virtual world will create a whole new platform for recreation, marketing, socialising and business.

“Duality will eventually change our future as much as the creation of the World Wide Web.”

Having left BT in 2007, Ian now tracks and predicts developments in information technology for Futurizon, a start-up futures institute, as well as writing on topics from machine consciousness to human evolution. He is a fellow of five institutions and an honorary Doctor of Science at the University of Westminster.

The Terra future conference, organised by Ordnance Survey at the Royal Geographical Society on the 24 and 25 February, will focus on the use of geographic information and mass collaboration. Both are tools that conference organiser Chris Parker believes are central to tackling climate change and sustainability.

Chris comments: “Since ‘everything happens somewhere’, having a strong understanding of ‘place’ is a vital first step in addressing our global issues. Together with technologies that harness the power of mass collaboration, geographic information is a vital ingredient.

“Ian will offer an idea of where we’re heading in the future and the technologies that we need to invest in today to protect tomorrow. I am certain that his experience working with BT, and now Futurizon, will make for a fascinating keynote address.”

Alongside Ian Pearson, confirmed speakers include Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, founding Chair of the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts and Charles Leadbeater, the man Accenture voted one of the top management thinkers in the world.

Previous Terra future events, held in 2005 and 2006, were widely supported and included presentations from Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, and Peter Cochrane OBE, a former chief technologist at BT.

For more information visit www.terrafuture.com

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