World Government Summit 'LIVE': Cryptocurrency, hyperloop… buzzwords – what they mean

Dubai is hosting the three-day World Government Summit 2016 under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments’.

The UAE government will host hundreds of leaders from around the world – including government representatives, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and heads of multilateral organisations – for the Summit, which is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The World Government Summit represents an ideal platform for shaping the future, and several research reports and surveys will be published during the summit addressing the various critical issues facing governments today and in the future.

A host of speakers that are authorities on their subjects will provide insights into the issues, and it may be daunting for mere mortals like us to absorb all that is being said, considering the buzzwords that will be used.

Here below are just few of the buzzwords that one is likely to encounter during the speeches made at the summit, and a quick explanation of what they mean.

Futurism:

Concern with events and trends of the future or which anticipate the future

Sharing Economy:

Peer-to-peer-based sharing of access to goods and services

Cryptocurrency:

A digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank

Hyperloop:

A conceptual high-speed transportation system put forward by entrepreneur Elon Musk, incorporating reduced-pressure tubes in which pressurized capsules ride on an air cushion driven by linear induction motors and air compressors

Mindful Leadership:

A guide to leadership that starts with the self – for business people, members of the public service, professionals, and anyone else in a position to influence others. Essentially, it is of value to anyone who aspires to make a difference.

Fourth Industrial Revolution:

A technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. It’s the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century. It is characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.

Edge of Government:

The Edge of Government innovation experience at the Summit will challenge visitors to think in new and often counter-intuitive ways about how the most pressing public challenges of our time can be solved. The main purpose of the exhibits is to inform, trigger new thinking through experience, and most importantly inspire visitors to connect with the innovators behind the best practices and case studies showcased and ideally adapt/adopt the approach in their own context. Visitors will thus walk out of their immersive journey with the desire to move to action and turn this “Edge” into mainstream.

Cloud Education:

Cloud education depends on Moocs. Mooc, standing for “massive open online course”, are online courses aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as filmed lectures, readings, and problem sets, many Moocs provide interactive user forums to support community interactions between students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs).

Gamification:

The application of typical elements of game playing to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service

Internet of Things:

Proposed development of the Internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data

Bionics:

The study of mechanical systems that function like living organisms or parts of living organisms.

3D Printing in Healthcare:

3D Printing: a process for making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model, typically by laying down many successive thin layers of a material

3D Printing in Medicine: Or Bioprinting, is the use of 3D printing in medicine.

Genome Sequencing/Longevity:

It is figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides, or bases, in a genome to decrease the susceptibility of disease and degeneration.

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