Founded in 1865, the ITU is the world’s oldest international organization. Based in Geneva, it’s the UN agency for global telecommunication coordination and operationalization that sets global standards for spectrums and other allocations.
The radical boom in telecom access has unshackled economic prowess and enabled newer business paradigms that have empowered billions.
With the advent of disruptive technologies and the bid for colossal transformation underpinned by tech convergence, the ambit of ITU extends to technologies including Blockchain and AI.
One of the moral quandaries around the mainstreaming of AI is the fear of how ethical or conscionable it would be – whether it will scrupulously follow a Rawlsian ‘veil of ignorance’, geared towards common social good and sustainability for all, or reflect some ingrained preconceptions?
Through its AI for Good initiative, ITU is spearheading ethical use of AI to resolve this conundrum. It is engaging in projects to advance inclusion and sustainability via dialogues, collaborations and multi-stakeholder programs.
Geospatial and location is at the focal point of tech transformation and crafting sustainable practices. That’s why ITU recognizes the power of spatial visualization and has partnerships with leading geospatial industry associations such as the WGIC.
“Geospatial information and mapping is instrumental in developing evidence-based policy-making and investment strategies, as well as in determining technology choices and shaping networks appropriate to different geographical contexts”, says Dr. Reinhard Scholl, Deputy Director, ITU Standardization Bureau, in an exclusive interview with Geospatial World
The rise of AI and automation will enable the pivot to Industry 4.0, but standardization, no-bias, and ethical regulatory framework are some key issues. What’s your take on AI deployment to complement human endeavor, and tell us about your AI for Good Initiative?
Industry 4.0, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, represents unprecedented structural transformation of the global economy. This revolution will connect the physical, virtual and biological spheres to change the way we work and live dramatically.
Just as was the case in the First, Second and Third industrial revolutions, inclusive standardization processes will play a key role in ensuring that the benefits of Industry 4.0 are realized on a global scale.
We are speaking of a wide range of exciting breakthroughs in science and technology. With data analytics at its core, Industry 4.0 relies on progress in fields such as 5G, IoT, AI, robotics, digital twins and extended reality.
In all these, ITU makes a significant contribution through developing standards, regulations and the allocation of spectrum for wireless applications, which directly enable the delivery of these services. AI is at the forefront of much cutting-edge research today. This fact is also reflected in the work of ITU, where many of its work items of its standardization work refer to machine learning.
The links between AI and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals remain at the heart of our discussions, which are also a key focus for our AI for Good initiative.
AI for Good, organized by ITU, is the leading UN platform where conversations take place on how AI can foster the Sustainable Development Goals.
What used to be an annual event has now turned into an always online platform with almost daily programming. We feature start-ups as well as Nobel Prize Laureates. AI for Good is supported by 40 UN partners as well as a range of industry sponsors.
ITU believe that everyone should participate in the conversation to determine how AI will factor into our future. That’s why it offers several platforms on AI which are open to anyone, without any subscription or membership.
Much of ITU’s technical work has been spawned by AI for Good. The technical work takes place in groups that we call Focus Groups. Focus Groups are also open platforms – again, no membership is required!
One of our most exciting work items takes place in the Focus Group on AI for health, driven by ITU together with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Health is a high-risk, high-stakes and complex use case – but with immense potential. Why do you trust your doctor, or why do you trust medication? You trust the people, the processes and the institutions who have developed a medication. But why would you trust an AI solution which analyzes your MRI scans?
Standards for AI in health are in an early stage, but urgently needed. Technical, medical, scientific, policy, regulatory, and business aspects need to be considered in these standardization efforts and addressed on a global scale.
A key gap identified is the lack of an independent platform to evaluate AI solutions.
Two years ago, the Focus Group launched the so-called Open Code Initiative that has since evolved into a complete assessment platform run by ITU/WHO in the cloud where the entire data and model ecosystem is integrated.
This end-to-end solution stands out because it addresses all relevant aspects throughout the entire AI lifecycle. In the platform prototype, which is currently being tested in a pilot phase, data can be uploaded and annotated, models can be tested, and evaluation metrics generated. This is the first not-for-profit interagency AI-model assessment platform prototype, being developed in collaboration with country-level regulatory agencies that have an interest in independent model assessments before granting approval.
What do you think is the role of geospatial in fostering digital transformation?
Geospatial data coupled with powerful geospatial analyses can contribute significantly to effective and efficient telecommunication services, now and for the future. For example, geospatial data can play an essential role in the fit-for-purpose planning and optimal deployment of networks and services and helping ensure that these networks are cost-effective and efficient.
Therefore, a close relationship between the ITU and the geospatial community is welcomed as it will help us to ensure that the potential access to and requirements of geospatial data, services, and technologies are well understood and integrated in ICT systems and applications, which are at the basis of the fourth industrial revolution.
We see compelling examples in smart cities where geospatial systems and data, and IoT are enabling local governments to monitor city operations in real-time, leading to actionable insights that result in actions to improve efficiency, and sustainability and deliver public services that are better attuned to people’s needs.
Geospatial systems and technology, and digital transformation are mutually reinforcing progress. Some well-known examples include the emergence of applications providing farmers with weather and market-price information, as well as ride-hailing and ride-sharing applications.
The 5G era also elevates the importance of geospatial systems and data in network planning and service provision. When implemented in the millimetre wave bands, 5G systems would require very accurate geospatial data and dense concentrations of network infrastructure.
Both accurate geographical data and advanced spatial analytics would be crucial to ensure that these networks are synchronized to within nanoseconds to improve the positioning accuracy for applications in areas such as smart mobility and intelligent traffic management.
5G is poised to be a game-changer in telecommunications and connectivity. It will also spawn innovations in multiple sectors that will unlock enormous economic value and transform societies. What is the ITU view on 5G’s potential and how can it be best harnessed equitably?
ITU plays a leading role in managing the radio spectrum and developing globally applicable standards. We are working towards providing stable international regulations, sufficient spectrum and suitable standards for IMT-2020 and the core network to enable successful 5G deployments at the regional and international levels.
5G connects people, things, data, applications, transport systems and cities in smart networked communication environments. 5G services support applications such as smart homes and buildings, smart cities, 3D video, work and play in the cloud, remote medical services, virtual and augmented reality, and massive machine-to-machine communications for industry automation.
Even more importantly, 5G is also enabling the more precise localization of services and can help monitor changing environments through, for example, sensor networks to monitor temperature, pressure and movement over time (e.g. heat sensors, pressure sensors, seismic sensors). Basic sensor networks were already possible using cellular technology and smart meters, but with 5G networks, the potential for geospatial monitoring and localization has increased.
5G presents a unique opportunity to support digital transformation across industry sectors. It is a fundamental enabler for Industry 4.0. But 5G deployment calls for considerable investment, and this has led ITU members to highlight that network operators – particularly in developing countries – need greater clarity around the business opportunities presented by 5G.
What role can connectivity and visualization play in solving some of the most pressing socio-economic issues?
Broadband connectivity is by now recognized as basic infrastructure in most countries, and case studies suggest that connectivity and communication services have made strong contributions to economic growth and social inclusion, especially for more remote and isolated communities. However, visualization is just at the start of its growth curve, and to date, most extensive applications currently lie in gaming, medical imagery, training, computer-assisted design (CAD), construction, and industrial sectors.
Successive network upgrades in connectivity are not always matched by economic cycles. For example, the massive expansion of mobile broadband services coincided with the financial crisis and economic downturn of 2007-2008, while the early introduction of 5G services partly coincided with the economic slowdown brought about by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Direct links between connectivity and economic activity can be difficult to establish, but the march of technological progress has clearly helped create our connected society.
Connectivity and visualization played an important role in COVID-19 response by helping model the spread of the pandemic and presenting actionable insights on people’s movements and potential contact with the virus.
We are achieving major leaps forward in our understanding and modelling of natural hazards and disasters and associated efforts to avert major crises. Telecommunications and connectivity have enhanced and enabled innovations such as digital twin cities and factory production processes.
The digital divide is a barrier to access and connectivity in the developing world. How do you think can it be bridged, and can geospatial and mapping play a role in it?
The digital divide is a complex problem to solve, especially as far as telecommunication and connectivity are concerned. It encompasses a wide range of questions relevant to policy, business, and technology.
The next generation of mobile broadband services is introduced every eight to ten years on average, which means that just as some rural areas gain access to high-speed broadband access and catch up with urban areas, the next cycle of network upgrades and access to more advanced services starts again.
Geospatial information and mapping can be instrumental in developing evidence-based policy-making and investment strategies, as well as the technology choices and shape of networks most appropriate to different geographical contexts.
We can use geospatial information and mapping to identify where and how users are accessing broadband services and areas where network infrastructure is lacking or insufficient.
Operators can also plan network upgrades and deliver better services with the help of more precise knowledge of the nature of life in different places. ICT services and satellite services can provide more meaningful services to satisfy people’s needs with the help of geospatial insights on climate and biodiversity, terrain and land use, infrastructure development, and even levels of income, insurance cover and tax evasion (e.g. gained from analysis of materials used to build roofs and the types of cars on the road).
What is ITU’s vision for a resilient post-pandemic world?
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of our ICT infrastructure and the need to connect the unconnected, promote data sharing and data interoperability, and build confidence and security in the use of ICTs. It has also made clear that ICT innovation must centre on people and our best interests. ITU seeks a world in which everyone is connected and can benefit from the opportunities of new technologies.
Our experience of the pandemic has uncovered fundamental challenges to be overcome in user-friendliness and security. We have also seen that cybersecurity and access to reliable information are nothing less than matters of public safety.
Our world is turning from a physical-only world into a cyber-physical world.
Everything is turning into a computer, whether a thermostat, a phone, a car, a plane, or a nuclear power station. These computers are interconnected. And that is a dangerous situation. There does not seem to be a single day without any disaster story related to cyber security incidents.
Throw AI into this mix, and the situation gets even worse. While AI has extraordinary potential, it also faces considerable challenges: bias; the lack of well annotated data; security breaches; the lack of explainability of AI models; and the lack of equitable access to know-how and compute power.
ITU provides a neutral platform to build consensus and corresponding commitment to new ways of working together. Working together at ITU, we can devise global approaches to global challenges and accelerate the digital transformation shown by the pandemic to be critical to a sustainable future.
How to create a robust digital infrastructure that is primed towards innovation, inclusion and sustainability?
Innovation, inclusion, and sustainability all receive essential support from technical standardization and its underlying process of consensus-building. Standards offer us an assurance of reliability, safety, interoperability, and backward compatibility. At a time when infrastructure investment is more important than ever, standards give us the confidence to continue investing in our digital future.
We encounter ITU’s international standards every day without knowing it. A hidden part of the ICT services we use every day, ITU standards are rarely noticed by users, but remain vital for ensuring the interconnection and interoperability of ICT equipment and devices manufactured by hundreds of thousands of different companies around the world.
ITU standards provide developers with a global market, enabling economies of scale in production and deployment that result in real benefits for users, in terms of both cost and functionality. An estimated 95% of international communications traffic runs over fibre-optic networks built in conformance with ITU standards. Video now accounts for over 80% of Internet traffic, enabled by Primetime Emmy-winning video-compression algorithms standardized jointly by ITU, ISO and IEC.
Today’s advanced wireless, broadband and multimedia technologies are all powered by ITU standards. Technical standards supporting compatibility and interoperability are needed to support the digital transformation underway across all sectors of our economies.
ITU standardization work is welcoming new participants, as the growing need for “enabling technologies” necessitates tailored ICT standards, either purpose-built or adapted to the requirements of various new markets.
ITU standardization work is increasingly addressing directly the needs of different verticals, including healthcare, financial services, transportation, energy, agriculture, and smart cities. ITU’s work also helps different sectors to capitalize on advances in artificial intelligence.
How can ITU and geospatial industry associations such as the WGIC align their forces towards a common purpose?
Inclusivity is a defining feature of ITU’s work, which calls for contributions drawn from diverse sets of expertise. Participation in ITU work enables industry associations such as the World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) to influence ITU’s development of international technical standards and the ITU-facilitated, internationally agreed Radio Regulations.
Geospatial data is one of the practical enablers of the ICT sector, and this is the reason why the ITU has been very interested in and committed to the work of the UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM).
The ITU has participated since the beginning in the work of the UN Geospatial Network, as a Member of its Steering Committee. ITU also cooperated with the UN Geospatial Network to produce two episodes of the Talking Tech interview series, which was released on the occasion of the 2021 GIS day to showcase the important work of two geospatial individuals working in the UN system.
The ITU has also cooperated directly with WGIC since 2019 to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, focusing particularly in the area of ICTs and geospatial technologies.
Our work together can also raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges in the geospatial industry and community, and provide advocacy that can engage more communities in the conversations advanced by the geospatial community – ultimately informing more decision-makers in governments and industry of opportunities to be grasped and challenges to be solved.
What’s your take on AI in communication technologies as well as GeoAI, and what do you think are some of the tech trends that will influence it in the coming years?
Network operators have used machine learning for some time, but not at the network level. They have used it to analyse the churn rate or to segment their customers. But applying it at the networking level is complicated. Applying machine learning in communication networks is much more difficult than in computer vision or natural language processing, because time scales in a communication network span many orders of magnitude, ranging from parameters which change on an annual basis, like your subscription to a telecom provider, to milliseconds, like resource block allocations in radio access networks) – for which you then have to retrain your machine learning model on a millisecond basis. As networks get more and more complicated, machine learning will be essential to make sense of the plethora of data being collected.
Machine Learning is in lots of places now including developing new approaches for Spectrum Management[2] and Radio wave propagation modelling[3].
On the other hand, machine learning could also be useful in the standardization process. For now, standards are produced by people who meet, make proposals, negotiate, and agree on a certain outcome. But the resulting protocols are often ambiguous and suboptimal, leading to increasing costs in testing and implementation. Part of this process could be taken on by machine learning, where the algorithm proposes a solution. There have been some attempts to do this, but there is still quite a long way to go.
New members are joining ITU from industries such as automotive, fintech, utilities, or banking.
There are no limits to imagination for GeoAI use cases in combination with ICTs, whether it is weather forecasting, traffic speed monitoring, crime reporting, deforestation monitoring, or the spread of refugee camps … And, hey, one can also imagine interesting use cases for the tax revenue service of a country …
GeoAI can support dramatic improvements in the speed and efficiency of actions to advance infrastructure development, agriculture and nutrition, disaster management, healthcare and education, and the list goes on.
An ITU Focus Group on AI for Natural Disaster Management is working towards new ITU standards in support of AI’s ability to advance data collection and handling, improve hazard modelling by extracting complex patterns from a growing volume of geospatial data, and support effective emergency communications.
Another ITU Focus Group on AI and IoT for Digital Agriculture is working towards new ITU standards to support global improvements the precision and sustainability of farming techniques.
These areas offer examples of the growing importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the value of insights found at the intersection of different types of datasets. They also demonstrate the need for common standards or taxonomies to maximize the use, sharing and analysis of geospatial data. We see another key trend emerging in efforts to stimulate the democratization of GeoAI capabilities.
For example, in AI-powered analysis of satellite imagery, there is a huge gap between rolling out a pilot project and launching a global service. This spurred an AI for Good conversation on how we could create a “global service platform” offering enabling infrastructure and common capabilities for promising pilot projects to achieve significant scale at speed.
Today, anyone can get a weather forecast for free for any point on earth. Imagine what would happen if, similarly, a GeoAI service were to be made available for free as a public good …
AI for Good is organizing two series of events on GeoAI in cooperation with our geospatial partners, the UN Geospatial Network, the UN GGIM Academic Network, the UN Open GIS Initiative, the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), and the World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC).
