“We are amassing an unimaginable amount of data in the world. In just three years, [internet] traffic is expected to total more than half a zettabyte. That’s a trillion gigabytes – or a one followed by 21 zeroes,” he tells industry, academic and political leaders.

“Where we once inferred, we now know. Where we once interpolated and extrapolated, we can now determine. The historical is giving way to the real-time and it’s not just about volume and velocity. The nature of the data we are collecting and analysing is changing, too.

“All this data is far more real-time than ever before. Most of us today, as leaders and as individuals, make decisions based on information that is backward-looking and limited in scope. That’s the best we had, but that is quickly changing.”

This just reinforces my previous blog of June 2009: here.

And this week we had the official launch in the UK of its government linked open data site.

We’ve seen the debate – back and forth – about linked open data.  We’ve seen the debate about top down v. bottom up approaches to semantics.  We’ve seen the arguments about the merits of RDF as against other frameworks.  But the volumes of data continue to increase – as does participation in social networks.

On a daily basis we see announcement about new products.  Nova Spivack tells us that the days of ‘Search’ are running out – we need ‘Help’ not ‘Search’.  We eagerly await his Twine 2.0.  We have seen significant product advancements announced this month in products such as Open Calais and Open Amplify.  One other product which caught my eye last week is Kngine.

Products such as Amplify aim to deal with the ‘tricky’ content – e.g. the ‘opinions’ implicit in content of social networks.   And this is a key element of what we are looking for: context for the content.  I am more interested in information on a particular subject when I understand the context, the perspective of the provider of the information.  I also want the richness of analysis possible through the combination of wider sources of data – including data compiled by government agencies which should be available to me.  Linked open data initiatives are required in all countries.  For Ireland – the sooner the better, if we consider ourselves a smart economy or a knowledge society.

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Dr O’Brien rightly distinguishes between the concrete benefits in terms of successful  projects and the benefit of encouraging the more generic culture of research and entrepreneurship.

Article includes several interesting examples of recent initiatives.

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The UK government is moving forward on a similar basis to the US government – in making public data available to the public.

Curious to see how far advanced we are wrt implementing something similar in Ireland – in the context of our knowledge society and smart economy.  Must make sense to make this type of information available – as argued by Tim Berners Lee in the referenced article.

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In today’s Irish Times I read a commentary on the speech by David Guinane, at last night’s Institute of Bankers’ Dinner.  His comments included: ‘As bankers, we must recognise first and foremost that this crisis has been caused by the failure of our sector to fully understand and manage the risks inherent in our business‘.

This type of sentiment – expressed publicly – is part of the required social and economic reconciliation process.  Serious mistakes were made by bankers – for a range of commercial reasons.  Others were not innocent – those who got caught up in various ventures, those who adjusted the basis of the country’s finance, those  who failed to implement rigorous regulation.  Some may have overstepped the mark completely.

It is important that groups acknowledge their mistakes (and any wrongdoing where it took place).  There are many who could follow Mr Guinane’s line – it would greatly assist the reconciliation process.

Now we need to focus on learning the lessons, taking the corrective actions and reforming as a team.  There are some signs of this – but one should not underestimate the anger of those marching yesterday.  The reconciliation process to date has been inadequate.

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It’s been a challenging September for everyone: kids back to school, those with jobs back to uncertain work, those without jobs back to the dole, all of us cursing that summer arrived in September and cheated us again.

Then I read that SIPTU is getting its members ready for strikes!  The usual claptrap – the workers are being asked to pay for the sins of the wealthy – the developers and the bankers.

I do agree with Fintan O’Toole’s recent piece – Ireland stuggles to acknowledge or act on accountability.  We need to be seen to deal with any/all who were found to break the law in bringing the country to its knees.

But back to reality.  A No Note to Lisbon as a protest vote against the government would obviously be crazy.  But this type of SIPTU posturing is not a lot better.  We need to tackle the fact that we are spending €400m more per week than we are generating.  Part of the solution is reduced costs – part of that is labour efficiency, part of it is labour cost reductions, part of it is overhead reduction and elimination.

I’m no less disappointed than everyone else that I can now expect to pay much higher levels of taxation for the remainder of my working life.  But I want to live here and I want to do something about it.  SIPTU members, like the rest of us, will not be found wanting.  But a little leadership and inspiration would be helpful.  SIPTU members want the country back firing on all cylinders and want to secure a great future for their children.

My muesli would taste a lot better were I reading some inspiring thoughts from SIPTU as I prepare for another fun Saturday of sports with the kids – part of what makes me want to live here.  And looking forward to tomorrow’s Ladies All Ireland football final.

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I was lucky enough to spend four great years in Trinity College Dublin – way back when (1980-1984) – studying for an engineering degree.  A combination of study, growing up, socialising, forming many friendships which survive to now, playing lots of sport.

We did not have lap tops, we did not have mobile phones, we did not have social networks.

In truth much of what we were taught as undergraduates was as well, if not better covered, in various text books.  There were limited opportunities for practicals, tutorials, projects, opportunities to interact with lecturers and/or Phd dtudents.  These opportunities were actually the potential added value over and above the text books.

As I work and live in a web 2.0 and, increasingly, a web 3.0 world I wonder how my children will participate in 3rd level education – should they choose to do so.

The real opportunity I see for current and future undergraduates is collaboration.   It seems to me that undergraduates attending TCD should be involved in online collaboration with undergraduates and people in industry – based across the world.  The technology allows for this.  The challenge is for the universities to become more open and collaborative.

An interesting piece this week by Kevin Maney in Business Week: Next, An internet revolution in higher education. Kevin, with a slightly different perspective, seems to point to a lot of the same ideas and challenges for third level insitutions.

I think the opportunities in education and ‘global development’ for young people now are greater than ever.  I hope that universities can continue to provide a great experience to be shared by people (predominantly young – but with much more integration with ‘mature’ students) – while exploiting the news technologies to broaden the horizons for all.

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Have commented on this previously:

Calls for National Government

What and who gets squeezed in Ireland

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Well done to David McWilliams and the Irish Government on the forthcoming conference with leaders drawn from the Irish diaspora.

Reread the piece in the Irish Times earlier this week.  Topics to include:

• the global economy: positioning Ireland for the upturn
• Ireland – the innovation island
• promoting brand Ireland through our global cultural profile
• Ireland’s image abroad: what is it now, how can it be improved and what role can new media play
• Ireland and its Diaspora: harnessing unique resource

Would not argue with the relevance or appropriateness of any of these topics.

When I read about other countries beginning their planning for ‘post recession’, for removing some of the stimuli that have been required in the last 18 months – it seems to me that we are a little behind.  However this must inform out thinking and approach in the conference.  Must understand where the diaspora are coming from – where are they in their cycles?

We don’t need to be thinking that we are the only ones to have screwed up in the last number of years.  We have a particular deficit arising from some crazy property lending and some run away public expenditure commitments.  However some of the really crazy stuff was in the US – and spread through the world.

Partnerhsip is what comes to mind.  What can we do for the diaspora and what can they do for us?  I hope that a number of them will spell out in black and white the requirement for us to put our finances on a sound basis – NAMA apart, we have to stop spending more than we earn.  But what does the diaspora want from us?  Do they have any interest in having more of a say in what goes on here?

I remember listening many years ago to Liam O’Mahony (former CRH CEO) speak at a lunch shortly after he had returned from the US to take on the group CEO role.  He spoke of his frustrations trying to resettle in Ireland e.g getting kids back into schools here.  He commented on the excellent benefits enjoyed by Irish (and European) workers compared with US workers in terms of vacations, maternity leave, sick leave etc.   But he reminded us that we are required to compete in global market places – if you want better benefits then you have to be more efficient or accept lower rewards.  And he also spoke of the importance to a city such as Dublin of having corporate headquarters of multinationals located here e.g. CRH – in terms of presence, profiling of the city, sponsorhip of local initiatives in education, arts, sport, etc.

I wonder will much of what O’Mahony was saying previously be echoed in the conference.

I dealt with some related matters in a posting in August: ‘Ireland – continuing to play our part on the world stage’.  While I believe Msrrs Cowen and Martin will be doing a great deal of listening during the conference I think it is important that they share their vision for Ireland (including the Irish diaspora) with  the conference participants.  Unfortunately I do not think a good job has been done to date of communicating this vision – assuming there is one.  ‘Smart economy’ comes to mind – but I am not talking about such sound bites.  What are our brilliant young people leaving Ireland in the next few years taking with them in terms of a future vision for Ireland?  Will there be a real commitment from the Irish government to provide them with a forum in which they can continue to contribute while working and living across the globe? Perhaps some of those attending the conference – who have gone overseas and made theri mark – may feel that this is something in which we let them down or missed an opportunity.

Finally – I do hope that the conference will find room to involve some of the younger Irish about to go overseas or who went reasonably recently.  Their perspective is vital.

Looking forward to informed debate and creative, positive thinking.

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Top of the reek - with my brother, David

The views are amazing – across Clew Bay, along the coast line and back in across Mayo.  The various discussions with the eclectic group of people you meet on the way and at the top add to the trip.

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As readers may be aware this blog takes its name from ‘the reek’ – the mountain, Croagh Patrick, located at Murrisk, Co. Mayo, Ireland.

Each year we have ‘reek Sunday’ – when thousands of people descend on Westport – to climb Croagh Patrick.  26 July this year was particularly challenging – in that the morning was ‘blessed’ with rain and wind.   This did not put off the pilgrims and the day trippers.

Miriam Lord, in the Irish Times, provides an excellent insight into ‘Reek Sunday’.

In ainticipation of the question: the author did not ascend the Reek on the 26th.  My last ascent was Easter Sunday this year – in fantastic weather.

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• Ireland: lose yourself in the wilds of Mayo (telegraph.co.uk)

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