Intelligent infrastructure futures the scenarios - towards 2055

The Foresight Project on Intelligent Infrastructure Systems (IIS) set out to examine the challenges and opportunities for the UK in bringing 'intelligence' to its infrastructure - the physical networks that deliver such services as transport, telecommunications, water and energy. This report describes the four scenarios, and related 'systems maps' that were developed to investigate how science and technology might be applied to infrastructure over the next 50 years. In considering how IIS could contribute to robust, sustainable and safe transport, and its alternatives, environmental issues were high on the agenda. The issue of climate change and global warming features strongly in the future predictions. Global warming may lead to more extreme climatic events, so the scenarios also explore how this could challenge, stretch or undermine the reliability and integrity of the transport system and other parts of the infrastructure. An important attribute of an intelligent system is that it uses resources as effectively as possible to deliver maximum return for minimal investment of effort. The workshops of experts narrowed the discussion down to four scenarios used to investigate the ways in which the 60 key drivers of change might play out over the next 50 years. The full text of this article may be found at: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/bispartners/foresight/docs/intelligent-infrastructure-systems/the-scenarios-2055.pdf