Abstract
Technological development and advancement has influenced and transformed humanity and the society through innovative ideas and changes, though not a panacea solution to mankind's ills. No matter the speed and phase of industrial revolution, machines and appliances continue to shape and sustain human knowledge with intelligent interaction and collaboration. The purpose of this chapter is to determine and forecast transformative and new applications of digital innovations in information science and humanistic knowledge. Explore pertinent and competitive digital innovations and applications in information science and humanistic knowledge. Review and analyze opportunistic developments of digital technologies in information science and humanistic knowledge. Finally, examine solutions and recommendations to harness and promote digital innovations in information science and humanistic knowledge. Digital innovations have interrupted social interactions that have been instrumental in improving humanistic knowledge.
TopIntroduction
The Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR) characterized with high magnificent advancements, and an immense appetite for digital innovations and applications, has collided with the human economy across the globe. This contemporary converging and hybridization of technologies to solve societal problems and concerns incorporate mandatory pillars of digital transformation (DT) - knowledge, science, technology, and innovations. Disruption technologies and infrastructures have permeated all aspects of human transformation and development with emerging socio-economic consequences across the globe. This convergence of purpose, creativity, and inclusivity brings together lucrative aspects of the coexistence of machinery and humanity in a bid to heighten output and efficiency (George & George, 2020). Machine and human intelligence intersection and collaboration have transformed and enhanced the development of society. On one hand, machines depend on humans when decision-making requires some quick judgments which are necessary to evaluate the outcome of a decision; and on the other hand, humans also depend on machines when decision-making depends on some complex analytical approach (Bhandari & Reddiboina, 2019). In this manner, humans and machines work together though the former has a broad strategic vision and insights.
In information and media literacy perception of the global digital economy in terms of return on investment depends upon information and technological innovations. At the information innovation level, the trend toward digital knowledge as a fundamental factor of production in the marketplace is crucial to human development and transformation. At the technological innovation level, disruptions whose primary role is to share knowledge have highly impacted and changed business dynamics in organizations and industries. Information and knowledge industries are critical and essential pillars of human development and transformation. Sustainable development is sustained and sharing of knowledge and information for transparency and accountability is made possible through digital innovations and applications. Against this background, the chapter seeks to determine and forecast transformative and new applications of digital innovations in information science and humanistic knowledge. Explore pertinent and competitive digital innovations and applications in information science and humanistic knowledge. Review and analyze opportunistic developments of digital technologies in information science and humanistic knowledge. Examine solutions to harness and promote digital innovations in information science and humanistic knowledge. Finally, determine recommendations to advance digital information and knowledge.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Innovation: Innovation is the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (good or service), or process, new marketing method, or new organizational method in business practices, workplace organization, or external relations ( International Telecommunication Union, 2018 ).
Digital Innovations: Digital innovations refer to technologies and platforms that are widely applied in organizations and institutions - the internet of things, artificial intelligence, remote sensors, geographic information systems, and smart solutions.
Digital Technologies: Digital technologies are innovations that foster and contribute to transforming the global economy and sustainable development. These include the internet, blockchain, and artificial intelligence.
Internet of Things: s The network of devices connected to the internet communicates with each other ( Southgate, et al., 2018 ). These devices include everyday machines, equipment, and appliances that have embedded computer chips to collect and communicate data.
Intelligence: From a computer science perspective, intelligence refers to the ability of a software system to correctly process information in complex environments in a way that maximizes the probability of success ( Southgate, et al., 2018 ).
Frontier Technologies: Frontier technologies are emerging technologies with dramatic impacts on human development and societal transformation.
Digital Platforms: In this chapter, digital platforms describe emerging technologies and devices for online data, information, and communication. These smart innovations include the internet of things-based systems, mobile phones, and social media.
Digital Platforms: In this chapter, digital platforms describe the new industrial revolution of innovations and applications of technology and telecommunication systems for online data and information and collaboration.
Information and Knowledge Industries: Field and profession of information science that collaborates with data, information, knowledge, and technology.
Digital Applications: Digital applications are broad terms that refer to any application software that can be used by a computer, mobile device, or tablet to perform useful tasks. The applications have specific functions and can be accessed from any computer with internet connections.