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Innovation and practical technology

Innovation and practical technology

Technology relevant to work and skills, society and human development and artificial intelligence: what it can do, the constraints it faces and its consequences for people and institutions.

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Publisher
The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation
Field
Work and skills, Society and human development, Artificial intelligence
Canvas · draft to published versionDesign, not a record
Innovation and practical technology: an innovation through readiness gatesAn idea is tested as a concept, validated in the lab, piloted with an owner under safeguards and reviewed for adoption; each gate asks for evidence of effect, safety and cost before the next stage. Design of the process, not a record of a run.

Fig.How a finding is reviewed before it is published. Design, not a record.

01In brief

The short answer.

Innovation at Future of Work and Skills is the evaluation of technology relevant to work and skills: the need it addresses, the evidence behind it, its constraints and its consequences for safety, rights and the environment. Promising work can be built in Nexus Foundry and tested in Nexus Universe; nothing is called proven before test and review, and no product is endorsed.

02Geography

People and exposure in Southeast Asia.

Population density, night-time lights, air quality, heat and floods, framed on Southeast Asia; each layer is a dated NASA product.

The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.

Layers 2

People and exposure

Latest available

NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Natural Earth

Loading the latest NASA imagery.

Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.

Population density, night-time lights, air quality, heat and floods, framed on Southeast Asia.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date; indicators, not assessments of any place; claim ceiling INTEGRATED.

Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Natural EarthSources and licences

  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). CC BY 4.0
  • VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • OMI nitrogen dioxide (Aura) and OMPS aerosol index (Suomi NPP), NASA; distributed by the NASA GES DISC; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
  • Globe: MapLibre GL JS 6.9.1, BSD-3-Clause, © MapLibre contributors.

Layers and dates

  • Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
  • Night-time lights, daily: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
  • Nitrogen dioxide, lower atmosphere column: OMI Aura, NASA GES DISC · 10 Oct 2026
  • Land surface temperature, day, 8-day composite: VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day, NASA LANCE · 14 Sep 2026
  • Flood water, 3-day composite: VIIRS Global Flood Product, NASA LANCE · 14 Oct 2026

03Approach

Evaluate before adopting.

  1. 01

    Need

    Which problem does the technology address, and for whom?

  2. 02

    Evidence

    What has been demonstrated, under what conditions, and what remains untested?

  3. 03

    Constraints

    Cost, skills, infrastructure, data and governance requirements.

  4. 04

    Consequences

    Effects on safety, rights, equity and the environment.

04Technologies under assessment

What could change work and skills practice, and what it still has to show.

TechnologyWhat it could changeWhat remains to be shown
AI-assisted trainingPersonalised learning at scaleEvidence of learning gains
Skills-based hiringBetter matchingValidity of skills assessments
05Build and test

From idea to tested capability.

Promising work can be built in Nexus Foundry and tested under controlled conditions through Nexus Universe. No technology is described as proven before it has been tested and reviewed.

06Key terms

Terms used on this page.

Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.

TermDefinition
Technology readiness levelA scale from basic principles to proven operation that describes how mature a technology is.
Responsible innovationAnticipating and governing the effects of new technology together with society.
TestbedA controlled setting, from a lab rig to a field site or sandbox, for trying a technology before it meets real conditions of use.
Just transitionGreening the economy in a way that is fair and inclusive for workers and communities.
07Sources

Where this page's references lead.

The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.

08Questions

Questions and answers.

Does the platform endorse products?
No. It evaluates technologies and publishes what it finds, with limits. It does not endorse, certify or recommend products or vendors.
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