2009 Horizon Report

images

The New Media Consortia has produced the 2009 Horizon Report: Economic Development Edition.  The focus is on California's Business growth and development in the multimedia and entertainment industry sector.

The New Media Consortium’s Horizon Project is an ongoing research project that seeks to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have a large impact in education and other industries around the world over a five-year time period. The chief products of the project are the Horizon Reports, an annual series of publications that describe promising emerging technologies and highlight their relevance. This special edition, the Horizon Report: 2009 Economic Development Edition explores the landscape of emerging technologies as it pertains to small to medium-sized businesses

Like the Horizon Report itself, this special edition follows a specific format to describe six technologies or practices that will impact businesses within three adoption horizons over the next five years. Each topic opens with an overview describing the technology at hand, followed by a discussion of its relevant applications for small to medium businesses. Examples of how the technology is currently employed, or how it could be applied to commerce, illustrate its potential. Finally, an annotated list of materials for further reading is provided for those who would like to explore a topic in greater depth.

In selecting the six topics, the project draws on an ongoing conversation among leaders in the fields of business, industry, and education, informed by a review of published resources, by current research and practice, and by the expertise of business communities in California, the United States, and around the world. The report is guided by the Horizon Project’s Economic Development Advisory Board, a body of experts representing a range of perspectives in business and industry.

The report has been released under a Creative Commons license. It can be distributed broadly and it can also be duplicated in print if done in its entirety.


Horizon 2010 Report