RE-TWEET IT!
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I’ve been thinking about Marshall Kirkpatrick’s exciting blog post at Read Write Web about the potential value of the ‘Real Time Web’.
At first read, the concepts were pretty abstract, and frankly I didn’t grasp much of what was possible using it. But upon reflection, a few ideas did strike my mind.
Looking at it from the perspective of a doctor, a medical professional who needs to stay on top of certain events, developments and breakthroughs on a relatively narrow area of specialization, here’s how I see the 3 elements of Ambiance, Automation and Emergence being applicable to my life.
In a somewhat rudimentary fashion, already, scientific literature allows a certain degree of ambiance through bibliographic cross-referencing and citations weighted by peer reviews. What’s exciting about Real Time Web applications in this area would be the speed at which information about simultaneous or concurrent activities, advances and developments would be disseminated across the network!
As I search for references on a specific disease or treatment, I would be presented with data that others are also seeking, discussing and debating – giving me access, at my fingertips, to a plethora of information that would have earlier required my actively hunting out.
Or take Automation. In a Real Time Web, I could have a bot watch a document sharing guidelines to manage a particular disease condition, or handle an epidemic, or deal with adverse reactions to a new brand or kind of drug or experimental therapy.
Whenever a significant change was recorded or documented by the regulatory authority, ‘push’ technology would deliver it to my device (computer, handheld or cellphone) INSTANTLY – allowing the benefit of ’state of art’ knowledge to be delivered to my patient, regardless of where in the world I am practicing medicine!
And Emergence would be one of the most fascinating applications of a Real Time Web to medical science, as it would now be possible to quickly and reliably identify outbreaks of new forms of diseases or infectious agents by observing patterns across huge swathes of the world, in sweeps hitherto impossible simply due to logistical limitations.
Pattern recognition for diagnosis of disorders in an individual, as well as diseases of a wider population, has always been a pretty hit-or-miss thing. Serendipity and fortune were more likely to be responsible for detection, than any systematic or scientific process.
That could change, with a Real Time Web contributing data pieces from every corner of the globe as they arise, and making them all accessible to anyone with the time and interest in it!
What applications do you see for a Real Time Web in your specialty, industry or life?
What excites, fascinates – or scares you – about its potential?
{ 1 comment }
It is definitely an electronic age and technology seems to be continuously emerging, changing, and growing at phenomenal rates. It is difficult to keep up. The thought of real time updates is mind-boggling. My initial thought is this would not have the same impact on me as many others – I write fiction, fantasy to be precise – but the technology does effect the publishing community which seems to be undergoing a metamorphasis of its own right now.
NA Sharpe
http://nasharpe.blogspot.com
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