FUTURE FORECASTING

Quantumrun, a research and consulting agency that uses longterm strategic forecasting to help organisations thrive from future trends (www.quantumrun.com) has a series of timeline forecasts for each year out to 2050.

Amongst the 107 future forecasts it has for what 2019 will look like (all sourced to the original research/ article) it is pointing towards: • SpaceX gigabit internet satellites launch early in 2019, offering a new, global internet service by the end of the year. • Foldable phones to make a comeback, especially smartphones with foldable screens; • NASA completes the Unmanned Aerial System Traffic Management (UTM) to manage drone traffic. • European Union permits the use of self-driving vehicles on roads throughout the EU. • World population forecasted to reach 7,678,174,000.

And just one year further on in its future forecasting for 2020 Quantumrun says: • India completes a massive optical fiber network that connects 600 million rural citizens to the internet. • The Paris climate change deal

comes into effect. • Solar becomes more economical than regular electricity in more than half of the US. • Cancer treatments begin the same

day as diagnosis. • Robot exoskeleton to help elderly persons remain active becomes widely available. • First laser weapons used in

combat. • China completes the world's

largest rail system (120,000 km). • New Zealand’s “Rebuilding of

Christchurch” is fully built. • Share of global car sales taken by autonomous vehicles equals five percent.