"IT Road Map" of Web 2.0 Technology Up Until 2011-Consumers Will Take the Lead in the Use of Lifelogs-

Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. (NRI: Tokyo; Akihisa Fujinuma, President, CEO & COO) announces an IT Road Map* projecting developments in Web 2.0 technology up until fiscal 2011.

Recently, Web 2.0 services such as blogs and SNS have been gaining in popularity. However, use of Web 2.0 services in the mobile environment now faces limitations in terms of communications speeds. By 2008, 3.5 G mobile broadband offering faster communications speeds will be in regular use, entering the stage where Web 2.0 services are commonly used in the mobile environment, i.e. the spread of “mobile web 2.0.” In 2010, consumers will start taking the lead in using lifelogs that record the detailed activities of individuals by means of information devices and sensors that are connected to the network.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as of March 2006, the number of people who had registered in blog sites was 8.68 million, and the number of people who had registered in SNS sites was 7.16 million in Japan. While mobile phones can now be used to view and write blogs, mobile users must endure slow communications speeds. By 2008, with the development of broadband mobile networks, “mobile Web 2.0” (Web 2.0 services are used in the mobile environment) will become commonly available. Furthermore, because a growing number of mobile phones will be equipped with GPS and Smart Card functions, information such as store locations and purchase records can easily be provided.

The year 2010 will see the arrival of the ubiquitous network era where a wide variety of IT devices such as sensors and information home appliances are connected to the network. This will enable the creation of lifelogs that automatically record every activity of an individual. Currently, the activities of individuals are stored and analyzed via the network to provide services according to individual user's tastes and preferences. In the era of the ubiquitous network, because diversified information and communications devices in addition to mobile phones can be connected to the network, information on every activity of an individual can be stored. By making the best use of “lifelogs” that record the detailed activities of individuals, companies will be able to offer services carefully tailored to each situation.

While consumers are moving ahead of companies in the use of Web 2.0 technology, some companies have started to use blog and SNS functions as marketing tools. Because collaboration product vendors are now working to support blog functions, the use of intranet blogs is projected to expand, which will enable the sharing of non-standard internal information that has been difficult to obtain in the past. Lifelog technology will also make it possible to automatically store detailed activity data of individual employees, which can then be analyzed and utilized to improve productivity.

NRI calls the phenomenon in which the utilization of information and communications infrastructure by consumers surpasses that by companies the “industry/consumer reversal phenomenon.” In the past, this phenomenon occurred in the fields of networks and terminals such as in the use of broadband networks and mobile phones. Recently, this phenomenon could be seen in the use of information. Consumers enjoy a variety of advantages by making the best use of acquired information. In the future, companies should aim to improve productivity by actively employing Web 2.0 technology, the use of which is currently led by consumers.

NRI plans to publish our forecast on future developments in noteworthy information technologies including Web 2.0 technology as a book entitled IT Rodo Mappu 2007—5 nen-go joho tsushin gijyutsu ha kou kawaru (IT Road Map 2007: Information and Communications Technology after 5 Years) on December 22 by Toyo Keizai Inc.

* IT Road Map
The IT road map is designed to provide NRI’s forecast of trends in information technology over the next five years with the aim of supporting companies in making decisions on IT strategies. NRI’s Information Technology Research Department continues to publish this semiannual report.