DOCSLIB.ORG

The Work Ahead: Europe's Digital Imperative

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Work Ahead: Europe's Digital Imperative EUROPE Europe’s Digital Imperative By Euan Davis The Center for the Future of Work The Work Ahead is a research series providing insight and guidance on how businesses – and jobs – will evolve in the digital economy. In this instalment, we compare and contrast the digital viewpoints of European businesses; identify ways in which new digital technologies will enable workplace (and work process) innovation; and analyse the magnitude of the impact that emerging digital technologies will have on the region’s future economic performance. THE WORK AHEAD | EUROPE’S DIGITAL IMPERATIVE 2 THE WORK AHEAD IN EUROPE Despite bold quantitative easing and record-low be so for decades to come. Europe’s business and interest rates, anemic demand continues to hobble political leaders must seize this once-in-a- gross domestic product (GDP) growth throughout generation opportunity to re-engineer and the European Union. In several EU countries, more revitalise Europe’s role in an increasingly hyper- than a quarter of the population has been connected global marketplace. This is the digital unemployed for close to a decade, and political imperative. discontent is on the rise.1 Europe needs a new North Star – a goal around which country, If Europe succeeds with this imperative, it will corporations and citizens can coalesce to reignite marry its historical strengths – culture, education, the growth that will propel Europe into the middle ingenuity – with the mores of the digital world to of the 21st century. create a “hybrid economy,” enabling it to re-assert its rightful place in the world. If it fails, Europe By harnessing the power of digital, European will fall further adrift from the entrepreneurial businesses can create a foundation for meeting power of the U.S. and be eclipsed by the rising that goal, that new North Star. Injecting “digital” economies of Asia Pacific. into every aspect of work, life, culture and society can force an uptick in employment and The stakes could not – literally – be higher. productivity, while building greater social cohesion across the continent. To understand the changing nature of work, the changing nature of commerce and the changing The digital technologies emerging now are not characteristics of what constitutes success in this simply the latest offerings from the whiz kids over new world, Cognizant’s Center for the Future of in Silicon Valley; they are the seeds of an entirely Work – in conjunction with the renowned new economy – a digital economy – that will erupt economist Nouriel Roubini – surveyed top into a changed landscape of innovation. This new executives at leading companies around the world economy – powered by platforms, data, algorithms, to gain insights into how the future of work is “bots” and connected “things” – introduces the coming to life. This report – the latest installment possibility of generating massive amounts of cash in The Work Ahead series – focuses exclusively from ideas that represent the future. Digital is on the responses from European respondents. the opportunity in front of Europe today and will (See Methodology on page 23). THE WORK AHEAD | EUROPE’S DIGITAL IMPERATIVE 3 The impact of new technologies applied to all aspects of business and society — what we’re now calling digital — is so large that there is no way to escape its gravitational pull. The executives surveyed in Europe understand this explicitly. Making meaning from data and algorithms will dominate the next economic cycle. New fortunes will be built, and others will recede, based on the evolution in how we use the new “machine tools” – machine learning, artificial intelligence and smart networks – to create value. Five Key Themes Major findings revealed by our research include: Building a platform unlocks digital revenue. Platforms gather and synthesise data and prescribe a more fluid approach to product and service experimentation that can catalyse stodgy cycles of innovation. Business leaders who don’t use technology to lower costs, automate aggressively or glean insights from the data generated by business processes will find the digital switch jammed in the off position. Strong, confident leadership is required. Finding the money, talent and grit needed to navigate the shift to digital is the key to European companies seeking to secure their digital futures. THE WORK AHEAD | EUROPE’S DIGITAL IMPERATIVE 4 THE DIGITAL MESSAGE RECEIVED LOUD AND CLEAR Unlocking the Value of Code Europe is under pressure. Squeezed between a smart-based U.S. economy, and a fast-growing China that is rapidly expanding its research and development capabilities, Europe needs a plan. The impact of new technologies on all aspects of business and society – what we are now calling digital – is so large that the economic windfall could power the region for decades to come. New technologies are now emerging in rapid-fire – virtual reality, drones, 3-D printing, blockchain to name a few – and are landing thick and fast. Never has our technological future seemed this close. At their root, these technologies enable the “new:” New business models, revenue streams, types of customer relationships and cost structures are coalescing to radically change the nature of work. THE WORK AHEAD | EUROPE’S DIGITAL IMPERATIVE 5 As Figure 1 shows, the many executives we surveyed in Europe “get” the fact that something big is going on. Business leaders recognise that value is found in the virtual: Scanning a barcode at a cash register generates a rich stream of data for retailers about their customers and what they might like to buy next. In the U.S., Oscar, an insurance start-up that pumps health data from the fitness bands issued to its customers alongside their policies, is gaining stature, and a growing legion of customers Figur T D orc M Europe The Digital Force Multiplier on Work in Europe The power behind the region’s future economic performance is data. Respondents were asked to rate the impact of the following forces on work by 2020. (percent of respondents who answered “moderate” or “strong”) T D orc M Europe T w ur ormanc a. Busines s formation) 99% Artif telligenc t ceiv e eason) 98% ervice osts 96% Conc ecurit ac s actices 96% Demogr e. orkforce tc) 94% Hyperconnectivit s vice onnected 92% Digit e. w ternet ystems) 90% Softwar oces . oftwar e omation) 89% Ris alen eplac art empor s 86% Glob alen tage equirement 80% Figure 1 Source: Cognizant Center for the Future of Work, 2016 appreciate the discount offered for physical fitness. How long before Europeans demand a similar service? Even the rapid rotations made by a jet engine as it flies through the air means Rolls-Royce can radically change its business model by selling aircraft thrust by the hour instead of requiring customers to make a huge upfront capital expenditure.2 The power behind Europe’s economic performance will be data, algorithms and the science of meaning-making.3 The power behind Europe’s economic performance will be data, algorithms and the science of meaning-making. The Work Ahead study reveals that business analytics and the science of meaning-making are set to dominate Europe’s economic cycle for the next 30 to 50 years and beyond. Media headlines today fixate on Industry 4.0 in Germany, or the thriving fin-tech scene in Madrid, but what truly counts in this new digital world is the ability of an organisation to marshal data through its value chain to drive innovation and efficiency. THE WORK AHEAD | EUROPE’S DIGITAL IMPERATIVE 6 Whilst the importance of analytics may not be a great surprise – given the ongoing tsunami of press attention around big data – what is more surprising, and genuinely eye-catching, is that artificial intelligence (AI) ranks almost as important (98%) as big data anaytics (99%) for our respondents. Given the massive amount of hype and buzz that has surrounded AI since its emergence in the late 1950s, it comes as no surprise that executives have placed this leading-edge technology high on their agendas. Respondents clearly believe that AI is more than hype and is, in fact, a cornerstone of the work ahead. The message is getting through that intelligence is growing in the things that surround us all – from the cars we drive to the loans we need to buy them. Look down at your tablet or smartphone to see this very human-like AI in action. Banks and financial services firms increasingly deliver automated wealth management advice to customer devices in real time and in small doses; this type of “nudge” can change behaviours much more effectively than limited, in-person sessions and at much lower cost. Of course, headwinds could slow things down. Data security and privacy are red-hot panic buttons on both sides of the Atlantic, and the new EU data protection legislation being put in place allowing individuals to “be forgotten” and have sovereignty over their data, is an understandable (and needed) step in the evolution of data-based economies. However, over-regulation (a fear among many) could set the region back if the regulation is misguided or mishandled. Another issue respondents name as an inhibitor to their digital ambitions is the looming shortage of digital talent across the region. Three-quarters of our survey respondents worry about there being enough people in the workforce with the right skill sets for 2020 as the shift to digital accelerates. This fact tallies with our previous research report “People — Not Just Machines – Will Power Digital Innovation,” in which a majority of executives cited a severe digital skills gap. Three-quarters of our survey respondents worry about there being enough people in the workforce with the right skill sets for 2020. THE WORK AHEAD | EUROPE’S DIGITAL IMPERATIVE 7 THE ECONOMICS OF DIGITS The 2,000 companies from across the globe that participated in our study had combined total revenue of about $7.3 trillion in 2015.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Broadband Coverage 97% Fixed and Mobile Broadband
    Connectivity Broadband market developments in the EU Digital Economy and Society Index Report 2019 Connectivity The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is a composite index that summarises relevant indicators on Europe’s digital performance and tracks the progress of EU Member States in digital competitiveness. The five dimensions of the DESI 1 Connectivity Fixed broadband, mobile broadband, fast and ultrafast Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark, have the most broadband and prices advanced digital economies in the EU followed by the UK, 2 Human capital Internet user skills and advanced skills Luxembourg, Ireland and Estonia. 3 Use of internet Citizens' use of internet services and online transactions Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Poland have the lowest scores on the index. 4 Integration of Business digitisation and e-commerce digital technology 5 Digital public e-Government and e-health services Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2019 80 1 Connectivity 2 Human capital 3 Use of internet services 4 Integration of digital technology 5 Digital public services 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 FI SE NL DK UK LU IE EE BE MT ES DE AT EU LT FR SI LV CZ PT HR SK CY HU IT PL EL RO BG Source: DESI 2019, European Commission DESI Report 2019 – Connectivity 2 In Connectivity, Denmark had the highest score, followed by Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland. Greece, Croatia and Lithuania had the weakest performance in this dimension of the DESI. Connectivity indicators in DESI 2019 EU The connectivity dimension looks at both the demand and the supply side of 1a1 Fixed broadband coverage 97% fixed and mobile broadband.
    [Show full text]
  • Every Avenue Available Lessons from Monetary History for Tackling Climate Change
    EVERY AVENUE AVAILABLE LESSONS FROM MONETARY HISTORY FOR TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE Rens van Tilburg and Aleksandar Simić February 2021 Every Avenue Available “I WANT TO EXPLORE EVERY AVENUE AVAILABLE 2 IN ORDER TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE” Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, July 2020 Sustainable Finance Lab Every Avenue Available 3 Utrecht, February 2021. The Sustainable Finance Lab (SFL https://sustainablefinancelab.nl/en) is an academic think tank whose members are mostly professors from different universities in the Netherlands. The aim of the SFL is a stable and robust financial sector that contributes to an economy that serves humanity without depleting its environment. To this end the SFL develops ideas and provides a platform to discuss them, thus bridging science and practice. This paper has been drafted by Rens van Tilburg, Director of the Sustainable Finance Lab at Utrecht University ([email protected]) and Aleksandar Simić, researcher of the SFL. The authors wish to thank Roben Kloosterman for his excellent research support and Alexander Barkawi, Simon Dikau, Maarten Kavelaars, Jens van ‘t Klooster, Cormac Petit, Rick van der Ploeg, Dirk Schoenmaker and Roland Uittenbogaard Sustainable Finance Lab for their comments. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of all members of the Sustainable Finance Lab. This paper was commissioned by the Council on Economic Policies and supported by the European Climate Foundation. Every Avenue Available KEY TAKEAWAYS Insufficient action to limit climate change The costs of runaway climate change are much higher than those of limiting it.
    [Show full text]
  • The Knowns and Unknowns of West Nile Virus in Europe: What Did We Learn from the 2018 Outbreak?
    Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy ISSN: 1478-7210 (Print) 1744-8336 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ierz20 The knowns and unknowns of West Nile virus in Europe: what did we learn from the 2018 outbreak? Jeremy V Camp & Norbert Nowotny To cite this article: Jeremy V Camp & Norbert Nowotny (2020): The knowns and unknowns of West Nile virus in Europe: what did we learn from the 2018 outbreak?, Expert Review of Anti- infective Therapy, DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2020.1713751 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14787210.2020.1713751 Accepted author version posted online: 08 Jan 2020. Published online: 14 Jan 2020. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 11 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ierz20 EXPERT REVIEW OF ANTI-INFECTIVE THERAPY https://doi.org/10.1080/14787210.2020.1713751 REVIEW The knowns and unknowns of West Nile virus in Europe: what did we learn from the 2018 outbreak? Jeremy V Camp a and Norbert Nowotny a,b aViral Zoonoses, Emerging and Vector-Borne Infections Group, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria; bDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY Introduction: West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne human and animal pathogen with nearly Received 28 October 2019 worldwide distribution. In Europe, the virus is endemic with seasonal regional outbreaks that have Accepted 7 January 2020 increased in frequency over the last 10 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Yearbook 2019/2020 Key Trends
    YEARBOOK 2019/2020 KEY TRENDS TELEVISION, CINEMA, VIDEO AND ON-DEMAND AUDIOVISUAL SERVICES - THE PAN-EUROPEAN PICTURE → Director of publication Susanne Nikoltchev, Executive Director → Editorial supervision Gilles Fontaine, Head of Department for Market Information → Authors Francisco Javier Cabrera Blázquez, Maja Cappello, Laura Ene, Gilles Fontaine, Christian Grece, Marta Jiménez Pumares, Martin Kanzler, Ismail Rabie, Agnes Schneeberger, Patrizia Simone, Julio Talavera, Sophie Valais → Coordination Valérie Haessig → Special thanks to the following for their contribution to the Yearbook Ampere Analysis, Bureau van Dijk (BvD), European Broadcasting Union - Media Intelligence Service (EBU-M.I.S.), EURODATA-TV, LyngSat, WARC, and the members of the EFARN and the EPRA networks. → Proofreading Anthony Mills → Layout Big Family → Press and public relations Alison Hindhaugh, [email protected] → Publisher European Audiovisual Observatory 76 Allée de la Robertsau, 67000 Strasbourg, France www.obs.coe.int If you wish to reproduce tables or graphs contained in this publication please contact the European Audiovisual Observatory for prior approval. Please note that the European Audiovisual Observatory can only authorise reproduction of tables or graphs sourced as “European Audiovisual Observatory”. All other entries may only be reproduced with the consent of the original source. Opinions expressed in this publication are personal and do not necessarily represent the view of the Observatory, its members or of the Council of Europe. © European Audiovisual Observatory (Council of Europe), Strasbourg 2020 YEARBOOK 2019/2020 KEY TRENDS TELEVISION, CINEMA, VIDEO AND ON-DEMAND AUDIOVISUAL SERVICES - THE PAN-EUROPEAN PICTURE 4 YEARBOOK 2019/2020 – KEY TRENDS TABLE OF CONTENT INTRODUCTION 0 Six keywords for 2019 and, possibly, 2020 .
    [Show full text]
  • Week 45, 4-10 November 2018 CDTR
    COMMUNICABLE DISEASE THREATS REPORT CDTR Week 45, 4-10 November 2018 All users This weekly bulletin provides updates on threats monitored by ECDC. NEWS 33 000 people die every year due to infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria The burden of infections due to bacteria resistant to antibiotics is comparable to that of influenza, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS combined, according to a study published this week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The estimates are based on 2015 data from the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) indicating that about 33000 people die each year as a direct consequence of an infection due to bacteria resistant to antibiotics. The study reveals that 75% of the burden of disease is due to healthcare-associated infections and that reducing this through adequate infection prevention and control measures, as well as antibiotic stewardship, could be an achievable goal in healthcare settings. Infections with bacteria resistant to last-line antibiotics such as carbapenems and colistin cause 39% of the burden. This is an increase from 2007 and is worrying because these antibiotics are the last treatment options available. When these are no longer effective, it is extremely difficult or, in many cases, impossible to treat infections. The study was developed by experts at ECDC and the Burden of AMR Collaborative Group. The results are used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to estimate the economic burden of antibiotic resistance. I. Executive summary EU Threats New! Local transmission of malaria ±Greece ± Opening date: 5 November 2018 Latest update: 9 November 2018 Since August 2018, Greek public health authorities have reported several locally acquired non-falciparum malaria cases, in the regions of Evros and Central Macedonia.
    [Show full text]
  • OECD Competition Trends 2020
    OECD Competition Trends 2020 OECD Competition Trends 2020 PUBE 2 | Please cite this publication as: OECD (2020), OECD Competition Trends 2020 http://www.oecd.org/competition/oecd-competition-trends.htm This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries. This document, as well as any data and any map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. © OECD 2020 OECD COMPETITION TRENDS © OECD 2020 | 3 Preface Strong competition undoubtedly contributes to a country’s productivity and economic growth. The primary objective of a competition policy is to enhance consumer welfare by promoting competition and controlling practices that could restrict it. More competitive markets stimulate innovation and generally lead to lower prices for consumers, increased product variety and quality, more entry and enhanced investment. Overall, greater competition is expected to deliver higher levels of welfare and economic growth. Over the past 50 years, we have witnessed a remarkable dissemination of competition law enforcement around the world. In 1970, only 12 jurisdictions had a competition law, with only seven of them having a functioning competition authority. Today, more than 125 jurisdictions have a competition law regime, and the large majority has an active competition enforcement authority. The proliferation of competition laws and competition enforcers around the globe has led to a vast amount of activity in terms of investigations, decisions, advocacy initiatives and events.
    [Show full text]
  • Reimagining European Philanthropy
    Reimagining European philanthropy European philanthropic foundations have an opportunity to step up and address the needs arising from or exacerbated by the coronavirus. June 2020 Cover image: © Ray Massey/Getty Images Copyright © 2020 McKinsey & Company. All rights reserved. This publication is not intended to be used as the basis for trading in the shares of any company or for undertaking any other complex or significant financial transaction without consulting appropriate professional advisers. No part of this publication may be copied or redistributed in any form without the prior written consent of McKinsey & Company. Contents 2 Introduction Strategic challenges and opportunities arise in all 3 program areas European foundations need to reimagine where and 19 how they work 25 Conclusion 26 Acknowledgments 27 Endnotes Introduction by Michael We are facing an irreversible humanitarian and economic crisis that Conway, Karen Hadem, and Nina will permanently change our world. As societies around the world Probst remain near a standstill, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the preexisting vulnerabilities and inequalities of our social systems. Although governments have put a sweeping range of policies and programs in place to combat the pandemic’s impact on public health and the economy, the scale of the challenge requires more. Web 2020 ExhibitMcK PSSP 1 European Foundations European foundations have an opportunity to step Exhibit 1 of 12 up and address the rising needs. European philanthropic commitments European philanthropic commitments With economic forecasts predicting the biggest-ever peacetime for COVID-19 response totaltotal almostalmost recession and stock markets and other asset prices being down, the €1.1 billion.
    [Show full text]
  • Comparator Report on Cancer in Europe 2019 −Disease Burden, Costs and Access to Medicines
    COMPARATOR REPORT ON CANCER IN EUROPE 2019 −DISEASE BURDEN, COSTS AND ACCESS TO MEDICINES THOMAS HOFMARCHER GUNNAR BRÅDVIK CHRISTER SVEDMAN PETER LINDGREN BENGT JÖNSSON IHE REPORT NILS WILKING 2019:7 COMPARATOR REPORT ON CANCER IN EUROPE 2019 – DISEASE BURDEN, COSTS AND ACCESS TO MEDICINES Thomas Hofmarcher Gunnar Brådvik Christer Svedman Peter Lindgren Bengt Jönsson Nils Wilking IHE - The Swedish Institute for Health Economics Updated version: October 2020 Please cite this report as: Hofmarcher, T., Brådvik, G., Svedman, C., Lindgren, P., Jönsson, B., Wilking, N. Comparator Report on Cancer in Europe 2019 – Disease Burden, Costs and Access to Medicines. IHE Report 2019:7. IHE: Lund, Sweden. This report was commissioned and funded by EFPIA - the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations and based on independent research delivered by IHE. EFPIA has had no influence or editorial control over the content of this report, and the views and opinions of the authors are not necessarily those of EFPIA. IHE REPORT 2019:7 e-ISSN: 1651-8187 ISSN: 1651-7628 The report can be downloaded from IHE’s website. www.ihe.se | [email protected] COMPARATOR REPORT ON CANCER IN EUROPE 2019 Foreword Cancer care remains one of the most intensely discussed health policy issues in Europe. Demographic factors such as an ageing population, in part driven by advancements in other medical fields, have led to an increased disease burden caused by cancer, both to patients and to the health care system as a whole. At the same time, there has been significant scientific advancements made, in some cases transforming cancer from a fatal to a chronic disease which in turn introduces new challenges that need to be addressed.
    [Show full text]
  • TRENDS in LIFE EXPECTANCY Life Expectancy Has Increased in EU Countries Life Expectancy in Some Countries
    II.3. HEALTH STATUS TRENDS IN LIFE EXPECTANCY Life expectancy has increased in EU countries life expectancy in some countries. Another important over the past decades, but this rise has slowed down factor that has contributed to the recent slowdown in since 2010 in many countries, particularly in Western life expectancy gains in many EU countries is the Europe. slowdown in the reduction in death rates from Life expectancy at birth reached 81 years across circulatory diseases, which was previously the main the 28 EU member states in 2016. Spain and Italy have factor driving life expectancy gains. the highest life expectancy among EU countries, with In the United Kingdom, the recent stalling in life life expectancy reaching over 83 years in 2016. Life expectancy gains has prompted comments about the expectancy at birth now exceeds 80 years in causes, including the possible effects of austerity two-thirds of EU countries, but still remains at only measures on health and other public spending (Hiam around 75 years in Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and et al., 2018). In Europe, some countries that have Romania (Figure 3.1). implemented more severe austerity measures, such as As is the case around the world, women live Greece and Spain, have continued to experience rising longer than men in EU countries – on average nearly 5½ life expectancy since 2011, with the notable exception of longer – although this gap has narrowed by one year 2015 when life expectancy also came down in these two since 2000 as life expectancy among men increased countries. Further research is needed to understand more rapidly in most countries.
    [Show full text]
  • Rebuilding Europe the Cultural and Creative Economy Before and After the COVID-19 Crisis
    Rebuilding Europe The cultural and creative economy before and after the COVID-19 crisis January 2021 About the partners and supporters GESAC’s partners for the study of the report Contents AEPO-ARTIS The European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers Association of European Performers Organisations (GESAC) commissioned EY teams to produce a report on the EUROCINEMA About the partners and supporters of the report 02 state of the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in Europe. Association of European Producers What was their economic situation before the COVID-19 crisis? EUROCOPYA Executive summary 04 What impact has the crisis had on activity and employment? European Federation of Joint Management Societies of Producers for Private Audiovisual Copying And what are the main priorities for the sector to protect itself from the most serious consequences, to recover growth and EVA Editorials 08 enhance its value in the European economy? This study follows European Visual Artists a report of the same type, entitled Creating Growth, published FIAPF in December 2014. Before COVID-19 International Federation of Film Producers Associations 12 The full power of culture and creation GESAC has brought together numerous partners IMPALA 1 representing the CCIs, in order to reflect the diversity and Independent Music Companies Association collective strength of this economy. IVF International Video Federation The EY team would like to thank GESAC’s team, GESAC's Because of COVID-19 28 partners and the experts interviewed across Europe. GESAC SAA The sharp fall and EY would also like to thank ADAGP, BUMA, GEMA, SACEM, Society of Audiovisual Authors 2 SCAM, SIAE and SOZA for their contributions.
    [Show full text]
  • Artificial Intelligence Predicts and Explains West Nile Virus
    medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.24.20146829; this version posted September 14, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . 1 Artificial Intelligence Predicts and Explains West Nile Virus Risks Across Europe: 2 Extraordinary Outbreaks Determined by Climate and Local Factors 3 4 Albert A Gayle1 5 6 1. Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Section of Sustainable Health, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden 7 8 Corresponding email address: [email protected] 9 10 Highlights 11 12 • This study shows that the extraordinary 2018 West Nile virus outbreak in Europe was likely due 13 to cross-scale effects between large climatic systems and local mosquito vector populations 14 • We found that large areas in Europe are similarly vulnerable to large and sudden outbreaks 15 • These findings were powered by a novel AI-driven engine for deriving locally precise models; 16 this explanatory engine was supported by a high-performance XGBoost model (97% AUC). 17 • AI-driven local models allow for high-power statistical analyses, including: hypothesis testing,, 18 standardized effect size calculation, multivariate clustering, and tertiary inferential modeling 19 20 Abstract 21 22 Year-to-year emergence of West Nile virus has been sporadic and notoriously hard to predict. In 23 Europe, 2018 saw a dramatic increase in the number of cases and locations affected. In this work, 24 we demonstrate a novel method for predicting outbreaks and understanding what drives them.
    [Show full text]
  • Central Mediterranean Route Situation
    CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN ROUTE SITUATION Supplementary Appeal January - December 2018 SUPPLEMENTARY APPEAL > CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN ROUTE SITUATION Map of the area covered by this appeal 2 UNHCR / March, 2018 SUPPLEMENTARY APPEAL > CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN ROUTE SITUATION Overview Refugees and migrants continue to move in large UNHCR is rolling out a three-pronged cross-regional numbers from Sub-Saharan Africa to North Africa and strategy with broad objectives and selected activities in the countries of origin and transit in Sub-Saharan across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. Africa, and countries in North Africa and Europe. Libya remains the main point of departure for the In order to assist an estimated 656,280 people of majority of refugees and migrants from Africa hoping to concern by the end 2018, UNHCR is appealing for reach Europe. $226.6 million for January to December 2018 While on the move, refugees and migrants face intolerably high risks of grave human rights violations and death. Financial requirements 124,711 People have crossed the central $226.6 Mediterranean between January 2017 to March 2018 towards Italy million $102.5 requested for the $124.1 central million Mediterranean million Additional route situation ExCom Budget 2,873 requirements People died or reported missing at sea in the central Mediterranean in 2017 15,779 Unaccompanied children arrived in Italy in 2017 278,000 People of concern are in need of resettlement in the 15 priority countries* of asylum for the central Mediterranean situation *The 15 priority countries for resettlement (specifically) include Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Niger and Sudan.
    [Show full text]