Institute for the Future
Encyclopedia
The Institute for the Future (IFTF) is a Palo Alto, California
–based think tank
established in 1968, as a spin-off from the RAND Corporation, to help organizations plan for the long-term future
.
IFTF was founded by Paul Baran
, an early Internet pioneer
and co-developer of packet switching
, futurist Theodore Jay Gordon, and Delphi method
co-inventor Olaf Helmer
. After a year in Middletown, Connecticut
, the Institute relocated to Silicon Valley
, where it has been ever since. During the presidency of Roy Amara (1969–1991), the Institute conducted some of the earliest studies of the impact of the ARPANET
on scientific research, and was notable for its research on groupware. The Institute attracted several notable researchers in this period, including astrophysicist and computer scientist
Jacques Vallee
, sociologist Bob Johansen, and its most consistently mediagenic figure, technology forecaster Paul Saffo
.
Today, the Institute maintains research programs on the futures of technology, health, and organizations. It publishes a variety of reports and maps, as well as a blog on emerging technologies.
Currently, the Institute offers three programs to its clients: the Ten Year Forecast, Technology Horizons and Health Horizons. The clients of the three programs are primarily Fortune 500 companies. When the Institute was founded in 1968, the founders had envisioned working with governments, but over the years most of Institute clients have increasingly been large organizations.
The Institute's executive director is Marina Gorbis.
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
–based think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
established in 1968, as a spin-off from the RAND Corporation, to help organizations plan for the long-term future
Future
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
.
IFTF was founded by Paul Baran
Paul Baran
Paul Baran was a Polish American engineer who was a pioneer in the development of computer networks.He invented packet switching techniques, and went on to start several companies and develop other technologies that are an essential part of the Internet and other modern digital...
, an early Internet pioneer
Internet pioneers
Instead of a single "inventor", the Internet was developed by many people over many years. The following are some Internet pioneers who contributed to its early development...
and co-developer of packet switching
Packet switching
Packet switching is a digital networking communications method that groups all transmitted data – regardless of content, type, or structure – into suitably sized blocks, called packets. Packet switching features delivery of variable-bit-rate data streams over a shared network...
, futurist Theodore Jay Gordon, and Delphi method
Delphi method
The Delphi method is a structured communication technique, originally developed as a systematic, interactive forecasting method which relies on a panel of experts.In the standard version, the experts answer questionnaires in two or more rounds...
co-inventor Olaf Helmer
Olaf Helmer
Olaf Helmer was a German-American logician and futurologist. He was a researcher at the RAND Corporation from 1946 to 1968 and a co-founder of the Institute for the Future....
. After a year in Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
, the Institute relocated to Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
, where it has been ever since. During the presidency of Roy Amara (1969–1991), the Institute conducted some of the earliest studies of the impact of the ARPANET
ARPANET
The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network , was the world's first operational packet switching network and the core network of a set that came to compose the global Internet...
on scientific research, and was notable for its research on groupware. The Institute attracted several notable researchers in this period, including astrophysicist and computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
Jacques Vallee
Jacques Vallée
Jacques Fabrice Vallée is a venture capitalist, computer scientist, author, ufologist and former astronomer currently residing in San Francisco, California....
, sociologist Bob Johansen, and its most consistently mediagenic figure, technology forecaster Paul Saffo
Paul Saffo
Paul Saffo is a technology forecaster based in Silicon Valley. A Consulting Professor in the School of Engineering at Stanford University, Saffo teaches courses on the future of engineering and the impact of technological change on the future...
.
Today, the Institute maintains research programs on the futures of technology, health, and organizations. It publishes a variety of reports and maps, as well as a blog on emerging technologies.
Currently, the Institute offers three programs to its clients: the Ten Year Forecast, Technology Horizons and Health Horizons. The clients of the three programs are primarily Fortune 500 companies. When the Institute was founded in 1968, the founders had envisioned working with governments, but over the years most of Institute clients have increasingly been large organizations.
The Institute's executive director is Marina Gorbis.
See also
- FuturologyFuturologyFutures studies is the study of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them. There is a debate as to whether this discipline is an art or science. In general, it can be considered as a branch under the more general scope of the field of...
- David PescovitzDavid PescovitzDavid Pescovitz is a writer and journalist best known for his work on science, technology and Internet culture. He is also a co-editor of Boing Boing and a director of research with the Institute for the Future...
- Anthony M. TownsendAnthony M. TownsendAnthony M. Townsend is an American researcher. Townsend specializes in research on the implications of technology on cities and public institutions. Currently Townsend is the director of research and Director of Technology at the Institute for the Future, a Palo Alto, California think tank...
- Jane McGonigalJane McGonigalJane McGonigal, Ph.D. is a game designer, games researcher, and author, specializing in pervasive gaming and alternate reality games ....
- Jamais CascioJamais CascioJamais Cascio is a San Francisco Bay Area-based writer and ethical futurist specializing in design strategies and possible outcomes for future scenarios...