Technology

Technology plays a central role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). The transformative power of technology can accelerate progress towards all the SDGs by driving economic growth, reducing inequalities, enhancing access to basic services, and promoting sustainability.

Under SDG 9, technology, particularly in terms of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), is a key enabler of industrial innovation and infrastructure development. ICT has the potential to drive economic growth by enhancing productivity, creating jobs, and fostering entrepreneurship. Moreover, it can contribute to making industries more sustainable by facilitating the transition towards smart manufacturing and circular economy models.

Regarding SDG 4, technology can greatly enhance access to quality education. Digital technologies, including e-learning platforms, can break down barriers to education, such as geographical distance, socio-economic status, and physical disabilities. They can also enrich the learning process by enabling personalized, student-centered learning experiences.

In the context of SDG 3, technology has a profound impact on health outcomes. Medical technologies, from simple devices like thermometers to complex systems like MRI machines, have revolutionized healthcare delivery. Furthermore, digital health technologies, such as telemedicine and mobile health apps, can enhance access to health services, improve patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs.

For SDG 13, technology offers powerful tools for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Renewable energy technologies can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while climate information services can enhance resilience to climate impacts. Furthermore, digital technologies can facilitate the monitoring and reporting of climate actions, contributing to greater transparency and accountability.

However, the benefits of technology are not automatic, and there are significant challenges to overcome, including the digital divide, cybersecurity threats, and ethical issues related to privacy and data ownership. Thus, policy interventions and multi-stakeholder partnerships are needed to ensure that technology serves as a catalyst for sustainable development and does not exacerbate inequalities.

Identification of methodologies for recycling laminated glass, especially the interlayer film, and their contextualization within the glass recycling field implicated an extensive patent search. During the last decade the technology centre L'Urederra exploited a methodology for recycling the poly-vinyl-butyral to be reused as interlayer in windscreens. Subsequent rounds of patents selection were aimed at identifying equivalent or innovative methodologies.
Elsevier,

Assistive Technologies (Fifth Edition): Principles & Practice, 2020, Pages 16-30

This chapter addresses SDGs 4 and 10 by offering a systematic process for ensuring the effective application of assistive technologies with a focus on the relationship between the human user and the assisted activity within specific contexts.
Elsevier,

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 116, December 2019

Nepal has been suffering from a serious energy crisis for decades. It has severely affected its economic, social and political developments. Owing to the continuously evolving energy situation in Nepal, and the recent progress in renewable energy technologies, this study aims to provide an up to date perspective on the current energy crisis in Nepal. In particular, the current energy production and consumption profiles are reviewed, and the main factors contributing to a widening gap between the energy supply and demand are identified.

This case study shows the contribution of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data to the Open Algorithms Initiative. It addresses how to unlock the potential of private sector data for public good purposed in a safe ethical, scalable and sustainable manner furthering goals 9 and 17.
Elsevier,

Fundamentals of Telemedicine and Telehealth, 2020, Pages 115-126

Discusses the universe of chronic disease and telehealth, from the patients’ perspective. The goal of SDG target 3.4.1 is to reduce the mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease.
This white paper examines whether ambitious renewable targets and private sector financing is compatible in Europe over the next decade. It directly relates to SDG 7 - affordable and clean energy, and SDG 13 - climate action.
Research and commentary on artificial intelligence, contributing to goal 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, with particular focus on the technology-related targets.
To answer important questions in the fields of monitoring with densitometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry machine cross-calibration, monitoring, spinal cord injury, periprosthetic and orthopedic bone health, transgender medicine, and pediatric bone health, the International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) held a Position Development Conference from March 20 to 23, 2019. Potential topics requiring guidance were solicited from ISCD members in 2017. Following that, a steering committee selected, prioritized, and grouped topics into Task Forces.
Elsevier,

Intelligent Data Mining and Fusion Systems in Agriculture, 2020, Pages 1-15

This book presents methods of computational intelligence and data fusion that have applications in agriculture for the non-destructive testing of agricultural products and crop condition monitoring. This chapters address SDGs 2 and 9 by presenting methods related to the combination of sensors with Artificial Intelligence architectures in Precision Agriculture.
The Africa Regional Data Cube (ARDC), based on the Open Data Cube infrastructure, is a technological innovation that layers 17 years of satellite imagery and Earth observation data for five African countries. This report identifies the key enabling environment, data management and sharing factors that affect the operationalization of the ARDC and makes recommendations to inform the scale-up of the technology, furthering SDGs 9 and 17.

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