The International Conference on ICT Innovations was held in September 2016, in Ohrid, Macedonia, with the main topic “Cognitive Functions and Next Generation ICT Systems”. We live in the era where technologies are intimately woven into virtually all aspects of daily life and are becoming almost invisible. While these technologies have considerable benefits, they also have a number of shortcomings and unforeseen consequences. For example, on the one hand, bodily sensors that track physical activity, physiological parameters and sleep patterns can help promote healthy habits and can enable early detection of problems. On the other hand, attention spans are becoming shorter and shorter due to constant interruptions by notifications, emails, and instant messages being delivered to cell phones or watches, and similar disturbances. Moreover, the privacy issues involved in storing and manipulation of these data must not be neglected. The technological convergence of sciences that were considered separate in the past, like information and communication technologies, cognitive sciences, nanotechnologies and biotechnologies, determines not only our society, health and economy, but also our education and culture. The conference gathered academics, professionals and practitioners involved in developing solutions and systems in the industrial and business arena, especially innovative commercial implementations, to discuss novel applications of these next-generation, emerging technologies in the context of human cognitive functions.

This book volume contains 31 papers presented at ICICT 2016: Second International Congress on Information and Communication Technology. The conference was held during 12-13 December 2016, Bangkok, Thailand and organized communally by G R Foundation, and Computer Society of India Division IV – Communication and Division V – Education and Research. This volume contains papers mainly focused on ICT for computation, algorithms and data analytics, and IT security.

World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolu­tion, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work. Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wear­able sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manu­facturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials. The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history. He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individu­als. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frame­works that advance progress.

The book proposes new technologies and discusses future solutions for design infrastructure for ICT. The book contains high quality submissions presented at Second International Conference on Information and Communication Technology for Sustainable Development (ICT4SD - 2016) held at Goa, India during 1 - 2 July, 2016. The conference stimulates the cutting-edge research discussions among many academic pioneering researchers, scientists, industrial engineers, and students from all around the world. The topics covered in this book also focus on innovative issues at international level by bringing together the experts from different countries.

This open access book presents 18 case studies that explore current scientific and technological efforts to address global development issues, such as poverty, from a holistic and interdisciplinary point of view, putting actual impacts at the centre of its analysis. It illustrates the use of technologies for development in various fields of research, such as humanitarian action, medical and information and communication technology, disaster risk-reduction technologies, habitat and sustainable access to energy. The authors discuss how innovative technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles for disaster risk reduction, crowdsourcing humanitarian data, online education and ICT-based medical technologies can have significant social impact. The book brings together the best papers of the 2016 International Conference on Technologies for Development at EPFL, Switzerland. The book explores how the gap between innovation in the global South and actual social impact can be bridged. It fosters exchange between engineers, other scientists, practitioners and policy makers active at the interface of innovation and technology and human, social, and economic development.