Creating and Using Knowledge in a Digital Economy

Creating and Using Creating and Using KnowledgeKnowledge

in a Digital Economy: in a Digital Economy: NRCan in the 21st Century NRCan in the 21st Century

Information Management Day

September 7, 2001

Albert Simard

Natural ResourcesCanada

Ressources naturellesCanada

“Since it is axiomatic that a firm’s greatest asset is its knowledge, then the firm that fails to generate

new knowledge will probably cease to exist.”Thomas Davenport (1998)

“In an economy where the only certainty is uncertainty, the one sure source of lasting

competitive advantage is knowledge.”Ikujiro Nonaka (1998)

Opening Thoughts…Opening Thoughts…



OutlineOutline

Knowledge economy

Creating knowledge

Managing knowledge

Sharing knowledge

Using knowledge



KnowledgeEconomy

InformationSociety

Extended Organization

s

GlobalConnectivity

AcceleratingChange

Career-LongLearning

MergingTechnologies

Challenges at the Dawn of Challenges at the Dawn of the 21st Centurythe 21st Century

Source: US National Science Foundation, 2001

EnvironmentalStewardship

FiniteResources

Sustainable Developmen

t



Knowledge-Based Knowledge-Based EconomyEconomy

Success based on what you know; not what you own

Value of goods based on knowledge content

Creating and using knowledge is the key

Internet runs two ways; Canada must participate

Organizations must change or become irrelevant



Knowledge 101Knowledge 101

Data - What are the Facts?– (observations and measurements)

Information - What do they mean?– (interpretation within a context)

Knowledge - How does it work?– (relations between things, cause &

effect) Wisdom - What should I do?

– (experience and judgment)



Using Knowledge

Nature Internal Knowledge

CreationCreation

External Knowledge

SharingSharing

ManagementManagement

PreservationPreservation

Lost Knowledge

Knowledge OrganizationKnowledge Organization



Creating Knowledge Creating Knowledge

Drivers (problems, issues, government)

Organization (mandate, resources, culture)

People (analyze, reason, decide)

Content (facts, meaning, understanding)

Systems (information processes)

Technology (computers, communication)

ValueValueProcessProcess

ProductionProduction StageStage

Data Information Knowledge Application



Creating Knowledge - Creating Knowledge - StepsSteps

Search for existing knowledge Acquire content Manage databases Transform data into information Synthesize new knowledge Produce knowledge products Disseminate knowledge products Use knowledge to solve problems



Creating KnowledgeCreating Knowledgeon the Webon the Web

Descriptive - program descriptions

Static - reports, publications

Updated - inventories, statistics

Dynamic - information systems

Interactive - decision-support systems



Creating KnowledgeCreating Knowledgeis not Enoughis not Enough

Bell Labs: lasers Xerox: graphical user interface, object-

oriented programming, laser printer, Ethernet

IBM, DEC: mainframe/mini computers CERN: World-Wide Web Encyclopaedia Britannica: synthesizing

knowledge



Escher - Relativity

KM PerspectivesKM Perspectives



Knowledge ManagementKnowledge Management

Capacity building

– resources, infrastructure, content

Organizational context

– governance, culture, learning

Integration

– vertical, horizontal, external



Discovery Search EngineDiscovery Search Engine



Desired generalstate

Specific costcircumstances

Specific restrictioncircumstances

Specific costand restrictioncircumstances

Goal of proposedpolicy

RestrictedUnrestricted Access

None

High

Cost

NRCan Access to NRCan Access to Knowledge PolicyKnowledge Policy



Integrating ContentIntegrating Content



Knowledge

Management

CapacityBuilding

Organizational Context

Resources Infra-structure

ContentGover-nance

Culture

Learning

Funds

People

Time

Technology

Systems

Management

Acquisition

Production

Dissemination

Vision

Direction

Commitment

Change

Sharing

Controlling

Education

Skills

Experience

KM FrameworkKM Framework



Sharing Knowledge Sharing Knowledge

Agency 1 Information

Agency 2 Information

Internal flow regulators

Internal flow regulators

External flow regulators

Attributes Technology Infrastructure



Knowledge Flow Knowledge Flow RegulatorsRegulators

Context - issues, social, economic, nature

Institutional - organization, national, international

Content - domain, provider, user

Technology - computers, communication, networks

Infrastructure - interoperability, metadata, systems


Ressources naturellesCanada Science & Technology Science & Technology

Cluster:Cluster:A Business ModelA Business Model

Supply (Providers)

Demand (Users)

Providers and users connect

through an S&T Information

Market



The S&T The S&T Provider FaceProvider Face

Provider FaceAcademiaAcademia

NG

Os

NG

Os

Priv

ate

Secto

rP

rivate

Secto

r

Public SectorPublic Sector

Government S&T organizations

Universities, colleges, institutes, schools

Businesses that share S&T

Non-Government organizations interested

in S&T



The S&T User The S&T User FaceFace

Public, educators, youth, seniors, media,

communities

Policy advisors, decision makers,

regulators

User Face

PublicPublic

Pra

ctitio

ners

Pra

ctitio

ners

Polic

y M

akers

Polic

y M

akers

BusinessBusiness

Businesses that need S&T for innovation and growth

Scientists, managers, professionals, specialists



All together now…All together now…

AcademiaAcademia

Public InstitutionsPublic Institutions

NGO

s

NGO

s

BusinessBusiness

PublicPublic

Prac

titio

ne

rsPr

actit

ione

rs

Polic

y

Mak

ers

Polic

y

Mak

ers

Provider Face

User FacePr

ivat

e

Sect

or

Subjects

About S&TCreating

Knowledge

Expertise



S&T Cluster S&T Cluster – Portal – Portal ContextContext

Business Business ServicesServicesBusiness Business ServicesServices

InternationInternational Servicesal ServicesInternationInternational Servicesal Services

Individual Individual ServicesServices

Individual Individual ServicesServices

Sub-Portals

Sub-Portals

Canada SiteCanada Site

S&T PractitionersS&T Practitioners

Policy Policy

AcademicAcademic

Public InstitutionsPublic Institutions

CanadiansCanadians

Other Relate

d Cluste

rsENRFAH



Just consider…Just consider…

DemandFace

Public

S&

T P

ractitio

ners

Polic

y &

Reg

ula

tion

Makers

Business

Dorothy Jones,retired, gardener

Gloria Weisman,environmental policy analyst

Jean-Yves Paquette,Young entrepreneur

Zachary (Zak) Walsh, 13,Mrs. Jones’s grandson

budding scientist

Haig Acterian,Forester



Climate DataClimate DataJean-Yves Paquette,Young entrepreneur



Analysis of Energy ProjectAnalysis of Energy Project



Canada - Land Cover Canada - Land Cover

Gloria Weisman,environmental policy analyst



Threatened SpeciesThreatened Species



Soils of CanadaSoils of Canada



B) climate at 1.5 X CO2

A) present climate

0 - 10%

11 - 20%

21 - 30%

31 - 40%

41 - 50%

51 - 60%

61 - 70%

71 - 80%

81 - 90%

91 - 100%

X location of black spruce sites

Distribution of Black Distribution of Black SpruceSpruce



Digital ElevationDigital Elevation

Dorothy Jones,retired, gardener



Plant Hardiness Zones of Plant Hardiness Zones of CanadaCanada



Identifying an InsectIdentifying an Insect

Zachary (Zak) Walsh, 13,Mrs. Jones’s grandson

budding scientist



Weather Weather NetworkNetwork

Haig Acterian,Forester



Fire-Danger Fire-Danger RatingRating



ASEAN SystemASEAN System



Real-Time Decision Real-Time Decision SupportSupport



Satellite Satellite MonitoringMonitoring



Fire ModelingFire Modeling



To SummarizeTo Summarize S&T have been “connected” for about four decades. S&T are beginning to make their knowledge more

useful. Like an iceberg, Government On-Line represents

only the visible tip of the total KM structure. The vision of creating and managing knowledge

looks beyond Electronic Service Delivery by 2004. Two E-Clusters focus on creating as well as

disseminating knowledge. Innovation projects are beginning to be funded:

(tactile maps, Digital Commons for Heritage, Ecosystems On-Line).



Closing Thoughts…Closing Thoughts…

“Knowledge of the universe would somehow be…defective

were no practical results to follow.”

Cicero (106-43 BC)

Goods in any storehouse are useless until somebody takes them

out andputs them to the use they were

intended for. That applies to what man stores

in his brain too.Tomas Watson (1874-1956) founder, IBM