Advancements in Information Technology

The computer became one of the most popular and explosive inventions in the history of information technology. Modern examples of computers were around in the 1940's however, were not very practical, portable, or powerful. Until the transistor technology of the 1960's and integrated circuit ideas of the 1970's, computers were huge, slow, and complex to operate and maintain. By the 1980's computer hardware was becoming microcircuit based, smaller, faster, and cheaper.

Today's Information Technology
In the mid to late 1980's the personal computer or "PC" was introduced to the market of home users. By this time the early internet combined with PC users quickly exploded into a future World Wide Web and home computer world. Today after the update of 2007 innovations, with new microcircuit technology - the computer can facilitate massive storage, small form factors (laptops/PDA's), process information incredibly fast, support large amounts of fast memory, a large array of accessories, and more. Computers can be found in nearly any product including washing machines, microwaves, cell phones, etc.

Early communications started with simple circuit designs. Today we enjoy high speed internet exceeding broadband speed (128kbps) sometimes well over 10mb bandwidth. This compared to old speeds of 56kbps or slower is a huge improvement. What can we do now? It was not possible to send or receive large files or "packets" in the past due to hardware and software limitations. Today, we can stream nearly any kind of information in real time. This is important for many people including emergency officials, accounting and sales, news media, and entertainment television. In fact you will likely see a future that is based on digital data transmission to facilitate nearly all media types.

New media is a term coined in post 2000 era communications where "digital" modern computer, radio, and video excelled past older "analog" technologies such as standard definition television, newspapers, and single channel radio. The new face of media utilizes advanced technology such as streaming video, high definition television, multi channel stereo, digital telecommunications, and makes enormous use of the internet to deliver content. What will this do for you? It may be possible to bypass commercials in the future. In addition, you may be better served by customizing your communications or entertainment to your needs based on settings you select! How about that?

Emergencies & Technology Application
Technology also serves a vital role in every persons life today. When time matters, accuracy and complex systems must function nearly perfectly. Either when you call 911 (invented in 1968), are lost (using a GPS introduced in 1995), traveling, in the hospital, at work functioning in a business unit, teaching a class, studying a science - information technology matters to you. Current technology allows us to function more, analyze data, remotely view our atmosphere, geographically locate ourselves or assets, diagnose or view activity (example heart monitor/ECG), make business decisions, and more. Many professionals utilize advanced hardware and software to better perform their research or respective job responsibilities. There is no telling what the future holds in these industries. The fact is time matters and the more accurate data we collect, correctly analyze, respond to, and learn from, the better life will be for us all.

Advancements in information technology have also allowed professionals to bridge the gap between legacy and new communications systems. Today, we can link nearly any communications system to any location for any user. Technology also allows us to gateway-interconnect physically and virtually between agencies, business units, and vendors whether it's by telephone, satellite, vhf, uhf, hf, or internet protocol. The uses of modern web technologies today also find their place in nearly all facets of business including emergency operations.

Social Technology
Mention the names Myspace or Facebook twenty years ago and you would probably get looks of confusion! Yet, today we have a large amount of free personal communications services that allow us to share our experiences, publish on the internet, and contribute to various causes and issues. This plays a important part in our lives as well when we can access a information superhighway to gain knowledge, study, and share, collectively learning taking in accurate information that was once only available during normal office hours at a public library. Convenience is the name of the game here since this information

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