FIRE - Future Internet Research & Experimentation

from:http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/fire/home_en.html


The Internet is now much more than it was ever envisaged to be. Rather than simply a communication system, it has become the backbone of modern society. For many it is inconceivable to live life without being 'connected'. New and unexpected applications and services are emerging from cutting-edge technological developments that shape the requirements for future ones. The growth of the Internet is strictly interwined with socio-economic, environmental and cultural developments.

The Internet is consequently a complex and evolving entity where any technological development, no matter how small, may have multifaceted and even unexpected consequences. Any consideration of new ways to approach the Internet from the most fundamental level simply cannot be limited to paperwork. It requires early experimentation and testing in large-scale environments, even though some of these ideas might only be implemented in the long-term.