Connected World

The report examines how hyperconnectivity and global megatrends—such as the 'Great Economic Shift' and 'Great Urban Shift'—will transform travel and logistics by 2025. It proposes four future scenarios (New Balance, Maximized Growth, Mind the Gap, and Local Is King) and details four high-impact solutions: IPITA for intermodal travel, COMET for megacity traffic management, ACIS for automated border control, and TATLO for supply chain transparency. The document emphasizes that while technology is available, implementation depends on overcoming legal, regulatory, and collaborative barriers.

• Global population growth and urbanisation are driving critical pressures on infrastructure; by 2025, an additional 1 billion people will inhabit the earth, and the number of megacities with over 10 million inhabitants is projected to rise from 23 in 2011 to 37.
• The 'Great Economic Shift' is expanding the global middle class, which is expected to increase worldwide car ownership by 60% by 2025, reaching approximately 1.6 billion vehicles.
• Hyperconnectivity is accelerating through mobile and machine-to-machine (M2M) growth; by 2025, 90% of newly sold cars are expected to communicate with other vehicles and infrastructure.
• The report identifies four primary scenarios for 2025: 'New Balance' (sustainable and democratic), 'Maximized Growth' (globalized and profit-driven), 'Mind the Gap' (socio-economic split), and 'Local Is King' (protectionist and decentralized due to cyberattacks).
• The Integrated Proactive Intermodal Travel Assistant (IPITA) is proposed as a seamless interface for planning, booking, and navigating across all transport modes using real-time data and big data analytics.
• The Fully Automated Check-in, Security and Border Control/Smart Visa (ACIS) solution aims to replace traditional documents with biometric identification and risk-based screening to expedite airport and border processes.
• The Tracking- and Transparency-based Logistics Optimizer (TATLO) utilizes low-cost printed RFID chips to provide end-to-end visibility of product origin, carbon footprint, and temperature in supply chains.
• Implementation of these solutions is primarily hindered by non-technological barriers, specifically legal frameworks, regulatory issues, and the need for cross-industry cooperation.

APA

World Economic Forum (2013). Connected World. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_MO_ConnectedWorld_Report_2013.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Connected World. 2013. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_MO_ConnectedWorld_Report_2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Connected World |date=May 2013 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_MO_ConnectedWorld_Report_2013.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2013connected, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Connected World}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_MO_ConnectedWorld_Report_2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }