ACADEMY
PUBLICATIONS
08 December 2015
Big data: a change of paradigm
The National Academy of technologies of France (NATF) invites French public authorities to intensively develop training schemes in Big Data techniques Big Data represents a change in paradigm such that public authorities would be advised to accompany the movement, notably in terms of education/training schemes and the major companies should be made more aware of what is at stake. In essence, this is the conclusion to the investigations and debates carried out at the Academy, embodied in an Academic Report* published recently, offering a full analysis of the “Opportunities vs. threats” of Big Data on French enterprises. Big Data represents […]
04 December 2015
Energy and carbon prints effects of ICTs on energy consumption round the world
What is the impact of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) on the energy consumption levels of Society today and what are the Greenhouse Gas emissions from the ICT domain as a whole? The National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF) conducted hearings of numerous French and non-French experts to assess the energy and environmental balance ‘well-to-wheel’ due to the sole ICT sector, taking into consideration the impacts of operating the various apparatus and infrastructures and the energy and carbon print savings generated in other associate sectors. The net energy and carbon balance, concludes the Academic Report* turns out be clearly […]
10 November 2015
Technology and climate change several solutions to mitigate the effects and to adapt
Advice Note adopted by vote by the National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF) in Plenary session, November 4, 2015 Ever since the National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF) was established [2000], it has dealt with the relationships – in its academic reports, advice notes and recommendations – between technology and the economic, social and environmental impacts due to the deployment of human activities. The COP21 conference is an important milestone is the framing of a global policy in the area of climate change, but certainly will not spell the end of a process that will continue for numerous […]
24 September 2015
What is the future for aeronautical bio-fuels?
In a joint Report, the French Air and Space Academy (FASA) and the National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF) provide a state-of-the-art both technically and from a global regulatory standpoint for aeronautical bio-fuels with a specific focus on French achievements in this field and a technological road-map as to the possible future for the development of biofuels. Continuous growth of air traffic figures – the forecast is a doubling of traffic between 2030 and 2050 – has led air companies to seek ways and means to reduce the impact of aviation of climate change, in a context with rarefaction […]
23 June 2015
How technology is (and could be better) appropriated?
Academic report adopted by vote at the NATF Plenary session May 13, 2015 Understanding how innovative products (or services) emerge, identifying the factors that encourage or hold back their appropriation by Society, analysing the questions in terms of wide ranging changes induced by use of technologies and the conditions and constrained needed for a dialogue with Society, constitute the central guide-line of this Academic Report (adopted by vote at the June 2015, NATF Plenary session) Technologies & Innovation Technologies have been defined as the “the design, production and use by Men of material or immaterial (for example software) original objects […]
10 June 2015
Strategic challenges for additive fabrication
ADVICE NOTE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGIES OF FRANCE (NATF), approved by vote at the June 10, 2015 plenary session Additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing) is defined by the French Standards Agency (AFNOR) as “the set of processes that lead to fabrication of a physical object, layer by layer, starting from a digital model”. It is defined in opposition to subtractive manufacturing (removing matter by machine processes). 3-D printing raises lots of hopes today and is often described in the media and in numerous publications as the key to industrial relocalisation in the developed nations. This […]
10 June 2015
Academic advice note on the law “an energy transition for green growth”
Advice Note adopted by vote at the NATF Plenary session June 10, 2015 As a complement to the contribution published by the Academy of Technologies of France (NATF) to the draft law hearings, and without changing the numbered analyses, several positions appertaining to the final law as framed for the Parliamentary votes were drafted at the NATF and merit being added to the dossier. 1. There is need to seek economic optimization: the triple priority in favour of “green growth” calls for “a fight against climate change”, “to reduce unemployment” and to “reduce the energy bill for France”. It is […]
08 April 2015
Military robotics and consciousness
Military robots exist and are more and more used, on various operation theatres and in the different media: air (drones), sea, ground and even, maybe soon, space. Their market is strongly expanding. Used for observation, reconnaissance, demining and even firing (e.g. armed drones), they offer the advantage of positioning the servant away from the battlefield, thus reducing the friendly losses, and to be usually recoverable. Furthermore, cost reduction of equipment can be expected owing to the fact that the constraints linked to human presence on board are suppressed. Drones allow permanence on site that a piloted aircraft could not provide. […]
08 January 2015
Methane (CH4): where it comes from and its impact on our climate
In a recently published Academic Report, the National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF) tentatively answers some questions arising from the observed, constant increase of methane released into the Earth’s atmosphere. How are the various geographic source locations identified? How does one measure the global increase of CH4 in the atmosphere? What criteria can be evoked to consider reducing these emissions? Should we prioritize and commit efforts to reduce CH4 or CO2 both of which contribute to man-made climate warming? Although methane gas (CH4) has a far lower concentration in the earth’s atmosphere than CO2, it is, to a large […]
20 May 2014
10 questions to Bernard Le Buanec on GMO
Under press: ‘TEN QUESTIONS’ ABOUT GMBs GMBs (genetically modified bodies) are defined in a European directive as being bodies other than human beings, the genetic material of which has been modified in a way that cannot be achieved naturally by multiplication and/or combinatory techniques. These living bodies are obtained by “transgenesis”. Numerous GMBs are used already in research, in production and are on the market place: micro-organisms produce vaccines, enzymes; mammals produce therapeutic molecules or for use in medical research; rapid growth fish species. The GMBs we hear most about in the media are plants, GM Plants or GMPs. They […]