The fourth industrial revolution glossarium: over 1500 of the hottest terms you will use to create the future

Computer simulation is the process of mathematical modelling, performed on a computer, which is designed to predict the behavior of, or the outcome of, a real-world or physical system. The reliability of some mathematical models can be determined by comparing their results to the real-world outcomes they aim to predict. Computer simulations have become a useful tool for the mathematical modeling of many natural systems in physics (computational physics), astrophysics, climatology, chemistry, biology and manufacturing, as well as human systems in economics, psychology, social science, health care and engineering255.

Computer vision (CV) is scientific discipline, field of technology and the direction of artificial intelligence (AI), which deals with computer processing, recognition, analysis and classification of dynamic images of reality. It is widely used in video surveillance systems, in robotics and in modern industry to improve product quality and production efficiency, comply with legal requirements, etc. In computer vision, the following areas are distinguished: face recognition (face recognition), image recognition (image recognition), augmented reality (augmented reality (AR) and optical character recognition (OCR). Synonyms – artificial vision, machine vision.

Computer vision processing (CVP) is the processing of images (signals) in a computer vision system, in computer vision systems – about algorithms (computer vision processing algorithms), processors (computer vision processing unit, CVPU), convolutional neural networks (convolutional neural network), which are used for image processing and implementation of visual functions in robotics, real-time systems, smart video surveillance systems, etc.

Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) /Personal Interviewing (CAPI) is a method of coding information from telephone or personal interviews directly into a computer during the interview. CATI/CAPI software usually has built-in consistency checks, will not allow wild codes to be entered, and automatically prompts the interviewer for correct skip pattern questions256.

Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) Software is CMMS software, which can be either cloud-based or on-premise, is designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance activities, such as planning, scheduling, and monitoring of work orders and maintenance needs. A CMMS can also serve as a centralized location for industrial data257.

Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) also known as computerized provider order entry or computerized practitioner order entry, refers to the process of a medical professional entering and sending medication orders and treatment instructions electronically via a computer application instead of on paper charts258.

Computing modules are plug-in specialized computers designed to solve narrowly focused tasks, such as accelerating the work of artificial neural networks algorithms, computer vision, voice recognition, machine learning and other artificial intelligence methods, built on the basis of a neural processor – a specialized class of microprocessors and coprocessors (processor, memory, data transfer).

Computing system — a software and hardware complex or several interconnected complexes that form a single infrastructure designed to solve problems and process data (including computing).

Computing units are blocks that work like a filter that transforms packets according to certain rules. The instruction set of the calculator can be limited, which guarantees a simple internal structure and a sufficiently high speed of operation.

Condition Monitoring (CM) – the process of monitoring various conditions associated with machine health, including vibration and temperature. Condition monitoring lets maintenance teams quickly identify when conditions exceed set thresholds for normal operation and resolve issues before failure occurs259.

Confidentiality ensuring that information is accessible only to those authorized to have access260.

Confidentiality of information is a mandatory requirement for a person who has access to certain information not to transfer such information to third parties without the consent of its owner.

Confirmation Bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s own beliefs or hypotheses while giving disproportionately less attention to information that contradicts it261.

Conformant digital certificate (for the My Health Record system) is an electronic credential used to secure access in the My Health Record system262.

Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is a key EU funding instrument to promote growth, jobs and competitiveness through targeted infrastructure investment at European level. It supports the development of high performing, sustainable and efficiently interconnected trans-European networks in the fields of transport, energy and digital services263.

Connectivity Endpoint are interfaces that provide connectivity264.

Connectivity is the ability of a device or system to connect to other systems, applications, or programs via the internet. Connectivity is the backbone of all IoT solutions265.

Consent – any freely given specific and informed indication of his wishes by which the data subject signifies his agreement to personal data relating to him being processed266.

Consistency check is a process of data cleaning that eliminates inappropriate responses to branched questions. For instance, one question might ask if the respondent attended church last week; a response of «no» should indicate that questions about church attendance should be coded as «inapplicable.» If those questions were coded any other way than «inapplicable,» this would be inconsistent with the skip patterns of the survey instrument267.

Consolidated health informatics (CHI) initiative refers to a collaborative effort to create and adopt health informatics standards to be used by federal departments such as the department of health & human services and the department of veteran’s affairs268.

Consortium is an association of research and production and marketing organizations headed by a leader organization created to achieve strategic goals and implement research and production projects and enter the markets. The consortium may include: higher education institutions, scientific organizations, developers of the component base and software, product manufacturers, constituent entities of the Russian Federation, development institutions and banks, consumers and other interested organizations.

Consumer artificial intelligence is specialized artificial intelligence programs embedded in consumer devices and processes.

Consumer Portal – the portal that is used by an individual who has set up access to their My Health Record online269.

Consumer spending is the total money spent on final goods and services by individuals and households for personal use and enjoyment in an economy. Contemporary measures of consumer spending include all private purchases of durable goods, nondurable goods, and services. Consumer spending can be regarded as complementary to personal saving, investment spending, and production in an economy270.

Consumer-shared documents – documents that have been authored by an individual, authorized representative or full access nominated representative. These documents, such as personal health summary, are available to provider organizations and other representatives271.

Contact center is a central point from which organizations manage all customer interactions across various channels. Their primary purpose is to offer customers efficient and effective technical support, customer service and sales assistance272.

Content industry is an umbrella term that encompasses companies owning and providing mass media and media metadata. This can include music and movies, text publications of any kind, ownership of standards, geographic data, and metadata about all and any of the above273.

Context data includes manufacturing process information about quality, maintenance events, operational events, environmental conditions, and process performance. This information typically resides in external business applications274.

Continuity of care document (CCD) is an electronic document exchange standard for sharing patient summary information275.

Continuity of care record (CCR) is a standard for the creation of electronic summaries of patient health. Its aim is to improve the quality of health care and to reduce medical errors by making current information readily available to physicians276.

Contracted service provider (CSP) officer – the officer who acts as the liaison between a registered contracted service provider and the System Operator. There must be at least one CSP officer and there can be up to three at one time277.

Control Domain are functional domains for industrial control system implementations278.

Control is a means of managing a risk or ensuring that an objective is achieved. Controls can be preventative, detective, or corrective and can be fully automated, procedural, or technology-assisted human-initiated activites. They can include actions, devices, procedures, techniques, or other measures279.

Conversion means the completion of a measured action on a web page. A successful conversion can involve subscribing to a newsletter, filling out a contact form or buying a product from an online store. Conversion rate optimization is used to improve the conversion rate, given as a percentage280.

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) refers to the editing of a web page with the aim of improving the conversion rate of the page. CRO is usually an inevitable form of business development for consumer online stores, since even the smallest enhancement in the conversion rate has a direct impact on sales281.

Convolution is the process of filtering. A filter (or equivalently: a kernel or a template) is shifted over an input image. The pixels of the output image are the summed product of the values in the filter pixels and the corresponding values in the underlying image282.

Convolutional neural network (CNN) is a type of neural network that identifies and interprets images.

Cookie is a file or segment of data that identifies a unique user over time and across interactions with a website, sent by the web server through a browser, stored on a user’s hard drive, and sent back to the server each time the browser requests a web page283.

Corelet programming environment is a scalable environment that allows programmers to set the functional behavior of a neural network by adjusting its parameters and communication characteristics.

Correlation analysis is a statistical data processing method that measures the strength of the relationship between two or more variables. Thus, it determines whether there is a connection between the phenomena and how strong the connection between these phenomena is.

Correlation is a statistical relationship between two or more random variables.

Cost-benefit analysis is a way of assessing the impact of a program or a measure by weighing the advantages (benefits) against the disadvantages (costs)284.

Cost-effectiveness analysis – analysis that calculates and compares the costs and effects of two or more interventions, allowing to establish priorities among them285.

Costs of Distance Education are the main cost variables such as technological infrastructure and educational processes that influence the achievement of the goals set by educational institutions providing distance education services286.

Counterparty – a party to a civil law contract to which the owner of information constituting a trade secret has transferred this information.

Critical information infrastructure is objects of critical information infrastructure, as well as telecommunication networks used to organize the interaction of such objects.

Critical information infrastructure objects – information systems and information and telecommunication networks of state bodies, as well as information systems, information and telecommunication networks and automated process control systems operating in the defense industry, in the field of healthcare, transport, communications, in the credit and financial sector, energy, fuel, nuclear, rocket and space, mining, metallurgical and chemical industries.

Critical information infrastructure of the Russian Federation is a set of critical information infrastructure objects, as well as telecommunication networks used to organize the interaction of critical information infrastructure objects with each other.

Cross-border health care means health care provided or prescribed in a Member State other than the Member State of affiliation (i.e. Member State competent to give authorization to receive treatment outside the Member State of residence)287.

Cross-border information exchange means the process of sending and receiving information across legislative boundaries using interoperable systems in order to read and further process this information in a meaningful way288.

Cross-border transfer of personal data – transfer of personal data to the territory of a foreign state to the authority of a foreign state, a foreign individual or a foreign legal entity.

Cross-Cutting Concern impacts an entire system and may also affect multiple architectural viewpoints289.

Cross-Cutting Function is one that can be applied across multiple functional architectural domains to address cross-cutting concerns290.

Cross-sectional study in survey research is a study in which data from particular subjects are obtained only once. Contrast with longitudinal studies, in which a panel of individuals is interviewed repeatedly over a period of time. Note that questions in a cross-sectional study can apply to previous time periods291.

Crowdfunding is a way of raising money to finance projects and businesses. It enables fundraisers to collect money from a large number of people via online platforms292.

Crowdsourcing is the practice of getting ideas or help on a project from a large number of people, usually through the Internet293.

CRUD – Create, Read, Update, Delete. Used to describe access rights for data294.

Cryogenic freezing (cryonics, human cryopreservation) is a technology of preserving in a state of deep cooling (using liquid nitrogen) the head or body of a person after his death with the intention to revive them in the future.

Cryptocurrency broadly defined, is virtual or digital money that takes the form of tokens or «coins.» Though some cryptocurrencies have ventured into the physical world with credit cards or other projects, the large majority remain entirely intangible295.

Cryptocurrency exchange, or a digital currency exchange (DCE) is a business that allows customers to trade cryptocurrencies or digital currencies for other assets, such as conventional fiat money or other digital currencies. Exchanges may accept credit card payments, wire transfers or other forms of payment in exchange for digital currencies or cryptocurrencies. A cryptocurrency exchange can be a market maker that typically takes the bid—ask spreads as a transaction commission for is service or, as a matching platform, simply charges fees296.

Cryptography – the mathematical science that deals with transforming data to render its meaning unintelligible (i.e., to hide its semantic content), prevent its undetected alteration, or prevent its unauthorized use. If the transformation is reversible, cryptography also deals with restoring encrypted data to intelligible form. Also, Cryptography exemplifies the means, principles, and mechanisms for data transformation to hide information to prevent its undetected modification or unauthorized use297,298.

Current procedural terminology (CPT) code are a uniform medical code set maintained and copyrighted by the American medical association and used to describe medical, surgical and diagnostic services299.

Customer Data Integration is an approach to managing multiple records containing information about an organization’s customers. In this approach, instead of combining all information into a single repository, a combination of technologies, processes and services are used to align information in multiple repositories300.

Customer Experience (CX) is the sum of encounters experienced by a customer in various digital and traditional media. In the digital era, the significance of ensuring a positive customer experience is highlighted since the buyer may come across an organization in various contexts. Encounters are provided by web pages, newspapers, radio, television and social media channels, among others. An organization should aim at providing a consistent customer experience through these encounters, to ensure the desired outcome (for example, a purchase or a recommendation)301.

Customer Journey Tracking (analysis of user behavior) – the term designates the data-based analysis of buying decision processes. If the customer buys online, it is possible to reconstruct the decision-making path of the client using special tracking tools. For example, when using the tool it is possible to find out how many advertising contacts were necessary to activate the purchase of a specific product302.

Customer relationship management (CRM) is the combination of practices, strategies and technologies that companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. The goal is to improve customer service relationships and assist in customer retention and drive sales growth. CRM systems compile customer data across different channels, or points of contact, between the customer and the company, which could include the company’s website, telephone, live chat, direct mail, marketing materials and social networks. CRM systems can also give customer-facing staff members detailed information on customers’ personal information, purchase history, buying preferences and concerns303.

Cyberattack is any offensive maneuver that targets computer information systems, computer networks, infrastructures, or personal computer devices. An attacker is a person or process that attempts to access data, functions, or other restricted areas of the system without authorization, potentially with malicious intent. Depending on the context, cyberattacks can be part of cyber warfare or cyberterrorism. A cyberattack can be employed by sovereign states, individuals, groups, society, or organizations, and it may originate from an anonymous source304.

Cybercrime also called computer crime, the use of a computer as an instrument to further illegal ends, such as committing fraud, trafficking in child pornography and intellectual property, stealing identities, or violating privacy. Cybercrime, especially through the Internet, has grown in importance as the computer has become central to commerce, entertainment, and government305.

Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) it is when physical and digital items are connected, monitored and managed with computer programming and algorithms306.

Cyber-physical systems are intelligent networked systems with built-in sensors, processors and drives that are designed to interact with the physical environment and support the operation of computer information systems in real time; cloud computing is an information technology model for providing ubiquitous and convenient access using the information and telecommunications network «Internet» to a common set of configurable computing resources («cloud»), data storage devices, applications and services that can be promptly provided and relieved from the load with minimal operating costs or almost without the participation of the provider.

Cyber-resilience this is a «new» term, and only used in specific contexts of modern business challenges. Check it out the World Economic Forum definition: At its simplest, being cyber-resilient means taking measures to prevent and protect against the criminal or unauthorized use of electronic data. As digital transformation gathers pace, Cyber-resilience will move up the world’s agenda. The number of data breaches is increasing, as is the severity of the attacks. Based on the Gemalto Breach Level Index, the first half of 2018 saw 945 data breaches affecting 4.5 billion records, a 133% increase over the same period last year. More than 90% of events involved unencrypted data and 65% identity theft. A significant number of breaches involved government records. The Forum recently published the 2018 Global Risk report, showing the increasing risks to cybersecurity over the past decade. More pointedly a respondent pool of 12,500 companies covering the three largest regions of North America, Europe and EAPAC named digital Cyber-resilience as the biggest global risk. Business, government and citizens all stand to lose if we cannot create a safe digital environment to capture the potential gains from the Fourth Industrial Revolution307.

Cybersecurity are the processes employed to safeguard and secure assets used to carry information of an organisation from being stolen or attacked. It requires extensive knowledge of the possible threats. Identity management, risk management and incident management form the crux of cyber security strategies of an organization. Also, Cybersecurity is protection against unauthorized entry or use of electronic data or systems using technologies, processes and controls, networks, programs, devices, data, and other IoT solutions. The goal is to reduce the risk of cyberattacks308,309.

Cyberspace refers to the virtual computer world, and more specifically, an electronic medium that is used to facilitate online communication. Cyberspace typically involves a large computer network made up of many worldwide computer subnetworks that employ TCP/IP protocol to aid in communication and data exchange activities. Cyberspace’s core feature is an interactive and virtual environment for a broad range of participants. In the common IT lexicon, any system that has a significant user base or even a well-designed interface can be thought to be «cyberspace»310.

Cybersquatting refers to the unauthorized registration and use of Internet domain names that are identical or similar to trademarks, service marks, company names, or personal names. Cybersquatting registrants obtain and use the domain name with the bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of the actual trademark owner311.

Cyberthreat is the spread of malicious information and spam on the Web that threatens the personal information security of a person, company, state.

Сloud robotics is a field of robotics that attempts to invoke cloud technologies such as cloud computing, cloud storage, and other Internet technologies centred on the benefits of converged infrastructure and shared services for robotics. When connected to the cloud, robots can benefit from the powerful computation, storage, and communication resources of modern data center in the cloud, which can process and share information from various robots or agent (other machines, smart objects, humans, etc.). Humans can also delegate tasks to robots remotely through networks. Cloud computing technologies enable robot systems to be endowed with powerful capability whilst reducing costs through cloud technologies. Thus, it is possible to build lightweight, low cost, smarter robots have intelligent “brain” in the cloud. The “brain” consists of data center, knowledge base, task planners, deep learning, information processing, environment models, communication support, etc.312.