Scotland's Digital Future: supporting the transition to a world-leading digital economy

Chemical Sciences

Asset management and control ( e.g. industrial plant) increasingly based on machine-to-machine techniques.

Absorptive capacity for maximising opportunity compromised by lack of highly-skilled workforce pipeline.

Construction

Productivity increases for architects and consulting engineers. Opportunities in infrastructure deployment.

Challenges for training of general workforce.

Creative Industries

Significantly increase revenue by exploiting content globally and enriching content across multiple devices ( e.g. smart-phone, tablet, connected TV, etc.).

Retention of Intellectual Property ( IP) in Scotland, as companies seek funding for growth from overseas investors and to locate core functions in target markets.

Energy - Oil and Gas
and CCS

Asset management ( e.g. oil rigs, subsea and field plant) increasingly based on machine-to-machine techniques.

Absorptive capacity for maximising opportunity compromised by lack of highly-skilled workforce pipeline.

Energy - Renewable Energy

Extreme environments ( e.g. offshore) provide opportunities to deploy asset management, condition monitoring and other capabilities.

Ability to utilize machine to machine applications within a smart grid, enabling full energy resource maximization and utilization of renewable sources.

Lack of available grid infrastructure and connection with digital infrastructure. Need to develop new products.

Financial and Business Services

Greater digital inclusion and better data analysis open up new models. Services in Tele-Healthcare, Cyber Security & Digital Risk Management.

Mass customer base requires full digital inclusion.

Food and Drink

Productivity increases for marginal processing and distribution. Protection of provenance through digital tracking of supplies.

Life Sciences and Health

Productivity increases through use of remote contact and digital data records and medical technology. Increasingly personalised medical approaches.

Citizen privacy and security concerns are high profile issues.

Textiles

Premium protection through Digital Provenance.

Timber

Productivity increases through better analysis of crops.

Tourism

• Wider marketing reach.
• Increasing use of location based services and augmented reality.
• Acceptance that wi-fi should be considered a 'hygiene factor'.
• Increasing use of mobiles and tablets by visitors.
• Encourage user-generated content to increase awareness.
• Increased scope for cross selling of products and services.
• Improved commercialisation through improved use of e-business ie CRM to booking and payment systems.

• Significant variance in understanding and adoption of technology across the sector.
• Bandwidth limitations.
• Lack of network coverage.
• Provision of appropriate content to the market place.
• Improved understanding of the customer journey and 'touch points' required.
• Tourism businesses need to build and maintain their online offering.
• More collaboration required linking attractions, destination activity and providing rich content.
• Prohibitive cost of mobile roaming for international visitors.

Universities and Colleges (as an international market sector)

Online training elements easier to deploy into various student bases, including industry.

Ability to maintain presence abroad.

Increasing globalised market. Increasing domestic costs compared with arts and humanities. Challenge to maintain quality and personalised service remotely.

Engineering
(as a market sector)

Additional opportunities from demand for services and civil infrastructure deployment and maintenance. Productivity increases as lean manufacture becomes more easily supportable. High-value manufacturing involving machine-to-machine techniques.

Absorptive capacity for maximising opportunity compromised by lack of highly-skilled workforce pipeline.

Technology (as a market sector)

Additional opportunities from demand for digital services, follows through to demand for innovation in technologies.

Specialised workforce in short supply, skills costs rising as chargeable prices are falling due to increased general expectation.