Taking the plunge into technology in 2018 Crystal Lagoons’ founder, Fernando Fischmann, highlights his top tech predictions for 2018

          Fernando Fischmann is a scientist, businessman, biochemist and real estate developer. He founded Crystal Lagoons Corp. in 2007, and his groundbreaking project, San Alfonso del Mar in Chile won the Guinness World Record for the largest Crystalline Lagoon that same year. Fischmann has also been awarded The Stevie Award for innovation, finding himself in the company of some of the world's leading business minds, including Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Coca-Cola's Muhtar Kent the late Steve Jobs.
          The company has also recently announced a partnership with the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, further underscoring the company's ambitious expansion plans. 
          Tech trends in 2018
          Here Fischmann outlines the trends set to impact the world in a big way in 2018:
          It would be easy to dismiss the latest 'reported' technological advances as mere pie-in-the-sky or hope without substance, far-fetched dreaming without the funding; but remember, nearly 30 years ago, people also doubted the overall influence and impact of 'the internet'.
          Blockchain
          Like the internet of the late 1980s and early 1990s, these are early days for Blockchain, the technology behind the digital currency Bitcoin, but there is enough hype around for Goldman Sachs to say the technology 'has the potential to redefine transactions' and can change 'everything'.
          What is not in doubt, is Blockchain is an undeniably ingenious invention. Information held on a blockchain exists as a shared - and continually reconciled - database. The database isn't stored in any single location, meaning the records it keeps are truly public and easily verifiable. No centralised version of this information exists for a hacker to corrupt, which is a huge factor in the current climate of increased internet hacking activity. But at the same time, it is hosted by millions of computers simultaneously and its data is accessible to anyone on the internet.
          Big Data
          It is crucial that there is a place for everything and everything is in its correct place. And that's where Big Data comes in. Managing data effectively is imperative for the success of any business or organization.
          Big Data describes data sets so large and complex they are impractical to manage with traditional software tools. But it can also be a vital tool for analysis. New technologies make it possible to realise value from Big Data. For example, retailers can track user web clicks to identify behavioral trends that improve campaigns, pricing and stock issues; and utilities can capture household energy usage levels to predict outages and to incent more efficient energy consumption.
          Smart Cities
          Another interesting concept, fueled by the infinite reach of the internet, is Smart Cities. Urban challenges, such as safety and security, traffic congestion and aging infrastructure, which used to be the sole responsibility of a particular authority, is increasingly being placed into the hands of solutions that leverage the Internet of Things (IoT) under the Smart City umbrella.
          The increasing push to improve how cities function through real-time monitoring, analysis and improvement of city decision-making, will improve efficiency, environmental sustainability and citizen engagement.
          A smart city is one that integrates the Internet and communication technology with the Internet of Things (IoT).          
          Dubai is a great example of this, with a challenge to establish itself as the smartest city in the world, it is well on course, with 100 smart initiatives and 1,000 smart services to be completed this year.
          And it's not only government's making use of the latest cutting-edge technology. Once a concept from 90s cartoons like the Jetsons, and then only attainable by the tech-savvy or the wealthy, smart homes are becoming increasingly mainstream as more and more people opt to have 'conversations' with their homes and also allow devices to 'speak' to each other.
          Any device that uses electricity can be joined to the smart home network – lighting, air-conditioning, entertainment systems - and controlled at your command, by voice, remote control, through a smartphone or tablet.
          Virtual Reality
          On the subject of homes, the future of real estate sales is being completely revolutionised by virtual reality technology. The age when agents blocked time out to show prospective buyers around properties may soon be coming to an end – and it's easier than people may think.
          User-friendly applications can host guided virtual visits and interactive virtual visits, offering buyers the possibility of 'visiting' more homes in less time, increasing sales efficiency for agents and allowing them the ability to see more potential buyers.
          Crystal Lagoons
          It would be remiss of me at this stage not to mention one of my greatest achievements to date - the technological breakthrough to build crystal clear lagoons of unlimited sizes at very low costs, anywhere in the world. The result - the idyllic beach lifestyle many people crave.
          We're a leader in innovation and technology with a core focus on improving people's lives by helping to solve some of the world's biggest problems such as water scarcity, energy, pollution and lack of open public spaces.
          We are the only company in the world able to provide this technology and are patented in 190 countries around the world. Through our technology we are transforming the real estate market as developers can charge a premium on properties overlooking or with access to our projects.
          We recently outlined the company's expansion plans into new markets regionally and globally with a series of lagoons open to thepublic. The new business model will consist of selling tickets to the public on a 'pay per use' basis with Crystal Lagoons receiving revenues as a percentage of ticket sales. The idyllic concept of Public Access Lagoons, offering perfect beaches and accompanying scenery, will make them the must have 21st Century accompaniment to urban life, creating infinite business opportunities for Crystal Lagoons.
          We have also developed and patented a sustainable cooling system for industrial processes, such as power plants, where a sustainable cooling lagoon is built in connection to an industrial process in a closed-circuit system, to provide high quality cooling water for its cooling stage.
          2018 looks set to be an incredible year for everyone associated with technology and innovation, I count myself very lucky to be such a massive part of it.