Overview
The EDT framework identifies ten domains of Emerging & Disruptive Technologies relevant to community-scale futures. Developed as part of the Neobiome research project to provide a structured taxonomy for cataloguing, comparing, and mapping technologies against community self-sufficiency outcomes (SSI indicators).
Each domain is an index: it groups individual technology pages in wiki/technologies/ and maps the domain’s collective contribution to SSI indicators. The convergence between EDT domains and SSI indicators is the live research frontier — see edt_ssi_convergence.
Framework grounding: Domain structure is informed by IPCC AR6 WG3 sector classification, IRENA Innovation Landscape four-group taxonomy, IEA ETP 2023 five technology families, and smart city/village academic literature (CR_004, CR_005). All four IO frameworks treat AI, IoT, and digital platforms as horizontal enabling layers — consistent with D09 being framed as an enabling meta-layer rather than a peer resource domain.
The 10 EDT domains
D01 — Renewable Energy & Storage Systems
Scope: on-site electricity and heat generation, storage, and microgrid management. Technologies: solar PV, wind, micro-hydro, geothermal heat pumps, battery storage (Li-ion, flow), thermal storage, hydrogen, smart inverters, off-grid energy management systems, P2P energy trading platforms.
Source support: IPCC AR6 Ch. 6; IEA ETP Family 1; IRENA WETO Pillar 1 — most robustly sourced domain across all four IO frameworks. CR_004
D02 — Smart Food Systems & Agriculture
Scope: on-site food production, processing, and storage using technology-enabled methods. Technologies: permaculture systems, aquaponics, hydroponics, vertical farming, precision agriculture, soil health monitoring, food forests, AI-assisted crop management, composting, cold storage, seed saving systems.
Source support: IPCC AR6 Ch. 7 (AFOLU); absent from IEA/IRENA except as bioenergy feedstock; FEW Nexus literature treats food as distinct from water and energy. CR_004 CR_005
D03 — Water, Waste & Circular Systems
Scope: on-site water supply and treatment, waste reduction and material recovery, and circular resource flows. Technologies: rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling, blackwater treatment (constructed wetlands, biodigesters), bore water, water quality monitoring, waste sorting and reduction, material recovery, biochar production, repair and reuse infrastructure.
Source support: IPCC WG2 (water as adaptation domain); FEW Nexus literature; Rygaard et al. (2011) WSR. Water deliberately separated from food following IPCC and FEW Nexus logic. CR_004 CR_005
D04 — Sustainable Habitat & Building Technology
Scope: low-carbon, high-performance building systems and materials suited to community-scale construction. Technologies: passive house design, earthship, straw bale, rammed earth, CLT/timber, green roofs, low-embodied-carbon materials, modular construction, smart building management systems, HomeStars/Passivhaus certification.
Source support: IPCC AR6 Ch. 9; IEA TCEP buildings category; IRENA efficiency pillar. CR_004
D05 — Smart Mobility & Electrified Transport
Scope: low-carbon mobility solutions for community and rural contexts. Technologies: EVs (personal, shared, cargo), e-bikes and scooters, EV charging infrastructure, vehicle-to-grid (V2G), shared mobility platforms, active transport infrastructure, autonomous delivery systems, fleet management tools.
Source support: IPCC AR6 Ch. 10; IEA TCEP transport category. CR_004
D06 — Smart Health & Wellbeing
Scope: community-scale health infrastructure and wellbeing systems. Technologies: telemedicine, remote diagnostics, wearable health monitoring, mental health digital platforms, environmental health sensing (air, water quality), community health monitoring, integrative and traditional medicine systems, preventive health tools.
Source support: WEF governance framework (biotech/health); absent from energy-focused IO frameworks — grounded in community health literature. CR_004 CR_005
D07 — Digital Governance & Community Economies
Scope: community governance tools, shared economies, and alternative financial infrastructure. Technologies: community decision-making platforms, participatory budgeting tools, local currencies (LETS, time banking), cooperative ownership platforms, DAO/blockchain governance, transparent financial management, community investment vehicles.
Source support: IRENA market design and business models groups; WEF governance framework. CR_004 CR_005
D08 — Biotechnology & Nature-Based Solutions
Scope: biological systems and nature-based approaches applied to food, materials, waste, and ecosystem function. Technologies: mycelium-based materials, bioremediation, algae systems, CRISPR and improved crop varieties, constructed wetlands, seed banks, phytoremediation, synthetic biology for waste processing, ecosystem restoration technology.
Source support: WEF governance taxonomy (genomics/biotech); IPCC AR6 Ch. 7 (AFOLU) for nature-based elements. CR_004
D09 — Digital Intelligence & Connectivity
Scope: enabling meta-layer — AI, IoT, and connectivity infrastructure that enhances resource management across all other EDT domains. Technologies: AI for energy/water/food optimisation, IoT sensor networks, satellite internet (Starlink), community mesh networks, smart meters, digital twins, community data platforms, predictive maintenance, edge computing, LoRa/low-power comms.
Architectural note: All four IO frameworks (IPCC Ch. 12, IEA enabling infrastructure, IRENA enabling technologies group, WEF) classify AI/IoT/digital platforms as a horizontal cross-domain enabling layer, not a standalone resource domain. D09 is retained as a domain for cataloguing and querying purposes but should be understood as an enabler of D01–D08, not a peer resource domain. CR_004 CR_005
D10 — Advanced Manufacturing & Digital Fabrication
Scope: local, on-demand fabrication, materials processing, and repair infrastructure for community self-reliance. Technologies: 3D printing and additive manufacturing, CNC fabrication, fab labs, open-source hardware, local repair hubs, robotics for agriculture and construction, biomaterials fabrication, makerspaces, distributed manufacturing networks.
Source support: IPCC AR6 Ch. 11 (industry); IEA TCEP industry category. Treated as innovation frontier domain — near-term applicability at eco-village scale is emerging. CR_004
Relationship to SSI indicators
The mapping between EDT domains and SSI indicators is many-to-many and evolves as evidence accumulates. It is not predetermined. See edt_ssi_convergence for the live convergence analysis.
Evolution notes
This page is the living definition of the EDT framework; domain descriptions are revised as the research deepens.
2026-05-22: Domains revised based on CR_004 and CR_005. D02 split (Water separated from Food); D05/D08 merged into D09 (Digital Intelligence & Connectivity as enabling meta-layer); D08 now Biotechnology & Nature-Based Solutions; D09 framed explicitly as horizontal enabling layer.
Connections
Links to
Concepts (1): EDT–SSI Convergence
Referenced by
EDT domains (10): D01: Renewable Energy & Storage Systems · D02: Smart Food Systems & Agriculture · D03: Water, Waste & Circular Systems · D04: Sustainable Habitat & Building Technology · D05: Smart Mobility & Electrified Transport · D06: Smart Health & Wellbeing · D07: Digital Governance & Community Economies · D08: Biotechnology & Nature-Based Solutions · D09: Digital Intelligence & Connectivity · D10: Advanced Manufacturing & Digital Fabricat…
Concepts (3): EDT–SSI Convergence · Environmental Livelihood Security (FEW-Nexus +… · IEA ↔ EDT Taxonomy Mapping
Sources (1): LIT_012