Web Science researchers contributing at #DE2013MCUK
October 31, 2013
by Lisa Harris
We will be invading Media City in Manchester next week for the Digital Economy’s Open Digital Conference
You can check out the full programme and follow #DE2013MCUK on twitter but here is a brief summary of the Southampton contributions:
Professor Dame Wendy Hall will be delivering a keynote on Wednesday. She will discuss recent developments in “Openness” with specific focus upon the opportunities offered by the convergence of Open Data, Open Research and Open Learning. Wendy will draw upon contemporary examples from the Web Observatory, Open Data Institute and the Web Science MOOC to highlight the aspects of openness that are now working well, and also those which are proving more challenging.
Chris Phethean is demonstrating his work which is titled “Analysis Of Charities’ Communication Styles On Twitter” It comprises a novel piece of software for automatically analysing charitable organisations’ posts and classifying the results into specific communication styles.
Ian Brown is presenting a paper titled “Enabling the adoption of Web 3 in the digital economy”
Richard Gomer is running Workshop C titled “Towards Meaningful: Perspectives on Online Consent”
Craig Allison is presenting a paper titled – “Tracking Orientation within a Virtual Building – Bridging the Gap Between the Inside and Out to Reduce Disorientation”
Ramine Tinati is presenting a paper titled “Exploring the Use of #OpenData in UK Open Government Data Community”
Nada Albunni is presenting a poster titled “Focusing a cultural lens on the growth of trust networks: a Syrian perspective”
The Web Science Institute (WSI) launches its 2013/4 Programme
October 23, 2013
by Lisa Harris
The Web Science Institute (WSI) launches its 2013/4 Programme – 11th November 11:30am to 2pm – Nuffield Theatre “Green Room” Cafe.
Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Professor Susan Halford, Professor Hugh Davis and Professor Les Carr invite you to the launch of the new Web Science Institute’s programme for the 2013/4 academic year, in conjunction with CITE.
Following a champagne reception, the WSI Directors will introduce the new Institute and explain its role in the University and for our industry and government partners. Professor Hugh Davis from CITE will introduce the University’s first MOOC (Web Science: How the Web is Changing the World) which opens to participants on the 11th November. Professor Carr will introduce the Doctoral Training Centre’s latest cohorts of students and their research interests.
Following the presentations, there will be a chance to network while enjoying a buffet lunch. Places are limited so please RSVP to Claire Wyatt (c.wyatt@soton.ac.uk ) by Friday 1st November 2013.
A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course and is free to study.
Creative DigiFest and Dragon’s Den #SXSC3
October 23, 2013
by Lisa Harris
Tickets for this event are going fast, and new workshops are still being added to the agenda – please see below for the latest information. Here’s a reminder of last year’s event
Date: 19.11.2013
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Location: Mayflower Suite, De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel, Southampton
Registration: Please book your place here
Creating value from digital technologies
- World leading speakers
- Demonstrations of the latest technologies
- Debate and discussion with digital experts
- Free workshops and networking sessions
Come along to our one day interactive conference to find out more about the pioneering interdisciplinary digital projects already underway at the University of Southampton.
See pitches for a business planning competition with prizes of 7K, 4K and 2.5K, sponsored by RCUK/NEMODE
After lunch explore your own areas of interest through workshops, demonstrations and one-to-one networking with experts in a wide range of digital technologies.
Schedule
10.00am coffee and posters
Welcome and introductions supported by the Ladies of the Press and the Student Digital Champions
10.15am Dragon’s Den: Competition pitches
11.15am Coffee and Tea Break
11.30am Talks from digital experts including Alan Patrick of Broadsight business and technology forecasting consultancy, Professor Sally Jane Norman, Director of the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts and Jeremy Caine, Complex Systems Integration, IBM
12.30pm Competition winners announcement
Google Hangout on Air organised by Simon Morice and David Willox of ICM Reporting
2pm Workshops talks and demos on new digital technologies and business model development, including Paul Walland from IT Innovation, Alan Rae, marketing and communications expert and Ben Mawson from 3DBare
Organised by the Centre for Strategic Innovation and the Digital Economy University Strategic Research Group.
Speakers include:
ALAN PATRICK
Addresses business modelling and business planning: the relationship between the two, and when you ‘start-up’? Business Modelling: value proposition; target customer segments; distribution channels; customer relationships; unique value add; core capabilities; partner network; cost structure; revenue model; business process modelling Business Planning: content; risk and mitigation; managing changes
JEREMY CAINE
Addresses new business models, and the challenge for brownfields: the world is mostly made up of existing enterprises (and their part of the economy), rather than greenfield start-ups, so “Digital Integration” is a challenging domain for today’s business, with many facets, including data ownership.
SALLY JANE NORMAN
Digitisation and critical arts practices: Digital technologies have the value we choose to ascribe to and invest in them. As “early adopters” and often developers of many aspects of digital media, artists have played a large part in forging and questioning these values, and upholding the creative criticality on which productive social awareness depends. I shall draw on examples of art using digital technologies to feed discussion on current practices and contexts.
ALAN RAE
Setting up a digital business from scratch can be a daunting project. How do you make your offer attractive? How do you get the site found? How do you make transactions and how do you fulfil? This workshop covers these issues and will outline the pitfalls as well as offering some advice on how to make it work. The workshop is based on nearly 10 years involvement with Digital Business in our Family Horticultural business which successfully turns over nearly £3/4 million annually in Plants, Garden equipment and organic pest control and will give you some real insight into what is practicable for an independent operator to achieve.
PAUL WALLAND
The challenges of running media-based collaborative projects: teams are created and re-created at national and supra-national level to address key thematic areas in a project-based manner related to funding. The challenge is, how to create and maintain collaborative relationships value around new technology in a fast-moving highly interconnected environment dominated by competing and evolving standards.
BEN MAWSON
Ben will be presenting current development of 3DBARE, the 3D Binaural Audio Rendering Engine. 3DBARE is a means for multiple users to ‘walk inside a piece of music’, as though the sounds were actually emanating from points in a physical space. 3DBARE is a move towards realising ‘digital liveness’, making repeated experience of fixed output continually changeable.
Additionally, Ben will deliver a MasterClass on a related technology, the GPS-based software noTours, used for Annotating Landscape with Audio at the Avenue campus 65 / 2149 10-4 on December 6th. “Annotating landscape with Audio: an introduction to building geo-located sound structures”.
A talk, and a practical session on building a sound map, choosing and editing your sounds, field testing and revision – by the end of the day, participants will have built their first geolocated sound structure. Registration for this session is essential via lw4@soton.ac.uk
***BUSINESS PLANNING DEVELOPMENT CLASS: Highfield campus B2/3041, 4-6 on October 28 with Peter Webber. Register your interest with lw4@soton.ac.uk ***