iBrussels Conference & Workshops: Urbanity and Technology, Close Encounters of a Certain Kind

  iBRUSSELS:

URBANITY AND TECHNOLOGY,

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF A CERTAIN KIND

 

CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS

 

Thursday, 30 April 2009

 

Organised by UAB Brussels Stadsplatform

in collaboration with

ETRO, SMIT and COSMOPOLIS depts. of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel

and iLab.o of the Interdisciplinary Institute of Broadband Technology

 

with the support of Brussels Capital Region

 

Venue: Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Auditorium QC, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels

 

 

We invite you to a conference and workshops on wireless applications in an urban context.

 

Building on a series of campus-based experiments with wireless platforms, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel aims to become a hotbed for wireless innovations in Brussels. Brussels Capital Region now wants to spread wireless access to other areas. But what can these new technologies offer the city?

 

This conference brings together internationally renowned experts, policy makers and stakeholders from three Brussels neighbourhoods: the university quarter, the Canal area, and the upper city (Mont des Arts / European Quarter). By confronting innovative visions, practical experiences and real-life needs, we will explore how mobile technologies may contribute to a lively and inclusive urban environment.

 

 

PROGRAMME

 

8:30     BREAKFAST

 

9:00     PLENARY MORNING SESSION

 

WELCOME PROF. DR. JAN CORNELIS

INTERNATIONAL STATUS QUESTIONIS

 

Local broadband policies in Europe - Public action to boost growth and stimulate services

KEN DUCATEL (DG INSFO SOCIETY)

                 

Augmented urban spaces
ALESSANDRO AURIGI  (SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING AND LANDSCAPE - NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY)

Wireless city networks. Policy initiatives in Europe and the United States
LEO VAN AUDENHOVE (SMIT)

The City as a living lab: an international overview

PIETER BALLON (SMIT & IBBT-ILAB.O)

 

WIRELESS BRUSSELS

 

Is there a wireless response to Brussels’ urban challenges
ERIC CORIJN (COSMOPOLIS – UAB STADSPLATFORM)

The wireless campus: an explorative environment for innovation (phase 2 of the iBrussels project)

JAN CORNELIS (ETRO)

 

11:00   COFFEE BREAK with demos

 

11:30   THREE CASES OF APPLICATIONS IN AN URBAN CONTEXT

 

PanOULU network and UrBan Interactions program- Unique public-private partnership and living lab in Oulu, Finland
TIMO OJALA (OULU UNIVERSITY, OULU, FINLAND)

Creating Living Labs in a Digital Content Cluster
PHILIPPE ROY (CAPDIGITAL, PARIS)

The Benefits of Being a Digital City
RAJ MACK (BIRMINGHAM)

 

13:00  LUNCH BREAK with demos

 

14:30   THREE PARALLEL WORKSHOPS

Territorial wireless development in Brussels?

 

1. Developing a real “Rive Gauche”: the university quarter

STEFAN DE CORTE (COSMOPOLIS) & BRAM LIEVENS (SMIT)

Debate with stakeholders among others Nathanaël Ackerman (ULB-Interface /domain Information Technology), Pascal Dufour (alderman of Ixelles) (tbc), Jean Michel Dricot & Olivier Delangre (OPERA dept. of the ULB)

 

2. The Canal-area

CELINE OOSTERLYNCK (COSMOPOLIS) & LEO VAN AUDENHOVE (SMIT)
Debate with stakeholders among others Wim Embrechts (Platform Kanal, ART2WORK), Yves Bernard (iMAL)

 

3. The upper city: Mont des Arts-European quarter

SOFIE VERMEULEN (COSMOPOLIS) & KRISTOF MICHIELS (SMIT & IBBT-ILAB.O)

Debate with stakeholders among others Marie Laure Roggemans (Delegate of the Brussels Capital Region for the Development of the European Quarter), Alain Deneef (Aula Magna, Fonds Quartier Européen)

 

16:00   COFFEE BREAK

 

16:30   CLOSING PLENARY SESSION: WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?

 

·         Panel debate:  What can iBrussels mean for stakeholders?

 

·         Concluding remarks:   From Brussels to iBrussels

MINISTER GUY VANHENGEL (BRUSSELS CAPITAL REGION)

17:30   CLOSING RECEPTION

 

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

 

Entrance €40 (Free for students)

 

Registration by mail to kdebruyn@vub.ac.be; please mention iBrussels conference 30 April 2009 in the subject line and mention in which workshop you will participate in the mail.

 

Wire/bank transfer of €40 before 27 April to the account of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel; 001-3409575-04, BiC/SWIFT: GEBABEBB, IBAN: BE09001340957504, please mention as a reference: your NAME and BRGEOZ130

 

Payment by visa card is also possible, by fax to +32 2 629 28 83, please mention:

·         iBrussels conference 30 April 2009,

·         your name (family name+ first name);

·         your credit card no. (VISA or Mastercard), expiration date and CVC no.

 

Venue The conference will take place on the campus of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in Auditorium QC. More information about the location can be found at: http://www.vub.ac.be/english/infoabout/campuses/index.html

 

Info kdebruyn@vub.ac.be jevdeven@vub.ac.be

http://www.etro.vub.ac.be/ibrussels

 

 

 

Abstracts of talks:

 

Wireless Broadband Services in Europe: the Post i2010 Challenges

This keynote presentation will address the following topics:

- The importance of Broadband for Europe, and specifically the possibilities offered by Wireless Broadband infrastructures

- The innovative power of Wireless Services

- The main challenges for Europe related to Wireless Broadband in the post i2010 era

 

Wireless city networks. Policy initiatives in Europe and the United States.

Wireless City Networks have been around now for some years. In the United States and Europe hundreds of cities have looked into the possibility of rolling out Wifi or WiMAX based networks over substantial parts of the city. The underlying rationale is that wireless city networks are cheap alternatives for fixed broadband networks. Cities see broadband Internet access as a necessary and therefore public utility to be provided to their communities at affordable prices or even free of charge. As current market forces often fail to provide cheap services, cities argue it is their obligation to fill the void. The deployment of wireless city networks is however more than just infrastructure provision. Initiatives are linked to broader city policies related to digital divide, city renewal, stimulation of innovation, stimulation of tourism, strengthening the economic fabric of the city, etc. In this presentation we will argue that explicit and implicit goals are linked to the coverage and topology of networks, the technology used, price and service modalities, etc. Furthermore we will argue that the differences in context between the US and Europe explain the different infrastructural trajectories taken. We will assess the experience with wireless city networks so far.

 

The City as a Living Lab: an International Overview

Living Labs are open test and experimentation platforms where all stakeholders in the innovation process can collaborate and co-develop new services. The urban environment is by nature a hotbed of cross-fermentation of ideas, products and services. In this talk, Pieter Ballon will explain the rationale for setting up City Living Labs and will focus on international experiences and on the first networking activities between them.

 

The wireless campus: an explorative environment for innovation

(phase 2 of the i-Brussels project)

The long term goal of the i-Brussels project is the deployment of wireless services in selected city area’s and the design of a Living Laboratory on the campuses of VUB for the development of applications and services based on wireless communication technology, i.e. the creation of an experimentation environment in which new technology is given shape in real life contexts and in which users are considered co-producers.

After a feasibility study and the analysis of the Brussels context in phase 1, phase 2 now concentrates on demonstrators on campus (e.g. a wellness-fitness social community supported by wearable sensors; the way-finder on campus; a museum project based on context based interrogation of objects; a total radiation monitor; queue monitoring and dynamic menu consultation system in the university restaurant; multimodal communication system coupled to the university learning platform, …).

The wireless campus … an open innovation platform supporting educational innovation and long term partnerships with industry, a test bench for the newest technology. The Wireless Campus project is an invitation addressed to the creativity of the different communities on the campus and its immediate neighborhood acting as a micro cosmos of real society. It has to support the co-existence of commercial and societal services and acts as test bench prior to deployment of the applications in targeted areas of the city. The sustainable infrastructure will contribute to structural innovation and should ensure attraction of new talents, new business, new students, and it will contribute to long term embedding of knowledge in the Brussels Region because of its unique properties.

The drivers behind the project are the research group SMIT (communication sciences) and the department ETRO (technology partner) jointly participating in IBBT iLab.o (Institute of Broad Band Technology), along with several other VUB research groups.

iLab.o helps you to set up  large scale innovation projects for testing during a longer timeframe in real life environments and involving a large end user community. We provide access to a wireless infrastructure, a software platform, and a population of test users to help you develop new and exciting mobile applications and services.

 

panOULU network and UrBan Interactions program - Unique public-private partnership and living lab in Oulu, Finland

This presentation focuses on the municipal panOULU wireless network jointly provided by a consortium of five public organizations and four ISP's. In its coverage area the panOULU network provides open and free wireless Internet access enjoyed by 15000-20000 users every month. It will conclude with an introduction of the UrBan Interactions living lab program, which is building a functional prototype of future ubiquitous city in Oulu. This involves expanding the open urban computing infrastructure in form of new wireless networks and public interactive displays. 

The Benefits of Being a Digital City

 

The presentation will cover the way Birmingham is delivering the benefits of digital technologies to enhance the quality of life of its citizens and its economy. Case studies will show how wireless and mobile enabled technologies can help citizens interact with local services and the wider environment.

From Brussels to iBrussels:

In his final comments Guy Vanhengel will address the current evolution of Brussels as a European Capital: Brussels is turning into iBrussels, a digital city in which its citizens are always connected. However, policy makers have to remain focused on bridging the digital divide in an ever-accelerating digital landscape.

The fact that the mobile internet is a newly emerging market, primarily populated by early adopters does not mean that this issue should not be addressed: on the contrary, this is the time to put IT to work as a service to citizens, as a means to simplify their life.

The leverages open to policy makers and public administrations to support these evolutions are multiple: on the level of infrastructure, on the level of digital services offered by the Government, supporting the adoption of new technologies, and creating the environment in which open, citizen-driven innovation can take place. The Region of Brussels-Capital has set a clear objective, in wanting to be at the forefront of integrating digital services into everyday City Life.

Creating Living Labs in a Digital Content Cluster
This presentation will discuss why Living Labs requirement has been prioritized from the very beginning of Cap Digital and how such Labs have been created and are managed in the development strategy of the cluster.

About Cap Digital Paris Region
Cap Digital is the French Business Cluster For Digital Content. Cap Digital provides members key information, networks, and resources: ongoing competitive intelligence, training, partnerships, funding solutions, project reviews, and vital group energy. This cluster, which currently has 400 members (80% of them innovative SME), has defined four priorities:
•             Research & Development: Cap Digital has certified 174 innovative projects which are already funded by more than €380 millions.
•             Company development: Cap Digital provides services to its members, as training or funding solutions. 
•             Management and networking: By providing businesses in the cluster with a structure, support and a real sense of community, Cap Digital encourages the sharing of know-how and cross-fertilization between the cluster's nine activity sectors.
•             International deployment: Cap Digital acts as an interface between companies based in the Paris Region and the major European and global economic centers, with a goal of setting up international projects or the organization of international missions to support SME in their export activities.”

 

 

Short CV’s of the speakers:

 

Prof. Dr. Jan Cornelis , ^o17/10/1950,Wilrijk,Belgium, MD 1973, PhD 1980, Professor in digital image processing and electronics, coordinator of research group IRIS (computer vision and image processing). Main current research interests:  Image and video compression, Medical imaging, ICT - structural innovation projects.  Author or co-author of more than 450 international publications in journals and conference proceedings, 5 of them received a special award. Promoter of 26 PhDs and (co)inventor in 4 patents, reviewer for several EU- research programmes, conference proceedings and international journals. In 1997, he became consultant professor at the North-Western Polytechnic University, Xi’an, China. He was head of the department „Electronics and Informatics- ETRO“ at VUB, till September 2008.

For more than 20 years he is active in  R&D-management, at Department level, at Faculty level and since 2001 at university level  (vice rector for R&D till September 2008). He is actively involved in several policy advisory boards in the Brussels Capital Region, Flanders and Belgium. He is also board member at the Interuniversity Micro Electronics Center  -IMEC, Leuven, Belgium (from April 1995 onwards).  Currently, he is chairman of the board of directors of “Brussels I3 NV” – the incubation fund associated to VUB (since its creation date, 01.09.2002), board member of ICAB NV, the Incubation Centre, Arsenaal Brussel (since the start in 2005). From October 2008 onwards, he is academic coordinator for Knowledge and Technology Transfer at VUB. He is board member of the VUB spin-off company EQCOLOGIC (equalizer technology for data communication). He is member of the Commission on Technology Policy of the Flemish Council of Science Policy - VRWB. He is member of the Research Council in the Brussels Capital Region since 2004, member of the Federal Research Council since 2005. In 2005 he became a member of the scientific committee of the Royal Meteorological Institute, Belgium. Recently he joined the board of the Hercules Foundation (heavy instrumentation and research infrastructures).

 

 

Dr. Pieter Ballon is manager of IBBT iLab.o, the lab and expert centre for open innovation in ICT, based in Flanders, Belgium. He is also leader of the Media, Market and Innovation research group at IBBT-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Formerly, he was senior consultant and team leader at TNO (the Netherlands). Pieter holds a PhD in Communication Science and an MA in History. He specialises in business modelling, open and user-centric innovation, and the mobile telecommunications industry. He has been involved in numerous national and international R&D projects in this field, and has published widely on these topics. In 2006-2007, he was the coordinator of the cross issue on business models of the Wireless World Initiative (WWI), that united 5 Integrated Projects related to future wireless systems in the EU 6^th Framework Programme. In 2009, he was elected Secretary of the European Network of Living Labs.

 

Prof. Dr. Eric Corijn (°09.03.1947)

-Is actually Professor of Social and Cultural Geography at the Free University of Brussels and teaches also at the Master in Tourism at University of Leuven (Belgium). Formerly also thought at the universities of Deusto (Bilbao-Spain), Tilburg (The Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium), Vesalius College-Brussels (Belgium), at the Catedra Unesco de Politiques Culturals I Cooperacio at the University of Girona (Spain).

-Is the director of the centre for urban research at the Free University of Brussels: COSMOPOLIS, City, Culture & Society and coordinator of UABrusselsStadsplatform, a platform of Brussels urban studies.

-Is co-director of POLIS, a joint masters degree in European Urban Cultures of the universities of Brussels (VUB), Tilburg (UvT), Manchester (MMU) and Helsinkii (UADH) and of “4Cities”, a UNICA-Euromaster in Urban Studies with the universities of Brussels, Vienna, Kopenhagen and Madrid.

-Holds degrees in Zoology, Philosophy and Science Dynamics from the universities of Ghent and Brussels (Belgium), did postgraduate studies in Futures Research (Utrecht and Amsterdam - The Netherlands) and Psychoanalysis (Ghent-Belgium), holds diploma’s from Art School (in Sculpture and in Monumental Arts- RHoK-Brussels - Belgium) and holds a PhD in the Social Sciences from Tilburg University (The Netherlands)

-Is the author of over 200 publications on a wide range of subjects.

Prof. Dr. Leo Van Audenhove is associate professor at the Department of Communication Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and at the Vesalius College. He lectures International Communication, Policy Analysis, and Globalisation and the Information Society. He is senior researcher at the centre for Studies on Media, Information and Telecommunication a research institute which forms part of the Interdisciplinary Institute on Broadband Technologies of the Flemish Community. Between 2001 and 2004 he worked part-time as a researcher/advisor at TNO-STB in Delft, the Netherlands. His main areas of interest are international media and communication, the information society and ICT policies, the political economy of Internet media and Internet governance. He has published in international journals such as Third World Quarterly, International Review on Education, Communicatio, Political Communication, Journal of Media Business Studies, Gazette, etc. and has co-authored two books on the digital divide. Leo is honorary researcher at the Link Centre, University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and­—together with Luciano Morganti and Tom Lipinski—holds a Jean Monnet Module on European Information Society Policy in a Global Context at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Prof Dr. Timo Ojala: Professor of computer engineering, MediaTeam Oulu research group, University of Oulu – Finland. Timo Ojala received his M.Sc. and Dr.Tech. degrees in 1992 and 1997, respectively, from the University of Oulu, Finland, where he is currently working as the professor of computer engineering. Dr. Ojala is regarded as the "father" of the panOULU network, a city-wide municipal network providing open and free wireless internet access to the general public around the City of Oulu. Currently, Dr. Ojala is the responsible director of the large UrBan Interaction (UBI) program, which aims at building a functional prototype of future ubiquitous city in Oulu. Dr. Ojala has published about 100 international scientific publications on mobile multimedia, human computer interaction, networking and computer vision. He has served as the founding co-chair of the 1st International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Multimedia (MUM 2002), the general chair of MUM 2007 conference and in the program committees of many international conferences.

 

Dr. Philippe Roy: Alumni of École Normale Supérieure and PhD in Fluid Mechanics, Philippe Roy has been a physicist at ONERA before joining Groupe Bull in 1985 where he occupied several positions of project manager and marketing product manager for software products. He has been a founder of Evidian, a network and security management software company where he occupied positions of OEM Partnership Manager and CTO and successfully managed partnerships with Tandem/Compaq, Amdahl/Fujitu and Motorola. In 2001 he became VP, Technology Partnerships at iMediation, one of the few companies that created the PRM (Partnership Relationship Management) domain. Philippe Roy has been Vice President in charge of Marketing, OEM and Technology Alliances at Delia Systems from 2004. He joined Cap Digital as Deputy Executive Officer, in charge of R&D projects, in early 2006.

Ray Mack:   Strategic Change Manager

Raj has been working for Digital Birmingham since 2006. Working at a strategic level, he is responsible for ensuring that the use of digital technologies are integrated into city- wide Strategies, policies and plans so that services can be personalised and made accessible to citizens using channels of their choice and at the time of their choosing.

Raj was the Project Manager for Birmingham wireless cities project which enabled the creation of a ubiquitous street based wifi network across Birmingham's city centre, and the creation of the free information zone, the Birminghamfiz, which provides free access to location specific information onto any wifi enabled mobile device via the wifi network. Raj is currently working with regeneration programmes to establish how next generation broadband can be integrated into all areas of regeneration and ways of reducing the digital divide for social excluded communities.

 

Guy Vanhengel: °10/06/1958 – Brussels Minister of Finances, Budget, External Relations and Informatics of the Region of Brussels-Capital. Guy Vanhengel first got elected in the Brussels Parliament in 1995, making the switch to the Government of the Region of Brussels-Capital in 2000. In 2004, he added the global IT policy to his portfolio, unifying all IT-related expenditure for the Region of Brussels-Capital in one budget division. With the Brussels Regional Informatics Center as central administration, he started working on a citywide wireless access to the internet in Brussels. In 2006, UrbiZone covered the whole of the campus of the ULB/VUB university in WiMeshed technology, a network which has recently been extended to all college campuses in the Region of Brussels-Capital. On the application level, he advocated the use of the electronic identity card (eid), distributing free card readers among administrations and citizens. In 2008, IrisBox was the first full-blown eID-based electronic service provisioning platform for administrations, open to all public insitutions. With the VUB he set up a research program to investigate and identify the tools and partners necessary to accelerate the use of mobile wireless internet access and applications, now known as the ‘iBrussels’-project.