Dr Anne Galloway, Victoria University of Wellington

on

Counting Sheep: New Zealand Merino Wool in an Internet of Things

Tuesday, 31 August 2010, 11 am – 12 noon, followed by light refreshments (to 1 pm)
Please RSVP by 25 August 2010 to julieanne.edwards@qut.edu.au

Queensland University of Technology, Council Room (A105), A Block (map)
Victoria Park Rd, Kelvin Grove QLD 4059

Abstract

Pervasive computing brings together wireless, networked and context-aware technologies, including Global Positioning System (GPS), environmental sensors and Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), to embed computational capacities in the objects and environments that surround us. The “Internet of Things” is a related vision for future computing that proposes a shift from a network of interconnected computers to a network of interconnected objects. By virtue of their status as highly regulated and globally traded commodities, livestock animals and animal products have long been tracked and are primed to be amongst the first non-humans in such a network. Specifically, RFID-enabled livestock traceability programmes are increasingly being mandated by governments and agricultural industries worldwide to better support management of disease outbreaks and maintain access to high-value export markets. In these technologically determinist traceability scenarios, animals are largely envisioned as manageable and saleable information and farmers are more often positioned as technicians and data collectors than as animal caregivers.

This project investigates the role that cultural studies and design can play in presenting both producers and consumers with alternate visions for the future of human-animal relations. Through a juxtaposition of technological livestock management programmes and non-technological wool industry products and services, this presentation will critically question the social and cultural implications of emergent technologies and existing traceability efforts. Particular attention will be given to articulating research practices and stakeholder relations that can significantly engage relevant issues and avoid the pitfalls of both dystopian and utopian futurism.

Biography

Anne recently relocated from Canada (a.k.a. The Great White North) to take up a position as Senior Lecturer in Design Research at the School of Design, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Drawing on a background in sociology and anthropology, her research focusses on emergent technologies in their visual, discursive, material and practical manifestations. Anne really likes animals and technology, and you can learn more about her and the world’s best cat™ on the web at plsj.org or on twitter @annegalloway.

A workshop in conjunction with Making Links 2010
Monday, 15 Nov 2010, Perth, Western Australia

www.makinglinks.org.au/news/research-for-action

Workshop Theme

This workshop brings together people from a diverse range of disciplines to discuss how academic researchers and community practitioners and activists can work together to explore the use of information and communication technologies, social media, augmented reality, and other forms of network technologies for research and action in pursuit of social responsibility. The aim is to connect people with ideas, ideas with research projects, and harness new media to further inquiry into socially just outcomes in our community.

Participation

There are two ways in which you can participate in this workshop. You can either come along as a general participant, including having the chance to present a short position statement on your current research needs, projects or ideas (whether as a researcher or active practitioner), or you can present a paper (full length papers to be selected on the basis of peer review). Workshop costs AU$ 85 if you also register for Making Links 2010, or AU$ 145 if you only attend the workshop. Morning/afternoon tea breaks and lunch included.

A. General participation stream

Position Statements: We are calling for 300-500 word position statements expressing the interest in the workshop and the disciplinary background of the participant.

30 July 2010 Submission of short position statements by email to the workshop chairs

30 Sep 2010 Notification of acceptance (early-bird rate closes 1 Oct 2010)

B. Peer reviewed publication stream

Full papers for peer review and publication in a special issue of the Journal of Community Informatics (to be confirmed): http://www.ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions

06 Sep 2010 Submission of full papers for peer review by email to the workshop chairs

30 Sep 2010 Notification of acceptance (early-bird rate closes 1 Oct 2010)

01 Nov 2010 Revised, camera ready papers due

Workshop Keynote Speaker

Douglas Schuler has been focusing on the intersection of society and technology for over 25 years. He has written and co-edited several books, including Participatory Design: Principles and Practices (Erlbaum, 1994), New Community Networks: Wired for Change (Addison-Wesley, 1996; http://www.publicsphereproject.org/ncn/), and most recently, Liberating Voices: A Pattern Language for Communication Revolution (MIT Press, 2008), a multi-year undertaking (still in-work) with 85 contributors. He is president of the Public Sphere Project (http://www.publicsphereproject.org/) and former chair of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. For CPSR, Doug organized the Directions and Implications of Advanced Computing symposia series which was first convened in 1987. He is also a co-founder of the Seattle Community Network, a free, public access computer network supporting community and civic engagement that first went online in 1994. He is a member of the Faculty at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, a non-traditional liberal arts college, where he teaches programs that focus on the idea of civic intelligence. Doug has a masters degree in computer science (University of Washington) and a masters in software engineering (Seattle University). He is working on his PhD.

Workshop Chairs

Associate Professor Matthew Allen (@netcrit), Internet Studies, Curtin University of Technology
m.allen AT curtin.edu.au

Associate Professor Marcus Foth (@sunday9pm), Urban Informatics, Queensland University of Technology
m.foth AT qut.edu.au

in conjunction with Internet Research 11, Gothenburg, Sweden, 20 October 2010

http://ir11.aoir.org/program/pre-conference-workshops/

Description

For research students and early career academics, universities offer resources that help develop their research skills – for example, critical theory development, literature reviews, research methods, data analysis, writing skills, etc. However, building a successful career in academia poses a wide range of new challenges in addition to the pure academic craft of research. The resources and resilience one needs in order to shape an academic career path often appear ambiguous, particularly in the innately transformative field of Internet research. In response to feedback from AoIR members, this full-day workshop seeks to address this concern by offering a supportive and constructive environment to discuss career development related issues that are of specific interest to research students and early career academics.

The first half of the workshop is devoted to the process of transitioning into research student training and supervision. In the second half, we will look at issues of academic leadership. The workshop chairs, along with invited senior academic researchers, will share with the participants some of their off-the-record insights of their career development milestones and the related decisions that have shaped their career paths. The workshop chairs will act as facilitators and moderators who will encourage the participants to join the discussion and share their own views and experiences with the rest of the group. The goal is to establish a peer support atmosphere that bridges disciplinary, cultural, and regional differences in order to distill the common skills and capabilities that are necessary to identify and seize opportunities for shaping one’s own career trajectory in academia. The main topics of discussion for each session will be negotiated with the participants on the day. This is to make the workshop as relevant and practical to the participants as possible.

Schedule

The following is the proposed activity plan:

09.00 – 12.00 Research training and supervision

• Building a track record
• On and offline communication and collaboration tools
• Mode of Thesis: Monograph / By Publications / Exegesis
• New ways of building and communicating knowledge

12.00 – 13.00 Lunch

13.00 – 17.00 Academic leadership

• Identifying significant research trends and building momentum and engagement
• Building and managing a multidisciplinary research team
• Social media tools for research and stakeholder relationship management
• Recruiting research partner organisations and liaising with external stakeholders
• Project management and research budget accounting
• Human resources: recruitment, performance planning, and review
• Research-teaching nexus
• Promotion and tenure

The final selection of the invited senior academics is to be confirmed.

Fees & Logistics

• Date: Wednesday, 20 October 2010
• Time: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Location: Chalmers student union building, room TBA.
• Fee: 330 SEK
• Lunch and coffee included.
• Facebook event entry: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110293655687140

Submission & Participation

The number of participants in this workshop is limited to 25. If you are interested in attending, please send an email by 1 Sep 2010 to both workshop organisers with a single PDF file that contains:

• Your name,
• Affiliation,
• 200 word biography,
• 200 word statement expressing your career aspirations, and what you hope to get out of your participation in this workshop.

Contact

Associate Professor Marcus Foth

Email: m.foth AT qut.edu.au

Web: www.urbaninformatics.net

Dr Jaz Hee-jeong Choi

Email: h.choi AT qut.edu.au

Web: www.nicemustard.com

Organizers

Associate Professor Marcus Foth is Principal Research Fellow with the Institute for Creative Industries and Innovation, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia, and founder and team leader of the Urban Informatics Research Lab. He received a QUT Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowship (2009-2011), and a Smart Futures Fellowship from the Queensland State Government (2009-2011), co-sponsored by National ICT Australia (NICTA). He was awarded the inaugural Australian Business Foundation Research Fellowship on Innovation and Cultural Industries 2010 sponsored by the Aurora Foundation. He was an ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellow (2006-2008), and a 2007 Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, UK. Dr Foth’s research explores human-computer interaction design and development at the intersection of people, place and technology with a focus on urban informatics, locative media and mobile applications. The high quality of his research work has attracted over $1.7M in national competitive grants and industry funding since 2006. Dr Foth has published over 70 articles in journals, edited books, and conference proceedings. He is the editor of the Handbook of Research on Urban Informatics (2009), and is currently co-editing the book “From Social Butterfly to Engaged Citizen” for MIT Press (2011). He was on the AoIR Executive Committee between 2007 and 2009. He is the conference chair of the 5th International Conference on Communities and Technologies 2011 in Brisbane.

Dr Jaz Hee-jeong Choi is an ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellow (Industry) at the Institute for Creative Industries and Innovation, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia. Her research interests are in playful technology, particularly the ways in which various forms of playful interaction are designed, developed, and integrated in different cultural contexts. In her recently completed doctoral research, she developed a new conceptual approach to urban sustainability that recognises ‘play’ as the core of transformative interactions in cities as ubiquitous technosocial networks. Her current research explores designing and developing playful ubiquitous technologies to cultivate sustainable food culture in urban environments. She has collaborated with leading international researchers and published across various disciplines, which as been a fun journey, but she is looking forward to even more – or some would say, ‘the real’ – fun to come.

Interview with John Zheng who is a strategic planner from the Rockhampton Regional Council. The interview discusses John’s work with the preparation of rewriting new planning schemes and his thoughts on engaging the community through the use of technology.

Interview with Martin Zaltron who is a manger and director for the Urban Development Institute of Australia, Queensland Branch. The interview will discuss the UDIA’s role in Queensland, neighbourhood planning, environmental sustainability and martin’s thoughts on urban informatics and how it can be used for community engagement.

Urban computing is an emerging multidisciplinary field which studies public spaces such as cities as computing sites. It is driven by two related trends, urbanization and rapid deployment of rich computing infrastructure in urban areas. As urban computing systems are by definition culturally situated in the public spaces, their successful development calls for harnessing the real world as your research laboratory.

TOPICS OF INTEREST

UBI Challenge Workshop 2010 (UCW 2010) solicits original contributions within the broad scope of real world urban computing. Relevant topics include but are not limited to:

- devices and techniques

- systems and infrastructures

- applications

- methodologies and tools

- theories and models

- experiences

The fundamental requirement for all contributions is that they clearly address real world urban computing in some respect.

WORKSHOP FORMAT

The one-day workshop will have two sessions. The morning session comprises of the presentation of the accepted papers and a summary of the recent activities and findings in the ubiquitous Oulu. The presentations provide the stimulus for the afternoon session, which focuses on prototyping of new urban computing applications and services using different prototyping methods and starting assumptions. The resulting prototypes are documented for further analysis and dissemination.

The workshop provides the participants with ample opportunity for active interaction with like-minded colleagues on urban computing. Additional benefits include inside access to recent activities and findings of a leading edge urban computing research program and a comprehensive overview of the ongoing UBI Challenge (http://www.ubioulu.fi/en/UBI-Challenge-Workshop-2010).

KEY DATES

Aug 09, 2010 – Submission deadline (final extension)

Aug 23, 2010 – Notification of acceptance

Sep 06, 2010 – Camera-ready deadline

Sep 26, 2010 – Workshop at Ubicomp 2010, Copenhagen, Denmark

CHAIRS

Timo Ojala, University of Oulu, Finland

Jukka Riekki, University of Oulu, Finland

PROGRAM COMMITTEE

Anind Dey, Carnegie Mellon University, USA

Marcus Foth, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

Jonna Häkkilä, Nokia Research Center, Finland

Timo Ojala, University of Oulu, Finland

Jukka Riekki, University of Oulu, Finland

Jürgen Scheible, Aalto University, Finland

Mikael Wiberg, Umeå University, Sweden

PAPER FORMAT

Papers should be formatted according to the Ubicomp ACM Word or Latex template (http://www.ubicomp2010.org/templates) and submitted as PDF files. Papers must be no longer than 4 pages, including the abstract of no more than 150 words, all figures, and references. Paper submissions have to be anonymized to facilitate double blind review. Authors should take care throughout their paper that their and their institution’s identity is not revealed. However, relevant references to an author’s previous research (which may be required for reviewers to understand and evaluate the paper’s contribution) should not be suppressed but instead referenced in a neutral way.

PAPER SUBMISSION

Papers are submitted using the EasyChair Conference System (http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ucw2010). You need an EasyChair account to submit your paper.

WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS

Workshop proceedings will be published by the University of Oulu with an ISBN number in electronic format. The proceedings will be later offered to international publishers for publication.

Have you noticed something in need of fixing around Brisbane? From blocked drains to damaged street signs, rubbish or graffiti, QUT’s FixVegas iPhone app allows you to send fix-o-gram requests directly to Brisbane City Council. Just use FixVegas to snap a shot of the problem and your fix-o-gram is submitted to Council along with the location information of the issue that you are reporting.  You can download it for your iPhone here.

Download via iTunes:
http://bit.ly/cR2YN3

DispoMaps enables you to share your current location on an online map with anyone. The map is constantly updated as you go, using your iPhone’s GPS.

DispoMaps is easy to use. Launch the app, switch Location Sharing to “ON,” and decide how you want to share your location: via SMS, email, twitter, or facebook.

Your recipients will be sent a link to a unique web page displaying a map of your real-time location. Once you have arrived at your destination, you can easily dispose of your map by switching Location Sharing to “OFF.”

DispoMaps does not require user accounts. And the recipients of your DispoMaps do not even have to have the app installed.

Your privacy is protected: The web page does not contain any information that reveals your personal identity. DispoMaps allows you to stop sharing and dispose of your map whenever you want. For enhanced security, DispoMaps automatically expire after a set period of idle time.

What’s new in version 2.0
-       Major bug fixes
-       Major user interface improvements
-       Twitter integration
-       Facebook Connect integration

Download via iTunes:
http://bit.ly/cR2YN3

Abstract

The increasing ubiquity of digital technology, internet services and location-aware applications in our everyday lives allows for a seamless transitioning between the visible and the invisible infrastructure of cities: road systems, building complexes, information and communication technology and people networks create a buzzing environment that’s alive and exciting. Driven by curiosity, initiative and interdisciplinary exchange, the Urban Informatics Research Group at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is an emerging cluster of people interested in research and development at the intersection of people, place and technology with a focus on cities, locative media and mobile technology. Our team comprises and collaborates with architects with degrees in media studies, software engineers with expertise in urban sociology, human-computer interaction designers with a grounding in cultural studies, and urban planners with an interest in digital media and social networking. Being hosted by the Institute for Creative Industries and Innovation at QUT enables our projects to embrace the creative energy of a range of disciplines across design, performance, production and writing. Associate Professor Marcus Foth will present an overview of the projects that the Urban Informatics research group is currently working on. More information at: http://www.urbaninformatics.net/

Bio

Associate Professor Marcus Foth is Principal Research Fellow with the Institute for Creative Industries and Innovation, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia, and team leader of the Urban Informatics Research Group. He received a QUT Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowship (2009-2011), and aSmart Futures Fellowship from the Queensland State Government (2009-2011), co-sponsored by National ICT Australia (NICTA). He was awarded the inaugural Australian Business Foundation Research Fellowship on Innovation and Cultural Industries 2010 sponsored by the Aurora Foundation. He was an ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellow (2006-2008), and a 2007 Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, UK. Dr Foth’s research explores human-computer interaction design and development at the intersection of people, place and technology with a focus on urban informatics, locative media and mobile applications. The high quality of his research work has attracted over $1.7M in national competitive grants and industry funding since 2006. Dr Foth has published over 70 articles in journals, edited books, and conference proceedings. He is the editor of the Handbook of Research on Urban Informatics (2009), and is currently co-editing the book “From Social Butterfly to Engaged Citizen” for MIT Press (2010). He is the conference chair of the 5th International Conference on Communities and Technologies 2011 in Brisbane.

Followed by Afternoon Tea

RSVP to:
Sarah Turnbull
Administration Assistant
NICTA I PO Box 6020 I St Lucia QLD 4067
T +61 7 3300 8590 I F +61 7 3300 8420
www.nicta.com.au sarah.turnbull@nicta.com.au
From imagination to impact

The city is full of information. NICTA is addressing the challenge of getting access to this information to connect with others, find out where cool things are happening, learn, and display information about the power we use, the food we eat, the environment we live in.

In this workshop you will learn how to tap into some of information the city has to offer. We will learn how to use Arduino micro-controller and hook up a variety of different sensors. We interpret the sensor results and share them to be used across different projects.

Once we’ve covered the basics you get to do your own project. Some basic understanding of programming will be helpful, however the course is targeted at beginners and you will be able to pick up the necessary skills as you go along.

What you will learn

• What is an Arduino, and how to use it
• How to program an Arduino
• How to build basic circuits
• How to share sensor information using Pachube
• How to visualising sensor information with hardware and software
• How to do your own cool Arduino projects

Course program

Day 1: Teaching and experimentation

Learn the basics about the Arduino platform, what it is how it works. Write your first program and upload it. Learn how to use a breadboard to build circuits. Experiment with different components and sensors. Learn a bit more about the programming language we use—Processing.

Day 2: Project/group work

During day 2 you will pick your own project to do as part of a group. We will help you to conceptualise your ideas and turn them into a hardware and software design. A day full of tinkering and fun.