[LINK] Exploring Melbourne's Digital Future, 11 August 2012
Tom Worthington
tom.worthington at tomw.net.au
Mon Jul 30 08:38:07 AEST 2012
The city of Melbourne is hosting "CoMConnect: Exploring Melbourne's
Digital Future", 11 August 2012: http://comconnect.eventbrite.com/
This is a free "un-conference" on how how digital technology can improve
Melbourne. I was going to attend, when in Melbourne for ICCSE2012, but
CoMConnect was delayed due to a by-election. So I will not now be able
to attend, but here are some suggestions I have for a digital Melbourne:
1. Fix MiKi Ticketing system: On my recent visit to Melbourne I tried
Miki smart ticketing system. This was much more difficult and unreliable
than systems in places such as Istanbul and Canberra. I suggest
Melbourne and the Victorian government could obtain federal government
support and funding for making all the state smart ticket systems
inter-operable, so that someone with a MiKi could use it in other states.
2. Lego Education Melbourne for Robotics and Renewable Energy: Melbourne
has a wonderful resource in the Lego Education Centers. These run
courses in robotics and renewable energy using Lego education kits, for
school students and teachers. I suggest that similar courses would
benefit business and government.
3. Un-conference venues: Modern "un"-conferences require venues with
different facilities to last century events. What is needed is a
flexible layout which can be reconfigured by the participants, with
walls you can write on, display screens and wireless networking. The
pre-eminent example of this in Australia is the University of Canberra's
Inspire Center., which as used for the 2012 GovCamp/GovHack. I suggest
Melbourne catalogue existing such venues and encourage the development
of new ones.
4. Teach On-line Communication: A digital city is partly on-line. This
requires the citizens, business and cultural community to have good
on-line communication skills. As an example, an on-line event, such as
CoMConnect requires its own on-line presence (2012 GovCamp/GovHack
provides a good example). Melbourne has numerous public and private
educational institutions which can teach how to do this. I suggest
Melbourne City Council host free introductory courses at its public
libraries, for the citizens.
Here is the official CoMConnect event announcement:
---
The City of Melbourne is exploring how digital technology can help keep
Melbourne one of the greatest places to be - at work, at play and at
home in the 21st Century.
CoM Connect will bring together community leaders, thinkers, designers,
technologists, researchers, urbanists and makers over the weekend of the
11th and 12th August to explore Melbourne's digital future.
This is your invitation to join us!
We expect demand for this exciting event to be very high so act quickly
to secure your spot.
Important things to know...
Our hashtag for the event: #comconnect
We ask that you do your best to commit to participating over both days.
We understand this is a big ask and for our part we promise to make sure
you are well fed, mentally stimulated and entertained by a diverse mix
of fascinating people and conversations.
Due to the anticipated high demand we've had to limit the number of
tickets to 1 per person. If you had previously registered to 'save the
date' on behalf of friends or colleagues please forward them the
invitation so they may register themselves.
In order to make sure we have a healthy mix of backgrounds and
perspectives participating over the weekend a small number of
invitations have already been issued. The remaining places will be
allocated on a first come/first served basis.
In the event that all tickets are snapped up a waitlist will be used for
the overflow. This means if you find yourself unable to make it please
let the organisers know so someone else can take your place.
More about the event...
The Aims of CoM Connect...
Build Community – Start to build a network of people and companies
interested in working alongside the City of Melbourne to explore ways we
can deliver better experiences and services to those who live, work and
play within the municipality.
Build Knowledge - Create an environment where leading Urban and Digital
thinkers, researchers and practitioners can share share their knowledge
about emerging trends and what they might mean for the City and its
residents and visitors.
Inspire – Showcase examples of cutting edge ideas, projects and research
already taking place across Melbourne.
The Format...
CoM Connect will be run as an unconference or open space event where the
topics of discussion and the agenda are set by the participants.
Each day will start with a blank timetable that we'll populate with the
talks and discussions the participants (yes, that means you!) want to
lead and initiate.
Our venue at The Hub provides us with a multitude of adaptable spaces
that can just as easily accommodate a plenary session for 200 as a
conversation between a few people.
Once the timetable is populated it's up to you to decide which sessions
you would like to attend and which talks and discussions you'd like to
participate in.
For each session or discussion we ask that notes are kept and shared so
all our creative and intellectual output is captured.
The Outcomes...
In the days following the event the City of Melbourne (along with
everyone who participated) will be presented with a summary that
outlines the main themes, opportunities and areas for further
investigation. This will help guide the City of Melbourne's future
research and engagement activities as we work towards developing a
Digital City Strategy.
---
More links at:
http://blog.tomw.net.au/2012/07/comconnect-exploring-melbournes-digital.html
--
Tom Worthington FACS CP, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia http://www.tomw.net.au
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards
Legislation
Adjunct Lecturer, Research School of Computer Science,
Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/
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