[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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