In March 2012 the Horizon Doctoral Training Centre submitted an Impact Review Report to EPSRC based on key performance indicators as set by Research Councils UK to assess the Centre's research impact on the Digital Economy. The Centre is extremely proud of its achievements in this field and research is ongoing.
Impact Case Study Highlights
World Bank Internship - Mapping the need for public services
Photo Courtesy of Mark Iliffe
Mark Iliffe completed his internship with the World Bank. During August - November 2011, as part of the Open Development Technology Alliance – A project run by Global ICT, TWICT/SDN, World Bank – he was involved in leading the survey and mapping of the informal development of Tandale, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. The survey process included students from regional universities and citizens from Tandale itself. This geospatial data can now be utilised by the local government, aiding decision making in the deliverance of public services. This project also engaged the Tanzanian Commission of Science and Technology in building capacity in geospatial data collection and general GIS skills. This, in turn, has stimulated discussions on how data collected using a 'crowdsourced' methodology can be used as a component of Tanzania's Spatial Data Infrastructure, with themes of trust and quality at the foreground. His work is also relevant to other countries in the region (Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and Burundi) as part of the Living Labs and Southern Africa Innovation Support Programme. The internship was in two parts, firstly on mission in Tanzania and Kenya during August/September 2011 followed up with time in late 2011/2012 in the United States of America at the bank's headquarters in Washington DC.
PhD Research - Artistic Visualisation of Climate Change
Rachel Jacobs is focusing on the ways in which artists can add value to public engagement with the science of climate change. Her research involves collaborating with the UK Met Office alongside various artistic partners to create and study a series of artistic installations that stimulate and frame such debate. She won funding from the Arts Council of England for a project called ‘A Conversation Between Trees’ to visualise and compare data from sensors deployed in forests in the UK and in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. This included working with cultural partners and schools in Brazil as well as the UK (Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts, and The Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World), while also undertaking a field trip to the Atlantic Forest region. Academically, she is collaborating with Professor Gabriella Giannachi from Drama Studies at the University of Exeter which has led to initial papers at the Fine and Performing Arts 1st Annual International Conference and a chapter in the book Art, Technology & Environment. She deployed her work for nine weeks in Nottingham’s Rufford Abbey Park and at the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World in Haldon Forest in Devon, where it was experienced by 5000 visitors (250 of whom also took part in research workshops).
ShapeMix Internship - Development and launch of the ShapeMix iPad app
Mike Golembewski undertook an internship in Boston (US) working for ShapeMix LLC, a software start-up developing sound mixing applications for multitouch devices including the Apple iPad. His role involved negotiating the transition from academic research to commercial product development, including designing and developing a series of user-interface prototypes for multichannel audio mixers, as well as code development of a sample-based iOS multichannel audio engine supporting realtime effects manipulation and playback. The results have directly informed the shipping version of the ShapeMix iPad app, which is currently available on the iTunes store and has been favourably reviewed by Wired and Billboard magazine, amongst others. The CEO of ShapeMix LLC; Colin Owens has commended Mike’s work as follows:
"Without the exploratory research that Mike conducted, there would have been no way with which to evaluate the direction taken by the final commercial product. I think of what he did as a series of proofs of concept, similar to concept cars in the auto industry. His prototypes afforded us an avenue for much needed evaluation of what our software might be able to do, before we committed to a full product development process."