Author Archives: Frankly

Dublinked – Prototyped in Dublin

Prototyped in Dublin – Open data project Dublinked

Interview with Deirdre Ni Rathallaigh The Studio Dublin City Council and Director of Dublinked ©Frank Hughes posted originally on Digitigm.com February 2012

The Capital as Prototyping Test Bed for scalable products and services

Dublinked.ie is the first regional open data platform in Ireland, recently launched by partners in the four Dublin Local Authorities and NUI Maynooth with technology provided by IBM.

Open access to government owned data is set to revolutionise how entrepreneurs convert raw data into valuable digital products and services.

Dublin’s unique physical, social and economic infrastructure and geography is a very attractive test bed for new products and services. It’s big enough to develop scalable products and services but small enough to get efficient feedback and meet with all relevant stakeholders.

Deirdre Ni Raghallaigh from Dublin City Council and Dublinked was interviewed about opportunities for Ireland to use its unique global network to develop scalable digital products and services tested in its capital.

2. Dublin as City region

Dublinked is a collaborative project which was initiated by the four Dublin local authorities and National University of Ireland Maynooth. IBM is providing the technical portal. Dublinked is about sharing data to encouraged economic development in the Dublin region. Dublinked was launched in October 2011 during Innovation month. Deirdre Ni Raghallaigh of the Studio, Dublin City Council answers our questions on Dublinked and the potential of Open Data for the Dublin region

What is Open Data and why should it be treated like a National Raw Material Asset as valuable as gold or diamonds?

Put simply Open Data is data that is published in open formats and can be easily reused by others. Open Data was originally used to describe government information that is collected at public expense and is made available to further transparency and open government. More recently data has been made available as raw material for research and commercial development in order to drive economic development and innovation. In essence it can be a form of recycling where information gathered to one purpose can be used in conjunction with data from other sources to provide new products and services. Open Data has been used to develop a number of mobile apps for example journey planner or to map usage of resources like water. Some private bodies have also released their data openly and recently there has been a movement towards shared private sector data among certain sectors for example in the pharmaceutical and cotton production industries.

3. Potential of Open Data

4. Use of layered data to map water consumption (IBM Research)

What are the key objectives of Dublinked and deadlines?

We have launched the site with the initial release of over one hundred and forty datasets. We are now working with members and other interested parties to see how we can better meet their needs. Initial feedback includes demand for additional data, different formats or access to internal mapping. . There is a demand for live and streamed data but there are complexities in this area which we will need to resolve. Dublinked is about more than data provision. We intend to create networks of people interested in the same topics to facilitate the sharing of ideas and research. Other public bodies have recently approached us about using Dublinked to share their data. We have uploaded information provided by the National Transportation Authority Our objective is that Dublinked would become the repository for all data on Dublin. This would facilitate all users using one location.

How will it achieve these objectives?

Creating communities of interested people who will give us honest feedback is our priority at present. We are running two thematic workshops before Christmas, one on planning data and the other one looking at the technical issues we need to resolve to make the data we provide more useful. We are also receiving a number of enquiries and suggestions for improvements online. In 2012 we will be concentrating on broadening the topics covered by Dublinked and growing the number of organisations willing to share their data. Keep an eye on Dublinked.ie for further information

5. Dublinked Planning Workshop Dec 8^th 2012 (mypp.ie presentation)

Where does Dublinked and Open Data sit within the National Digital Strategy? Who in government is championing the Digital Agenda to leverage this National Asset?

Ireland does not yet have a national digital strategy. However there are agencies such as Enterprise Ireland who are working towards developing the first Irish Government policy on Open Data. The Department for Public Sector Reform has also outlined a commitment to publish open data. These are very positive signs. New initiatives like Decisionmap.ie are also providing new mapping and visualisation services for demographic and spatial data. Dublin’s local authorities are actively pursuing the Open Data agenda in Ireland. Fingal County Council led the way with the Fingal Open Data Hub and now Dublinked is providing the first regional platform.

6. Decisionmap.ie and showing locational and quantum data from Census on 3^rd level doctorate students

How does your own background, interests and training affect your approach to data in general and the new opportunities presented by Open Data for the country?

My previous roles as a business librarian, press officer and communication manager were all about connecting people to the information they needed. While the technologies and the focus on open data are new the basic goal is the same. Currently I work in the Studio which is an innovation unit operating in Dublin City Council. Our role is to look at how Dublin City Council can facilitate innovation within the organisation and across the city. The Dublinked project offers the opportunity to do both. It allows the local authorities to engage with app developers, designers, IT professionals and researchers to investigate new possibilities for the region.

7. Layering of datasets to develop valuable linked information (Feedback board from Dublinked workshop)

How is Dublinked differed from other Open Data Models you mentioned earlier?

Dublinked is a mixed model in that 80% of the information is open and available to all but it also has a research zone that contains information that is restricted to members because of licensing, format or other issues. Some data providers want to test the waters with some of their more problematic data. This research zone and the regular member activities of Dublinked members will we hope creates a community where people from different perspective are encouraged to come together and collaborate as part of a regional innovation network.

8. Diagram showing the relationships between the stakeholders to Open Data in Dublinked Model

The value of the exploitation of Public Service data within the EU has been estimated at €40 billion per annum . How big is the market Share Ireland can reasonably expect of this and who is best placed to exploit the data here?

It is true that Ireland’s market share in the open data market is small by international standards, neither are we first movers in Open Data like the US or UK. There are a number of conditions that could place Ireland well to tap into this wider market, if we can leverage them. One of the main objectives of Dublinked is to promote the Dublin region as a place to test and prototype products and services that are developed using open data and which can then be scaled up to other cities and brought the international market. We are fortunate in having world class researchers in our universities and in our multinational and proven innovation ability in our design and SME sectors. The challenge is to bring these assets together.

9. Crowd sourced real time data – derelict buildings over shops ( scenario)

Dublin is big enough to have sufficient complexity to provide a good testbed environment but also has an advantage in being small enough to collaborate regionally. So we want to get all the relevant players on board to build this “Prototype in Dublin” capability.

Other countries and cities have Open Data policies in place and projects up and running. Which are the ones we in Ireland can learn most from to get up to speed quickly?

We can obviously learn a lot from the success of London data store; a regional open data portal, which is run by an Irishwoman, Eimear Coleman. I think Amsterdam has also been very successful in promoting itself consistently as an open innovation city through the Am’smart’erdam branding, which is followed through in their open data.

10. Mapped Cycling Accidents within a City zone ( scenario)

In each country where Public Sector Open Data has been successfully exploited, similar excuses have delayed exploitation initially – loss of licensing revenue, Privacy, loss of control, national security, different formats, to name but a few. Given that the Dublinked is designed to exploit a recently discovered National Asset in our hourof greatest need, how will these obstacles be overcome quickly?

We have encountered many of those reasons for data ‘hugging’ when we were identifying datasets for Dublinked. In many cases people just didn’t understand why any one else would be interested in their data or fear that it will be misinterpreted. Hopefully now that the site is launched it will help us build an understanding as to what open data is and open eyes to the different ways that people can use this data in new and interesting ways. Also important is the use social media in building awareness among, people who ‘get it’ and can leverage political support and lobby other data providers. We are working organisations such as the National Digital Research Centre and Science Gallery Ireland to build awareness of possibilities.

11. Integrated transportation scenarios (scenario)

12. Wifi modelling of coverage within City Block for certain applications (scenario)

Given the strong national presence of multinational companies such as IBM, Intel, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and DERI and Ireland’s particular ecosystem and diaspora, what will it take for Dublin and Ireland to lead the world in Open Data?

13. Internet usage globally

Dublin is developing a cluster of research expertise across sector, so we are well positioned to capitalise on the drive towards more applied research, provided we all walk the talk. We also need to identify funding streams including European Framework funds and to set up a framework for regional collaboration so we can benefit from the international experience and networks available to us. We are too small to be all working independently reinventing the wheel.

How would you sell the open and shared data concept to other public bodies?

Open Data is an opportunity for those of us in public bodies to view our data in a new light. It also allows us to share our data within organisations and with other public bodies. It is an opportunity to share and source information in new ways. Also it allows us to work with those who are genuinely fascinated by the information, data and mapping that we possess and have multiple suggestions on how we could improve the way we do it. There is effort involved but we as public bodies have a lot to gain by becoming involved. The EU Commission are currently preparing an Open Data Strategy for Europe which will further open up the market for services based on public-sector information.

14. Entrance to Library Pentagram

Web LINKS

www.dublinked.ie

http://www.ndrc.ie/videos/digital-innovation-inventorium-open-data-18-hour-challenge/

http://opendatachallenge.org/

www.decisionmap.ie

Datastore London

http://data.london.gov.uk/

Open gov London ideas

http://data.gov.uk/ideas

Silicon republic

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/24954-eu-open-data-strategy-could/

OSI

http://www.osi.ie/

Twelve Horses

http://www.twelvehorses.ie/

CSO

http://www.cso.ie/en/index.html

Amsterdam

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/amsterdam-smart-cities-work

http://www.amsterdamsmartcity.com/#/en

San Francisco and US

http://sunlightlabs.com/blog/

Road map to the digital city

http://www.nyc.gov/html/media/media/PDF/90dayreport.pdf

Crowdsourced open data – Ushahidi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ushahidi

ESRI

http://esriireland.wordpress.com/

LINKED OPEN DATA CLOUD

http://richard.cyganiak.de/2007/10/lod/

NEED FOR NATIONAL DIGITAL STRATEGY FOR IRELAND

http://www.digitigm.com/2010/10/case-for-national-digital-strategy.html

IMAGE CREDITS

Brand Proposal and composite images

//prototypedindublin www.FRANKArchitecture.ie

Composite images 1/ 9/10/11/12 www.FRANKArchitecture.ie

Individual images

1. Matrix backdrop- www.videohive.net

1. Dublin Map – ESRI

2. Dublin pin map – www.visualphotos.com

3.Layering of open data – www.cemast.illinoisstate.edu

4. Layered data research on water consumption – www.ibm.com

5. Dublinked Planning Workshop – www.dublinked.ie

6. Extract from decisionmap.ie- www.decisionmap.ie

7. Dublinked workshop www.dublinked.ie

8.Stakeholder relationship diagram – www.dublinked.ie

9.Wifidata and Dublin Map scenario – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ushahidi and ESRI Ireland , New Delhi project http://www.holcimfoundation.org/Portals/1/docs/A11/APAC/posters/A11APacINdelhi.pdf

10.Bicyclist – www.gudphoto.com – Map http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2011/10/23/beyond-freedom-of-information-lies-open-data/

11. Real time trains www.traintimes.org.uk – Integrated Dublin transport – NRA – Metro North

12. Wifi Coverage – www.torrens@geosimulation.com logo

13. Internet usage www.culturalknowledge.org

14.Pentagram – Entrance to Library- Paula Scher http://pentagram.com/en/new/paula-scher/index.php?page=3

The Circus as Innovator

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WHAT CIRQUE TROTTOLA AT WESTPORT ARTS FESTIVAL HAS MASTERED THAT BIG BUSINESS WANTS

A small circus troupe from France CIRQUE TROTTOLA ( Spinning Top ) performed to packed tents at the Westport Arts Festival this month . The performance was breathtaking , intimate , theatrical and treads the fine line between dangerous , poetic and funny – all hallmarks of great circus, but also with a twist.

This reinvented New Circus model demonstrates fundamental innovations that Big Business Corporations strive to emulate.

Format

The performance of Volchok is a simple story of 3 characters whose physiques and gestures , props , balancing and choreography keep the intimate audience of about 300 in rapture for about 80 minutes. Two musicians play found object multi instruments to heighten drama and provide mini act solos. . More theatrical and Waiting for Godot than traditional circus the multi-talented speech free performers are pushed to their limits. Photos by Phillippe Laurencon

Critical Acclaim

‘The artists of Cirque Trottola put the emphasis on emotion rather than on the spectacular, on astonishing with simplicity, rather than with effect. Volchok is a virtuoso balancing act, a falling act, a flying act, suspended in its own colour “ Letni Letna website

‘A hymn to the fragility of dreams in a poetic world.’ Pariscope
‘The three protagonists of this fairytale circus sow magic and dreams wherever they
passepass.’Campus mag Campus Mag

‘A curious atmosphere seizes us when entering the small tent: warmth, mystery, proximity and seduction. They tell us their stories by means of acrobatics, balance and swinging trapeze, in a both simple and sophisticated way’. www.catastrophe.be

Business Model Innovation

In response to the needs of an international travelling circus to develop a form which is both ground breaking and affordable, Cirque Trottola demonstrates its commercial acumen.

In contrast to traditional forms of circus , using many acts and performers, clowns , animals, orchestras, interval snack sellers etc Cirque Trottola is refined to a multi tasking powerhouse. Much debate currently in the business press revolves around business model innovation and many good lessons can be learned from this small circus.

KEY INNOVATIONS

1. MULTI-ROLE PERFORMERS (Swiss Army Knife )

The core Performers play multiple roles and Musicians play multiple instruments. Strength of characters and prodigious talents appear larger than life. 3 performers , 2 musicians , 1 Master and 3 ticket attendants / bar staff visible. Total 10- 12 inclusive .

Reduced operational and capital costs.

2. MORE WITH LESS ( Apple iPhone )

More theatrical than traditional circus , costumes are simple and used as props themselves. No animals , no special catering, no trainers, no special additional transport or quarantine. Props are minimal , a brush, chair, a dress, a coat, a hat ,sacking and trapeze which is part of tent used to great effect. Local assistants help erect the tents as part of contract.

There is a reduced footprint of parking for the tents and trucks meaning that ground rent is low and access to inner city sites and parks easier.

Reduced operational, transport and capital costs, more flexibility for different environments.

3. KEY COLLABORATIONS ( NASA International Space Station )

As part of performance , the two musicians use marbles, bowls, brooms,and bric a brac with one organ , cymbals and an electric guitar to great effect .They create wildly evocative sounds to complement the performance . Simple changes of location and sound focus raise or lower the tempo. Experimental music theatrically performed adds another layer to the experience.

Cirque Trottola has proud tradition of pushing out the boundaries of music performance and have previously collaborated with the renowned French Composer Pierre Bastien who has been pioneering experimental music using Meccano

International Profile building Collaborations and additional sales channels.

4. UNIVERSAL APPEAL and Branding (Music , Play , Theatre and Choreography )

No words are spoken during performance , only dramatic facial and body gestures, archetypal physiques ,balancing and trapeze movements along with mesmeric and primal music. The Story is kept simple in order to communicate clearly. Simplicity and effectiveness of communication medium works internationally. No translation necessary. The brand speaks for itself and needs no elaborate explanations.

Cost efficient global communications medium.

5. SUPER EFFICIENT DELIVERY (Amazon )

The public are led via a small tent housing a ticketing area and small bar through to the main tent. Another small bar lies under the seating of the Big Tent. There is no interval for refreshments , the performance is continuous.

Once complete the public are encouraged to move to the smaller tent and have some refreshments in the smaller tent. This frees up the main tent quickly for the next performance, eliminates need to clean up between shows and creates atmosphere and anticipation for the next circus goers.

Speed of turnaround and additional performances and revenue possible.

6. TEAMWORK (Google )

Given the small numbers of people involved in the circus , great teamwork is essential to pull off great performances. Clear goals and ambitious artistic objectives are balanced with practical / safety and human concerns. No-one can afford to play prima donna as many skills are required to be mastered by all. Each year a particular country destination is chosen by the team to perform in and explore as a working exploration of that particular country.

High degree of trust built up between all members of team . All suggestions considered and one agreed for annual working exploration.

7. END USER MARKET RESEARCH (INTEL )

The ability of a small troupe to experiment with new routines on different trips and adopt or amend them depending how they are received is hugely advantageous and efficient. In this case the managers ( also the performers) are in intimate contact with their audience both during the performance and after. Feedback can be quickly processed and decisions made which will help determine successful adoption of new experimental artistic direction.

Many large organisations use Ethnography ( embedding researchers in specific communities over long periods ) to learn about their core needs and wants . Cirque Trottola can get relatively instant feedback and make decisions accordingly.

Efficient and low risk prototyping of new approaches and performances.

In bringing this circus to Wesport , the Festival Committee has brought more than just an exhilarating circus act!

References

CIRQUE TROTTOLA

www.cirque–trottola.org

Philippe Laurencon Photographer

http://www.cirquenexon.com/expositions/piste-one-par-philippe-laurencon

WESTPORT ARTS FESTIVAL

www.westportartsfestival.com

BUSINESS MODEL INNVOVATION

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_model_innovation

ETHNOGRAPHY

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnography

http://blogs.intel.com/research/2010/06/what_buying_a_pc_means.php

SWISS ARMY KNIFE

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Army_knife

UNIVERSAL APPEAL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_(novel)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_play

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chieftains

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverdance

APPLE IPHONE

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1823107,00.html

GOOGLE

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google

http://www.googlelabs.com/

AMAZON

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM47OE3GXF_Ireland_0.html

Future of Mobile Marketing

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Interview with CEO Eamon Hession of Púca, Irish Innovator company in Mobile Marketing.

Tell me about Puca, its origins and its innovations in marketing here and abroad.

I founded Púca back in late 1999 originally as an online community specialist developing and managing web communities. We started integrating SMS as one of the features of our platform so that for example, you got an SMS if someone responded to a post you had made online. We were then asked by an advertising agency to run an SMS competition where people would text a number with a keyword, and that opened our eyes to the whole potential for interactive SMS, where the messages are not just being pushed out, but whereby the messages that are being received can be connected to information, applications and databases. We had a bit of a Eureka moment and decided to ditch the online community stuff, which at the time wasn’t making any money for us, and started devoting ourselves full-time to developing and managing SMS messaging for major brands and organisations. Over time we’ve added additional mobile technologies and capabilities, including Android and iPhone development. These obviously give a lot more richness in terms of the design and graphics possibilities. Although I think there’s still a lot to be said for plain old SMS in terms of its mainstream reach and instant access.

Our business these days involves a combination of mobile apps, SMS services and mobile commerce. Often a project will involve a mix of all of these so we could be developing an integrated PC website, which is also optimized for mobile phones, an iPhone app (and potentially Android, Symbian and other platforms) and an SMS service.

We entered the Chinese marketplace a few years back and we now have a well-established office and team in Beijing serving multinational customers who are seeking a local mobile partner in China.

Our customer base in Ireland includes companies like UPC, the National Car Testing Service (NCT), Meteor, Spar and many others whilst in China we’re currently working with companies such as Accuweather and Grohe. Our Chinese team also worked on the Irish Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo developing the whole mobile and web presence that went along with that.

What drives the founders? Who inspired them most and why ?

Mobile appointment reminders NCT I’m the founder of Púca. Before that I was involved in web development: I set up the Irish web design company Webfactory in 1994, which I think was the first dedicated web development company in Ireland. Before that I worked in the music industry, at EMI records in London. I’m driven by trying to do things that are original and a bit ahead of the curve. I like to be working with something that’s on the cutting edge but it can also be a good business strategy to be positioned early on in a sector that is going to grow. I think its also important if you’re operating out of a small country and a small market like Ireland that you look outwards and create something that can be sold internationally. I think what probably inspired me originally was seeing how people like U2 and their management organization have been able to build a successful international business based out of Ireland built upon innovation and creative talent. There have been many other similar accomplishments in areas like film, dance and theatre so I think those of us working in other industries in Ireland, be it the technology sector or whatever, should be inspired by those people working successfully in the arts and try and emulate them in our own fields.

Describe your design process and which part you find most scary and most satisfying ?

Its very much a team effort in here. What we effectively bring to the table with our customers is a deep knowledge and experience of mobile technologies and what works and what doesn’t on the mobile. Combined with that we have the execution capability from our own in-house software development and design resources and of course our own proven, tried and trusted mobile platform which we have developed and enhanced over the years. We try and make sure that the customer has clearly defined their objectives in advance and we generally engage in a workshop process with them to tease out the requirements in full. For us its extremely important to have all of the specifications detailed in advance as our team is spread between Dublin and Beijing so we have to be very disciplined about making sure everything is clearly defined upfront so we can keep everyone on the same page. Generally we’ll do the front end, user interface designs here in Dublin along with the technical architecture and software design, and then the Beijing team does a lot of the implementation, working closely with our Dublin-based developers. Mock-ups and wireframes are a key element of the process so usually we’ll do that very early on and that’s obviously a key part of the specifications process with the customer. On the graphic design front, whilst we do have in-house design capabilities, we also tend to work with different freelance graphic designers based locally here in Dublin and this I think gives a bit of variety and freshness to the different interfaces.

What do awards mean for your company and the people within it? Do you think Commissioning Clients get adequate recognition for their vision by commissioning innovative work? How might this be improved?

Its certainly a very good marketing tool in that it reassures customers that they’re working with the best and there’s definitely a great buzz that the staff get when every time we win an award. But at the end of the day we’re here to just do the work and the success and failure of a particular application or project is not in whether it gets an award but in whether the client’s objectives are achieved. Of course if we can do that AND win an award for it then all the better!

How can the technologies Puca uses solve problems in emerging markets and third world ?

The use of mobile technologies is often more advanced in developing countries. They don’t have the same legacy infrastructure as we do so it’s more of a blank page they are starting from. There often isn’t an existing fixed line broadband infrastructure there and with the cheaper cost of phones versus computers, mobile usually represents the most logical way to communicate information. Mobile solutions often are also the most pragmatic way to solve a particular issue or problem. For example, in extending banking and payment services, in communicating health information, in getting access to market prices – all of those areas are currently being addressed using mobile technology in the third world at the moment – to an extent barely touched upon here. Its not even smartphones or mobile Internet or apps that are most widely used – usually its just two-way SMS as its very cost effective, its available on all handsets and yet it has all of this highly functional interactive capability.

6. In your opinion which institutions in Ireland – Educational and Enterprise really understand the core dynamics of innovation ? What key recommendations might you make to encourage more entrepreneurship here in Ireland?

I think there’s different types of innovation. In the enterprise area, it has to be very market driven and it has to have a business case. But it doesn’t – or maybe shouldn’t – have to be the same way as that in the universities, and I think there’s a lot to be said for just pure research. You have to allow for the potential of unforeseen discoveries or outcomes, so I’m not sure that there is the same dynamics between enterprise and education nor that the approach should be the same.

I think there’s plenty of things that could be done to encourage entrepreneurship in Ireland. Firstly, there has to be tax and other financial incentives in existence – just look at how the government was able to inflate the property bubble by its policies over the last ten years. Imagine if all of those incentives and all of that effort into promoting the property sector had been put instead into creating world-beating Irish companies, into creating something that was actually productive, sustainable and useful. Secondly, people have to be inspired by, and want to be, entrepreneurs. They need to see more successful businesses and companies coming out of Ireland and they need to have the role models to emulate.

7. In the 21^st Century what are your predictions for technology in 10, 20 and 30 years and their implications for Ireland ?

I’m not sure I can think that far ahead!! But one technology I believe is really interesting is augmented reality, which is effectively about the intersection between the real, tangible world of physical objects and the virtual, interactive world of information and social networks. I think there’s huge potential in enhancing our real world experiences with interactive ‘layers’. At the moment, we may be at the point in the technology cycle where we’ve gone too far into an essentially superficial world in our online life and connections: it’s all very ‘inorganic’ – and so I wonder what will happen when all of that gets drawn back into, and blended with, the real world.

8. What are the traits of your ideal collaborators , in Ireland and abroad?

We’re happy to explore collaborations with companies where our platform and/or our skills can add value. For example, we’re currently working with a company who has a strong web-based presence and a lot of large clients, but no mobile skills or technology. The way we are working with them is to connect our SMS platform and app development skills with what they have. This gives them the ability to instantly provide their customers with an integrated mobile solution which adds value to their offering, and for us it gives us another channel to market.

9. Are Clients here beginning to understand the beneficial role of technology for their activities or are they very much behind their global competitors?

Yes I think Irish companies may be beginning to understand the value of technology and I hope that they now finally grasp the opportunities that are there. In my opinion I don’t think that its sufficient for Irish companies to only seek to be ‘as good’ as the international average, instead they’ve got to take risks and get out ahead of the curve, not follow behind it. We’re a small island country with a small home market, so we’re disadvantaged in that way – in order to compete internationally we’ve therefore got to do things better than anyone else and part of that is using new technologies in an intelligent way. On the plus side, we’ve actually got quite a technologically advanced home market: for example, we have the highest text-usage per person in Europe and our usage of apps, smartphones and mobile Internet is similarly ahead of international norms. Therefore companies here should be trying out new things with those technologies in a market where there is a ready appetite for them, and that might also give them the opportunity to take those home-grown innovations into other international markets. This is I think an area where the government and public sector could take a lead in introducing and promoting initiatives around some of the key new areas of mobile innovation including for example mobile payments and ticketing and mobile-enabled communication with public services generally.

Weblinks Puca

www.irelandexpo2010.com

www.puca.com

M-Pesa Mobile Payment Service Technology Kenya – Vodaphone and Safaricom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNrDv4PQdCc&feature=related

Music Innovation -FMC Interview

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First Music Contact leads innovation within the music industry from the ground up

Interview with Angela Dorgan CEO FMC

What is First Music Contact and why is it innovative ?

First Music Contact is a free information and advice service for bands and the independent music sector in Ireland.

We deliver a number of projects to sector for artists at all levels of their career. The artists retain full control over their own destiny, developing their profile , music and degree of exposure to the wider industry.

Breaking Tunes …………….. is an online music protal that hosts the individual profile of over 2000 irish bands and musicians. . The artists develop their own profile with music , giglistings,video etc. it is then available for Music Industry professionals, the general public and other artists to listen and enjoy. We also have a breakingtunes app which is free

www.breakingtunes.co

Hard Working Class Heroes This annual showcase provides opportunities for bands to submit their music to an international panel of judges for selection to play at the event which features 100 new artists performing in 6 venues over three days in October. FMC is active all over the world and refreshes its judging panel each year to reflect evolving trends within the industry.

www.hwch.net

Youtube link sample of what we do http://www.youtube.com/hwch2010

Events ……………. FMC facilitates a number of events , talks and collaborations each year introducing musicians to potential partners in film, animation, advertising, and promotes music from Ireland via worldwide festivals and showcase opportuinities.

FMC uses the Web and word of mouth as its communication channels and more recently Apple App for Breaking Tunes. However the key components to its success are its highly motivated artists and the trust developed over the last 10 years .

www.firstmusiccontact.com

Music From Ireland is fmc’s international project where in partnership with Culture ireland and IMRO we look after Irish acts at 7 international music showcases.

www.musicfromireland.org

What drives its founders and how did they identify the specific opportunity in this sector?

Founder is driven by the knowledge that not all wheels have to be re-invented and that Ireland has amazing talent, it just needed a bit more focus.

How important is technology within the start up music sector and how does it help aspiring musicians?

It gives them access to audiences within the music industry , access to fans and also access to creative opportunities.

How do you manage the issue for sustained quality of content from FMC Musicians?

We don’t . The musicians do it themselves through their own hard work. If they work really hard to fine tune their music and profile , it shows and opportunities come their way. .

What are the most surprising characteristics you find in young talented musicians?

Stayaroundability , innovation, Collective releases, being able to see the globe as one territory.

What type of different collaborations between musicians and other sectors is FMC to promoting ?

Film, advertising, radio and television drama, animation, storytelling, …..

What is the typical profile of people using the FMC platform and how do they hear about it?

They all hear about it initially through word of mouth. Everyone uses us, fans , bands and industry, local and international.

How have your views on the nature of Design changed as FMC evolved?

I never thought about how we delivered and resourced our sector in terms of design but I now see how innovative Breaking Tunes is in terms of its design . At the time we just saw it as a simple and straightforward solution to the problem of accessibility.

What lessons can FMC offer to the wider entrepreneurial community ?

Bottom up is always more sustainable than top down.

What are you currently working on?

We have just released our breakingtunes App for iPhone , have 13 acts preparing for Canadian Music Week, http://www.cmw.net and 19 preparing for SXSW http://sxsw.com

We have Today Fm and RTE 2Fm at SXSW, We are the spotlight country at the Great Escape in May and then have the FMC tour in June.

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Frankarchitecture is a design led architecture practice based near Dublin, Ireland. Projects range in scale from Urban Master Planning to Private Domestic Houses and include specialised experience in retail, office, conservation, hospitality, education , cultural and interiors in Ireland, France and the French West Indies.