Developing Affordable Remote Immersive Collaboration Spaces for All People ---Place ---Technology

Abstract

Critical to 21st Century living is the ability to be connected globally. Technology and infrastructure now allow unprecedented access to most parts of the planet, enabling global stewardship efforts such as addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, assisting in international disaster recovery efforts and implementing foreign aid projects. However, despite the prevalence of video-conferencing facilities and online engagement platforms, face-to-face meetings still prevail, particularly in academia where air-travel is the dominant contributor to most institutions’ greenhouse gas emissions. The cost of global collaboration is also significant with regard to work-life balance (time away from family and friends), and financial (drawing on often limited project budgets for sustainable development work). Addressing this challenge, in 2017 the authors embarked on an action-research agenda to create affordable remote immersive collaboration spaces that could replace ‘inconvenient travel’, involving super-narrow bandwidth transmission where data stays local. In this presentation the authors will overview their journey into creating ‘deep-work’ environments with increased levels of trust and engagement, and their break-through with regard to disaster-response applications. This will include a description of the facilities created, and discussion of the key role of collaborative industry-academia-government engagement, engagement with the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association, and the catalytic role of the International Society of Digital Earth including partners in Japan (Chubu University) and Europe (Joint Research Centre). The authors will also discuss next steps and opportunities for engaging with the research.

Full text

Associate Professor Cheryl Desha (BEng Env, PhD)
Director, Engagement (Industry), School of Engineering & Built Environment
Director Adapter-DEN, Cities Research Institute, Griffith University
Developing Affordable Remote Immersive
Collaboration Spaces for All
▪Mr Luis Perez-Mora
▪Dr Savindi Caldera
▪Professor Hiromichi Fukui
▪Mr Cuan Naidoo
Presenter:
Co-Authors & Collaborators:
People --- Place --- Technology

Source:Leunig, M. (1984) The Age, 17 March.

How do we take actions to meet local –and global –agendas?

Everything is
connected, and
‘where’ is critical
- Right time -
- Right place -
- Right resources -

For disaster response, it is
fundamentally a process of …
RESCUE
(providing a second-chance)
and
RECOVERY
(supporting the grieving process)

Case Study: NSW VRA
Data, IT and Logistics
▪Organisation context
- The data challenge
- The resourcing challenge
- The culture challenge
▪Phase 1: Digital Establishment
- Creating communication systems
- Creating data pathways
- Creating data accountability
▪Phase 2: Shifting Practice
- Deep data forensics –VRA data
- Harnessing secondary data
- Building capacity in times of change

NSW VRA –The Data Challenge
▪Previous Data –Issues and challenges
•Unknown data sources, unclear formulas to calculate hours, inconsistencies
with data collections
▪New Data –Issues and challenges
•Challenges with knowing what data should be placed on the report, no ending
times, too many hours on one report, unknown training details, names.
▪Reporting –Old reports, New reports
•Old reports did not show accurate data
•Moving Forward - New reports available on the NSW VRA Portal –look at permissions
levels chart.

The Resourcing Challenge
iPads and
develop
relationship
with Apple
Gain access to
Management
system, Deal
with Telstra
New deal with
Google (Emails,
Marketing and
others)
Receive the
NSW VRA
Purpose build
system
Consolidate and
develop a full
comprehensive
NSW VRA Portal
Deployment of
iPads to
executive Deployment of
iPads to Regions
Deploy emails to
all NSW VRA
Members with
VRA Portal
access

The Culture Challenge

Phase 1: Digital Establishment
“Where” - Creating the communication systems

Disaster & Resilience Management Facility
Ground Level, Eastern Pod):
Emergent Design (December 2017)
90m2+ kitchenette + 100m2adjacent zone
Prototype DENs: Two Campuses

Disaster & Resilience Management Facility
Ground Level, Eastern Pod):
Emergent Design (December 2017)
90m2+ kitchenette + 100m2adjacent zone
Prototype DENs: Two Campuses

Disaster & Resilience Management Facility
Ground Level, Eastern Pod):
Emergent Design (December 2017)
90m2+ kitchenette + 100m2adjacent zone
Prototype DENs: European Chapters
International Society of Digital Earth

Disaster & Resilience Management Facility
Ground Level, Eastern Pod):
Emergent Design (December 2017)
90m2+ kitchenette + 100m2adjacent zone
Prototype DENs: Japan Chapter –CHUBU UNI
International Society of Digital Earth
Field Trips
Workshops
Dialogue
Japan emergency response
Earthquake remote response …

Everything is
connected, and
‘where’ is critical
- Right time -
- Right place -
- Right resources -

Source:Leunig, M. (1984) The Age, 17 March.

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