Derry City Council to be flagship broadband project for Northern Ireland

The project 'Walled City to Wireless City', is partnership between Derry City Council, the University of Ulster and North West Institute of Further and Higher Education.

The Flagship Project will create a wireless-enabled working environment in the City for students, tourists and citizens. It has three elements; Wireless Walls, which will see the historic Walled City of Derry become a wireless network environment for tourist information ; Wireless Campus which will allow students at Magee and NWIFHE to work wirelessly whether they are in lecture theatres or even in the Student's Union; and Wireless Council, where new wireless applications will be piloted to help deliver better services to the public. Speaking at the launch of the Flagship Project, Mayor, Cllr. Lynn Fleming indicated that investment in IT development, through this project, would bring many benefits.

' Walled City to Wireless City will continue to raise the City's profile as a location that is capable of working with cutting edge technology and ideas. Demonstrating that we are embracing the Digital Age supports the city's campaign to attract ICT investment to Derry and the North West. I am particularly happy to see partnership-working resulting in investment in Magee and NWIFHE.'

The announcement enhances the reputation of the University's School of Computing and Intelligent Systems at Magee as a centre of excellence in wireless technology. Professor Martin McGinnity, who is managing the Wireless Campus element of the project comments:

' This exciting project supplements our other research work on e-Learning and remote access to laboratories, and will permit us to provide a better, more flexible approach to teaching and learning. We anticipate a new integration between lecture and practical laboratories, and the application of new teaching methodologies as a result of the Smart Classroom elements of this project. Our goal is to create an active learning environment where students engage enthusiastically in their learning, as a result of the potential offered by anytime anywhere computing inherent in the advanced wireless infrastructure'.

The North West Institute of Further and Higher Education (NWIFHE) is also a partner in the project. Also speaking at the launch Mr Gerry Mc Guckin, Deputy Director of NWIFHE stated that:

' Mobile and wireless technology enables a fundamental shift in the way in which organisations and indeed educational institutions function. Demands on estates and facilities and the need for flexibility will drive organisations to utilise wireless technologies fully. Having a facility whereby a computer laboratory can be created out of a classroom virtually within a day will revolutionise estates strategies within education. The flexibility for staff and students will significantly enhance the teaching and learning experience and contribute to a positive ethos within education.'
Wireless Walls to Wireless City will also be of direct benefit to businesses. Dermot Harrigan, Economic Development Officer at Derry City Council explained:

' The project encourages North West businesses to use and develop wireless applications. Applications, such as Wireless Walls and Wireless Council, which are being developed and tested by the partners, will showcase opportunities for the private sector to bring forward new services. This will be backed up by a Wireless Demonstration Centre hosted on the Magee Campus where businesses can roadtest the new technology before deciding to introduce it into their own business environment'.

One particular application being piloted will be wireless enabled tours of the Walled City. Louise Breslin, Digital Economy Project Officer with the Council; commented:

' In this pilot, tourists will be able to experience the rich historical and cultural heritage of the city through hand held PDAs(Personal Digital Assistant) which will bring alive the story of Derry through a diverse range of digital media including video footage, sounds and photographic images. The service will be designed in ways which will enhance the visitor experience at the same time as complementing the excellent personal and group tours provided by the City's tour guides'

The Broadband Flagship project was initiated by Derry City Council and UU and will receive funding from DETI, under the EU Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme, of £1m for 2 years for the delivery of the core project elements of the wireless project.
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