New Materials for Outdoor Kiosks

Public DataWeb have spent some years developing outdoor kiosks from the basic metallic appearance to more interesting and feature laden architecturally designed street furniture units. These systems exhibit new features, have new market potential and use new materials, incorporate lighting effects and provide a unique mix of digital public services.

Our mix of locally focused onboard and outboard broadcast (WiFi) digital public services is unique. These new units combine digital panel advertising displays and so offer our clients and service providers with a modern and valuable service with great scope for revenue generation when located in strategic viewing positions.

Public service platforms that stand out in the streets.

Hub communications units have to be very robust and operate continuously in harsh conditions; night and day.

PDWeb is once again doing the difficult things; this carry’s through to our methods for housing the outdoor physical platforms for hosting and outputting such services in public areas.

We are using modern new materials:

Tough multi-layer Polycarbonate provides a glass substitute that is strong and unbreakable, weather resistant and looks good. Furthermore it can be illuminated internally. The viewing screens are anti-glare and full sunlight viewable. The Hubs have internal thermal and cooling systems so can be used in extreme temperature ranges.

LED (Light Emitting Diodes) strip-arrays can be automatically controlled to provide various coloured illumination effects on the outer surfaces of PDWeb digital service Hub units: Street Furniture.

LED’s illuminate the Umbrella Communications Hub in Union Street Outside the famous Music Hall, Aberdeen. Photograph shows test illuminated poster advert.

PARASOL unit clad in LED Illuminated polycarbonate material

Designing the PARASOL an integrated outdoor Street Furniture The digital advertising Data Hub.

The newest addition to our range is the PARASOL it is self illuminating using the LED & Polycarbonate materials we have been experimenting with. It has a WiFi MESH output for FREE internet Access to surrounding areas and twin touch-screens (one each side) and above a twin sided digital billboard.

All the content services and digital billboard adverts are generated and updated from the Internet via our server side NOC (Network Operating Control computer). The polycarbonate material is just as robust as our Steel Umbrella unit but has extra properties of heat absorption (hot climates) and can have interesting illumination themes:

We are looking to provide different illuminating schemes.

We have 4 different zones:

• The side
• The roof
• The foot
• The front

Options for illumination and effects are:

1. Are LEDS the same type of single colour.
2. Dancing graphic animation.
3. Single colour changes.
4. Multiple colour changes & movement.
5. Slow movement pattern changes or static.
6. Each panel zone can have its own lighting controller.
7. Timed illuminating options; only when it is dark or all day
8. Dimmer to adjust the brightness: night/day.

All lighting is remotely controlled from the PDWeb NOC,PC. This also updates the content, the digital advertising displays, onboard CCTV, retrieves usage statistics etc.

Other features: 

• twin TOP digital advertising panels: direct sunlight readable
• fully equipped digital LED screen surface with a computer onboard the panel and necessary interface cards for the display panel: including WiFi Node MESH, 2 x loudspeakers, microphone and web camera
• A PA system can be built into each panel
• Optional: Solar Power, Refrigeration (Hot climate use). Solar panel -10w to 40w

A public access kiosk is only part of the story for the needs of the near future when always on overarching connectivity is demanded: Its all about great usability and service quality and content. A service that the public will require whilst in city centres and other public gathering places: units such as ours go into new frontiers of multiple services provision with a plus factor of outdoor operation. Significantly with the capacity to provide digital billboard platforms that generate revenue for the city / operator.

New Materials that will change portable displays – Graphene

Link … http://www.squidoo.com/computer-interfaces-of-the-near-future

Public Access Sytems

FREE public access systems...better cohesive digital services....citizen focused: stay tuned


The photograph shows users at the Umbrella Public Access Hub, it also provides a city information service on the touch screens plus a wide ranging mobile service via the top aerial WiFi City Centre MESH.

PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE INTERNET 

Free Internet Access

My definition of Public Access Technology is in the concept of free digital access to the general public.

Most hardware systems and devices such as mobile phones, the IPad etc provide access to the Internet.

The hardware has to be paid for and the connectivity too: line rental, mobile connection charges, ISP fees etc.

As the public obtain more and ever more mobile devices there comes an increasing need for always on, always connected options. Of course the telecoms companies rub their hands thinking of all the associated revenues when people sign up to get connected.

City's should be thinking about those who are 'socially excluded' those who for whatever reason are not able to be connected. Cities should also be aware that business in the city and its region, its visitors and tourists also have need for connectivity. A business in the local wants to reach certain sectors of the public, a tourist wants to know about amenities, places of interest, restaurants etc. These activities should be kept local for all the best commercial interests and public services access and notifications. Can these diverse requirements be left to the 'market' alone?

Retailers have adopted bespoke touch screen kiosks to promote their InStore goods catalogues, airports and rail stations use touch screens and websites for ticketing. These services are Free to use. Of course they pay for themselves in payback from sales.

Now a similar function could be provided for the general public in cities, beginning in the city centres where most people congregate. Such a system driven by a touch screen interface out in the streets can give easy access to everyone. Such public Access hubs can also provide a WiFi service. These operations can provide a FREE public service. Linking up to the internet and giving access to all. It can be very secure - only giving access to sites of value on the internet and banning perverse and illegal locations.

Such a free service promotes equality and builds a cohesive platform focused upon each city.

What is needed is the understanding that such a service is in everyone's interest and it should be encouraged if not funded by the city authorities.

An OVERACHING Public Network; that's what the service should provide.

What I mean is this: an inclusive service not an exclusive one.

Currently if you want to use your mobile you probably have to connect via GSM to the Internet if there is no overarching WiFi provided and cities mostly have intermittent hot spots only, whereas the public access network I envisage at least covers all the major city centre streets with a WiFi MESH and touch screen points at strategic street locations.

Also when you are connected on GSM to the internet and you want have everything that's about the location you are in, it can be costly due to repetitive searches for your need, and can be costly and if your battery holds out you might locate a few things for your itinerary; wouldn't it be great if your connection was free and the access to all you need was within a cohesive envelope focused upon all the best the city had to offer?

What I mean by this service is a showcase for all businesses thus encouraging local trade: restaurants, bars, transport, tourism, contacting a local official; everything. It's in the cities interest to keep trade local, to provide tourism services access and local government outreach facilities to its citizens.

Currently every website is there on the internet in its own right often without any interconnections of similar or parallel services connectivity so using that word again what is needed is an overarching system that brings all the city digital focused web- services cohesively together in a framework that is quick and simple without the need to make repetitive Google searches for each individually (isolated) website. Of course the current set up favours the telco's pricing as each separate Google then access linking to each website takes time and clocks up fees.

Every restaurant for example sees other restaurants in the city as a competitor when in reality people like to try many and different types and styles yet quite often there is no all inclusive restaurant guide. This example carries over for many sectors of business and information needs with nobody feeling a responsibility to do (that word again) an overarching and cohesive and all inclusive and free service. Some website like a local newspaper might put up some of this but mostly they look upon such a catalogue or directory as a fee generating operation and only those businesses that pay are included. This leaves a black hole of the digitally excluded businesses and services in the city.

The public using their mobile internet access technology will be frustrated by the lack of joined up rapid access coverage.

This sort of fiddling time consuming experience when searching to find city services whilst out and about in the city is frustrating and can be costly, in connection time charges, battery life etc and most just give up.

So its in the collective interest of ALL parties in the city to opt for a genuine technology based Public Access service. A Free joined up WiFi MESH wich prioritises a front access menu focused on the city location.

It might sound as though its something for the future but no.

It has already been provided as a pathfinder service in the City of Aberdeen in Scotland showing the way for others to adopt, from a grant from the Scottish government.

So it can be achieved and it can be provided free to the city as well as the public with a little lateral thinking by the city: cities have lots of street located advertising billboards.

The city should put in its own digital Public Access Technology infrastructure, using modern digital displays that incorporate large screens for outdoor advertising and rent the space to advertisers or the agencies that currently 'place' such adverts in our cities. Currently these advert sites are paper poster technology, old fashioned outdated and the replacement service is cheaper to operate and generates good revenues too the city operator.

Then on the back of this option the city can easily finance the same onboard technology platform to put out touch screen services for those without mobile devices and simultaneously generate a WiFi MESH to cover all the main streets with the free service.

The outcome is a better and far more modern less cluttered city advertising platform, which the city can obtain good fees from and at the same time fund and provide the always on overarching connectivity with a very useful overarching all encompassing web service and have spare funds to assist other worthy public services.

It's certainly possible: It's just up to enlightened city officials and the public to demand it!

The App wars: Google VS. Apple

Google has taken steps to undercut Apple in the big market of app subscriptions. Googles 10 per cent cut looks a lot more appetising than a 30 per cent cut currently taken by Apple. Not only this but it is looking a lot more publisher friendly compared to Apple which some experts are claiming are holding publishers to ransom in an anti-competitive way.

Let's see if Apple adjusts to this new competition and criticism.

Watson beats humans at own game!

Watson  super computer designed by IBM has defeated humans at their own game. The super computer specifically for questions and answers has beaten champions of Jeapardy moving computers one step closer to the ever chased true artificial intelligence. Over a three day tournament the human contestants proven no match for Watson to the excitement of it's engineers.

IBM engineers aim to implement the technology into automated bank and airleines phone services. It took 25 IBM scientists 4 years to create!

see more at here

Zambia pushes towards connected future

Zambia is pushing forward aiming to spread internet access to more Zambians, recognising the importance of connecting it's citizens to the world wide web, and with it, a wealth knowledge and resources.

see the full article on here: BBC News Zambia pushes towards connected future

AI apple detection for self service checkouts

Toshiba's research centre has developed Artificial Intelligence software that with the use of web cams can detect which type of apple is being scanned at a supermarket checkout.

Usually customers must search through on screen lists to select the apple type, but toshiba's software makes for a much speedier process.

An exciting new development that could lead to similar detection methods across a range of applications.

see full article at New Sceientist: Checkout AI uses camera to tell your apples apart