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Our research on cross-layer optimised video distribution over wireless networks has led to wide- reaching economic and societal impact, via the following pathways:
- Standardisation: our research results were directly adopted in WirelessMAN and LTE, the two global standards for the next generation of wireless broadband networks.
- Collaborative research: the work resulted in a product that has been commercialised by our collaborators Rinicom Ltd, an SME specialising in mobile video, and recognised with a Queen's Award for Enterprise (2013), for achievements to which our research contributed significantly.
- User engagement: the work resulted in the deployment of a WiMAX network in Slavutych/Chernobyl, Ukraine; contributing to community regeneration in a UK Government programme to address social and economic consequences of nuclear power plant closure.
Based on research within the Digital Media Technology group, innovative multi-media technologies for capturing, structuring, and analysing real-time crash test data were developed, between 1996 and 2006, leading to transformational impacts on the professional practices of the global vehicle crash testing industry. Initially realised through an award-winning technology transfer programme with MIRA, the systems have been widely deployed by leading crash test organisations, supported faster vehicle design iterations and contributed to the design of safer vehicles. The underpinning research has directly contributed to the ISO standard (ISO/DTR 13499) and its current version. The impact is ongoing and long lasting since most systems in current use are largely based on the original technologies.
This case study focuses on an innovative teaching method based on the use of digital video. This novel approach is significant because it can be shown to have changed the mind-sets of many educators who used it, by encouraging them to transform their pedagogy through adopting an interdisciplinary rather than a subject focus for their teaching. There is demonstrable evidence to show this new pedagogical method had considerable reach and impact at national, European and international level across a range of different educational settings including schools, colleges, HEIs and commercial organisations.
The primary impact of our research has been through systems that provide information for the deaf community via animated sign language. Tools exploiting our research into automatic generation of human motion, especially for sign language, are used in several ways:
The same avatar (animated character) technology has also been applied in two other arenas: as a foreign language learning resource for primary school children and to add value to cultural heritage presentations.
The volume and diversity of data that companies need to handle are increasing exponentially. In order to compete effectively and ensure companies' commercial sustainability, it is becoming crucial to achieve robust traceability in both their data and the evolving designs of their systems. The CRISTAL software addresses this. It was originally developed at CERN, with substantial contributions from UWE Bristol, for one of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments, and has been transferred into the commercial world. Companies have been able to demonstrate increased agility, generate additional revenue, and improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness with which they develop and implement systems in various areas, including business process management (BPM), healthcare and accounting applications. CRISTAL's ability to manage data and their provenance at the terabyte scale, with full traceability over extended timescales, based on its description-driven approach, has provided the adaptability required to future proof dynamically evolving software for these businesses.
This case study embodies a non-linear relationship between underpinning research, software development and deployment. It involves computer science research at UWE in conjunction with its applied development for the world's largest particle physics laboratory and onward deployment commercially into private sector industry.
From 2005, a body of research undertaken at the University of Essex has developed a novel debug support architecture for systems on a chip (SoC). This platform successfully addresses the challenge of debugging applications executing on SoCs with multiple processor cores. A system-centric architecture is used, which achieves substantial improvement in compression and requires dramatically less silicon real estate than existing state of the art applications. The research underpins `UltraDebug', which is commercialised via the spin-out `UltraSoC'. UltraSoC has attracted investment worth £5million (the majority coming from venture capital sources) and is currently working with PMC-Sierra to incorporate its innovative technology into PMC's next generation of storage controllers.
Video surveillance or monitoring is an important ingredient of modern life. Research conducted by the 2017Centre for Information, Intelligence and Security Systems` (CIISS), into improving the reliability of automated detection of visual entities in videos, has made an impact on public services and on practitioners (increased speed and quality, lower labour cost — Beneficiaries: U.K. Police; police investigators) and their health (mitigation of potential physical or psychological harm — Beneficiaries: police investigators), on society (reduction of a factor associated with crime rates and legal costs — Beneficiaries: the public; tax-payers), and on business (creation of a spin-out company - Adaptive Video Analytics Technologies Ltd — Beneficiaries: UK; and influence on management decisions about technology choices — Beneficiaries: Serco Group plc (HMP Dovegate)).
Research at Kingston University into methods for tracking pedestrians and monitoring crowds using computer vision techniques has been translated into commercial products by Ipsotek Ltd and BAe Systems, resulting in economic benefits to these companies from sales of these products.
These products have been sold to high-profile customers including the London Eye, the O2 Arena and the Australian Government, providing significant commercial benefits, employment and growth for both companies, as well as providing an economic impact for these customers.
Compendium software is used to map dialogue and information around socio-technical dilemmas with economic, public policy, educational and health impacts. In Australia, urban planners attribute stakeholder buy-in to dialogue mapping with Compendium. In the USA, a deadlocked environmental planning process used it to make progress, while Southern California Edison use it to manage environmental policy. In the NHS, it can map therapeutic group dynamics, while in Germany, a journalist summarised a medical ethics case to parliament with it. More than 170 companies and individuals have endorsed Compendium, a striking application being to control Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at work.
University of Cambridge research on the principles of `sentient computing' led to the foundation of spin-out company Ubisense, which has grown into a leading location solutions company. By the end of 2011, Ubisense had 170 employees and was floated on AIM with a valuation of £38.6million. It serves customers such as BMW, Airbus, Aston Martin and the US Army. Deployment of the Ubisense Real Time Location System has improved production line accuracy and efficiency by up to 10%.