- Olaug Råd Senior Adviser 22 03 72 43 olr@forskningsradet.no
The VERDIKT programme:
Blazing new trails into the future
"We will need a broad scientific approach in order to meet the technological challenges facing ICT," said João Schwarz da Silva, a director of R&D at the European Commission, at the annual conference for the programme on Core Competence and Value Creation in ICT (VERDIKT) in October.
R&D director da Silva recognised the VERDIKT programme for its willingness and ability to give priority to large-scale, wide-ranging projects, in which each research field involved contributes to the project as a whole. The VERDIKT programme is one of seven Large-scale Programmes administered by the Research Council.
The entire world is "Internet-able"
R&D director Jo�o da Silva. (Photo: Karin Totland)
In his lecture, Dr da Silva discussed "the Internet of things", that is, communications between devices rather than people. Sensors can be attached to goods, modes of transport and persons to create new types of networks between them. One example of this concept is an electronic luggage tag already in use at some European airports.
Electronic luggage tags can be read much more accurately than traditional barcode tags, reducing the risk of losing or misdirecting luggage. All communications concerning the luggage go via Internet. The passenger, airline, customs authorities and others involved have access to the necessary information.
Focus on wireless communications
ICT development encompasses much more than just Internet-based solutions. Under the VERDIKT programme, a range of projects address a variety of challenges regarding wireless communications. A major challenge in this area is efficient sharing of bandwidth during data transmission.
(Illustration: Shutterstock)
Four Norwegian projectsA large number of projects funded by the VERDIKT programme were presented at the conference. Below are four examples of projects focusing on wireless communications: Controlling air trafficThrough the SECOMAS project, Jan Erik Håkegård of SINTEF is involved in an international collaborative effort to develop a new system for directing the ever-increasing volume of air traffic. This new system, called Air Traffic Management (ATM), will be ready for implementation in 2016, Dr Håkegård told the conference. The Norwegian sub-project deals with communications challenges in particular. Click here for project information Life-saving network of sensorsWireless internal hospital communications is another area of focus. Knut Grythe of SINTEF explained how patients can be hooked up to an in-house network of sensors that wirelessly transmit data on the patient's condition. Using this network, medical personnel can, for instance, easily monitor a patient's vital signs during an operation as well as during convalescence in hospital and at home. The project is led by Rikshospitalet University Hospital in Oslo. Click here for project information Steering the direction of beamed signalsOne way of preventing data from different sources from disrupting one another is to aim the signals being sent out - so that instead of being beamed in every direction, they travel only in the direction of the device receiving them. At the VERDIKT programme conference, Jens Hjelmstad of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) explained how this can be accomplished using micro-electromechanical switching (MEMS) technology - an area that has been investigated since the 1970s. With MEMS, antennae surfaces can be treated so as to reflect beams in a controlled fashion, making it possible to aim the signals in any given direction. Click here for project information Models incorporating game theorySang-Seon Byun of NTNU uses game theory to explore how to improve utilisation of common resources when many users share a wireless network. The premise is that each user achieves better results when all the users share a common overall objective, rather than focusing on optimising her own situation. "In our model we let each user transfer only the exact amount of data necessary for a satisfactory result, but without disturbing the signals of the other users," explains Dr Byun. The model describes a trade-off between a completely regulated situation in which everyone's behaviour is strictly constrained and a completely free situation in which every user can act in his own best interests. The model stipulates that each player (user) prioritises the overall objective above his individual goals. Click here for project information |
- Published:
- 10.11.2008
- Last updated:
- 10.11.2008
