Monthly Archives: July 2010

Minutes for the REALISE meeting – 26th July 2010, 10.30 – 15.30

Location – Turing Room, Oxford University Computing Services, 13 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6NN, UK

Attendees : Peter Cudd, Steve Lee, Ross Gardler, Mike Wald, EA Draffan,

Minutes

  • Minutes of previous meetings read with items signed off and actions taken forward.
  • Peter and E.A. to set out qualitative and quantative evaluation methods for the site and logging etc. Criteria still to be discussed Action PC and EAD
  • JISC meetings with support and synthesis team Ross will be attending Innovation meeting and to feedback to team – await news from synthesis group.
  • Mike W. to invite Mark Hawley, Lester Gilbert – still to be actioned MW and Peter to ask 50+ group for a representative, Ross to invite someone from Wikimedia, Nasser Siabi to be asked as a member of the business community, Ross to talk to Mark Pedley. Garry Paxton has accepted the invitation to be a member of the Advisory Group.
  • Advisory group – first meeting moved to September and the addition of a final AG meeting to respond to their views at the Dissemination Even in April 2011. Signed off
  • Southampton to confirm contractual agreements David Woolley has sent an agreement for Sheffield.
  • Ross will supply governance models for agreement by the team. Still to be actioned RG
  • Copyright issues that may arise with ATIB – no longer apply as evaluation showed that ATIB system not suitable for open AT innovation. Signed off.
  • Submission to RAATE – Mike Wald has written an abstract. Signed off awaiting result.
  • Set up RSS feed and Google Mailgroup – Signed off.
  • Put work packages on website and have sign off at the end of each meeting.  Work packages and project plan for JISC still to be actioned EAD
  • Project website – signed off – needs meeting calendar link
  • Brand Essence – Minuted thanks for this process – need to send letter of thanks to Liz Paxton for all her work still to be actioned EAD
  • Need to make a section for research – look at what other countries are doing – Peter has link to Harvard research on the subject, ? Australia.  Still to be Actioned ALL
  • Website URL – decision to go with www.realisepotential.org – Signed off
  • Clear definition of what we mean by open innovation compared to the JISC BCE Open innovation (OI) Action PC if poss.
  • Need to engage with companies such as Sirius to see how we can help them and vice versa. _ Steve knows Mark Taylor CEO Action SL – discussed and care needed as to the specifics of this link up re: AT use in schools on a Linux platform.
  • PC will send us the PowerPoint for the minutes and any other appropriate materials for the research part of the project.  Still to be actioned PC
  • REALISE – the vision – some came of the Brand Essence meeting – key words Serendipity connecting inspiring  ” Realising Potential through Partnerships”
    • Project Plan – Work packages on website – Action MW and EAD to make draft based on template http://www.jisc.ac.uk/fundingopportunities/projectmanagement.aspx
    • Project Web Page on JISC Web Site – awaiting information from JISC.
    • Project Web Site – logo design, Forum – Mailing list – Action EAD Joe from ECS to develop ideas that will be shared with team
    • Consortium Agreement – see above
    • Advisory group Membership – See above
    • Links with D4D and ATIB with overview from Peter – PC to send slides

From Agenda 26/07/2010

Initial version of REALISE online marketplace following a Co-design meeting to specify essential and desired requirements –  Initial version of REALISE online marketplace following a Co-design meeting to specify essential and desired requirements –  Evaluate Drupal v A- tutor v My experiment and feedback to team Action EAD – PC to send specification for ATIB to aid planning of innovation broker (correction by SL)

  • Consultancy Requirements/plan/milestones – OSS Watch till Dec. 6 days to include AT Licence Differentiator and 1 day workshop Business models (7-12 attendees possibly with JISC TechDis support?). Steve Lee to be contracted for work on Governance and Community. Future work in following year? 4 paid days and 1 supported by JISC. Interim and final report. Action MW and EAD
  • Participative stakeholder blog – Part of innovations broker website
  • AAATE 2010 sessions – Ross to present AT and open source, other workshops by team require papers 2-4 pages long. Action All
  • RAATE 2010 Workshop – Action All workshop if accepted
  • A.O.B.
    • See above for evaluation of website and consider A-tutor etc.
    • Website design – see above for ECS support
    • Ross discussed – What roles do we have for users…
      • Innovator (needs exploitation)
      • Consumer of AT innovation
      • Gatekeepers to the end users – how do those who engage do it – find the process for those who do link with innovators and make diagram (action SL and PC)
      • Needs
        • Find innovations
        • Communicate needs – end user
        • Satisfy needs – end user and innovator.
  • Set up times for  Virtual Skype meeting –  http://www.doodle.com/eepf6zxgvn8kxsmn

REALISE – Analysis and overview in a series of slides

Thank you so much Peter for this analysis for REALISE in terms of what the Assistive Technology Innovations Broker can offer and where we feel this project should be going…

These are images of the slides that can be downloaded as a PowerPoint file.

Devices for Dignity meeting 22nd July, 2010

D4DDevices for Dignity website

  • Aim to alleviate loneliness
  • Enable independence
  • Maintain confidence
  • Enable personalised service

D4D core activities

  • Facilitation and teambuilding
  • Accelerating Evidence based technology development
  • Adoption and dissemination

Set up National Advisory Committee – network of national experts representing D4D major stakeholder gro9ups who will advise, review proposals, evaluate devices and disseminate output within their field of excellence.

Create expanded network.

What dignity means – focus groups and word cloud developed.

Wendy Tindale Clinical director and Nicola Heron D4D Programme manager.

Follows a generic device approach:

  • Identify unmet needs or potential solutions to unmet needs
  • Prioritise – is the problem worth solving… tap into experts in consortium to understand context of the problem.  Impact on NHS, patients and D4D are questioned when discussing projects.
  • Prototype
  • Evaluate
  • Acceptance
  • Support market surveillance.

Does Realise have the skills to do this? – may not be quite so hands on with endorsement etc.

D4D has become a key contact for industry and stakeholders with endorsement and getting to patients – 16 R&D projects, 5 grant submitted 8-12 potential projects.

D4D are delivering products, publications and web tools.

AT Theme – Zoe Robertson. Deputy Theme leader

Taking in software and hardware solutions for all disabilities – covering all stages with user involvement.

Had themes at the outset:

  • Aids for dignity and independence – Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield commode – Youtube D4D dignity commode – 200k regional innovation award – research nurse leading adoption campaign, choosing sites for evaluation, evaluate adoption.
  • Mobility
  • Paediatric transport chair – survey with rich data from free text – 10 key themes – Frazer Nash then took data and came up with 4 themes then had a focus group. Whizz Kids facilitated the day as users attended.
  • Communication – novel communication software, MAAVIS, Receptive language, stammering, AAC

Simon Judge presented on User’s perceptions of Communication Aid design.

  • Telehealth / telecare. – Very topical – research with older people but D4D has been looking at paediatric telehealth/telecare and progressive neurological conditions as well as renal issues. D4D being a bit more focussed compared to other sectors.

Peter Cudd presented ATIB – Assistive Technology Innovations Broker

  • Innovations Broker – All clusters feed into the innovation broker – developed to avoid new AT being developed only used once or not used, avoid duplicated effort in design and a need to share with stakeholders, innovators and users. There have been problems with development and some content has been ‘squeezed’?   But very important filters and choices for all those registering and those searching and wanting feedback. ATIB records all the communications. There are some issues with the ATIB such as accessibility, non-disclosure agreements, no opportunity to offer topics of interest, needs ways of dealing with guidance, IP and exploitation. Rewards for contributors? Piloting and feedback cycles.

D4D Development cycle has 3 development questions?

  • What is the need?
  • How can the needs be met?
  • How well are the needs met?

A cycle of iteration for decisions in the example given of a head brace.

  • Explore – clearer needs
  • Create – better solutions
  • Evaluate – stronger evidence that solutions are better.

The stakeholder meetings for the AT theme showed that there are challenges getting end users, it is important to establish safe environments for idea generation, less can be more – need time for reflection. Limited resources lead to a need to prioritise innovative ideas but massive commercialisation is not the only criteria.  Impact is important in all ways not just financial.  Need to increase the network and bring in more expertise to enhance D4D outcomes.

Realise could learn and link up with many of the ideas developed by D4D for innovative designs working with groups as well as possibly linking to some of the general content on ATIB that is open to all – But I feel there are real concerns as to how we persuade people to engage in something that will be very open and may not have clear lines for coping with IPR, patents etc.

Agenda for REALISE meeting, 26th July, 2010

REALISE meeting 26st July 2010, 10.30 – 15.30

Turing Room, Oxford University Computing Services, 13 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6NN, UK map tel: 01865 283416 Park and Ride

Attendees : Peter Cudd, Steve Lee, Ross Gardner, Mike Wald, EA Draffan,

Items for agenda

• Minutes of previous meetings and those items that can be signed off

• Project Plan – Work packages on website

• Project Web Page on JISC Web Site • Project Web Site – logo design, Forum – Mailing list etc

• Consortium Agreement

• Advisory group Membership

• Links with D4D and ATIB with overview from Peter

• Initial version of REALISE online marketplace following a Co-design meeting to specify essential and desired requirements • Consultancy Requirements/plan/milestones

• Participative stakeholder blog

• AAATE 2010 sessions

• RAATE 2010 Workshop

• A.O.B.

• Date of next F2F meeting and use of technology for interim meetings

Brand Essence exercise

7 July 2010, Skype, Attendees : EA Draffen (EAD), Garry Paxton (GP), Liz Paxton (LP), Peter Cudd (PC), Steve Lee (SL)

LP took us through a Brand Essence exercise to help us focus and encapsulate our conception of REALISE. This is designed to elicit our subject thoughts and the end product is 3 words encapsulating the essence possibly leading to a strap line and logo. LP introduced the concept and her prior experience with large well know alcoholic drinks brands. We all then embarked on a brainstorming session (thought-shower if you prefer). We considered

  • How we describe it
  • How it users feel
  • How it makes users ‘look’
  • What it does for users
  • Facts and Symbols
  • Brand Personality

The Empty brand essence wheel

[Action: All] complete Facts and symbols

[Action: LP] provide us with completed wheel including the points we identified

[Action: ALL] independently find 3 words for centre

Authors note: – a worthwhile exercise that made us focus on and discus our ambitions for the project. Complicated by having several user types, all with their own view of REALISE.

Other business

EA announced that GP has joined the REALISE advisory board.

Exeter meeting for ATIB Discussion – 01 July, 2010

Attendees : EA Draffen (EAD), Peter Cudd (PC), Steve Lee (SL)

Items from the agenda
· REALISE – the vision
Stakeholders are all those involved at all stages -innovators, entrepreneurs, end users, institutional users (? Needs refining), carers NGOs, information providers, decision makers for funding etc,  – send message round to group to see who else should be on the list. Action All

Viewed PC’s PowerPoint – to see differences and similarities between ATIB and REALISE – Peter has suggested that this list is kept up to date as we go through the project.  PC will send us the PowerPoint for the minutes and any other appropriate materials for the research part of the project Action PC

Need to be thinking about how we will sustain and facilitate

1. Persuade some AT businesses and researchers that Open innovation is the way to go- and get them started

Discussed links with other sites that facilitate the sharing of open source software – such as OATS – Steve to explore possible links to the consortium, Action SL

• Need to think about Education, health, access to work and daily living.

Login – passwords – open access – accessibility.

Need to engage with companies such as Sirius to see how we can help them and vice versa. _ Steve knows Mark Taylor CEO Action SL

Need to engage REALISE users – may have to go to other forums such as BBC Ouch and Yourable – need to feel there is a reward for using the database. How do we sustain the collaborative nature of the site?  Action ALL

Need to engage with AEGIS, ACE Centre and SUS-IT – Loughborough and Dundee. Action ALL

Website URL Realise.at may not work so well with search engines – Peter and Steve advised use of .org to make it more global – so need to think about name, Action ALL

Clear definition of what we mean by open innovation compared to the JISC BCE Open innovation (OI)

Need to make a section for research – look at what other countries are doing – Peter has link to Harvard research on the subject, ? Australia.  Action ALL

Get quote from minister about open source etc
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/jun/04/open-source-website-costs Action EAD

Sustainability – may need to pay a administrator to deal with day to day work and to make sure some people are willing to maintain the community. People need to feel they can make a difference – about “shaping and influencing the future – give value to their contribution. ” (Paxton, G)  Every time there is an update – send it out an email to say about the new product or communication. – people log-in and there is a check box to ask if they want to receive further communication.

Brand Essence – Mrs Paxton with Garry Paxton of
Paxtoncrafts Charitable Trust – Skype whiteboard session – Time to be discussed – to get a logo – kite mark as a process to help sustainability – standards… guidelines.   Try to offer some legal advisors to advise on open source innovation – University of Manchester legal dept on open source (Steve)  Action SL and EAD

Also discussed with Garry Paxton as a possible stakeholder – a producer/developer and also a charity – He said he would join up as an individual and he told us about a Dutch developer who is working on a open source desktop application that will use Mulberry Symbols – he has translated them into Dutch. Case study.  Action EAD

Xerte – Julian Tenney – using Straight Street symbols in Xerte – enhances his own product – case study,

In-folio – Rix Centre with Catalyst hosting the server, university working on progression, 2 colleges working on it with John Sewell, JISC TechDis and colleges funding – case study.

· ATIB (+ other resources)

Peter has concerns about the REALISE project using the ATIB as it still needs to be refined and we need to move on quickly.   But we really liked many of the ideas presented and much of the guidance will be helpful for the future. Steve has offered to look at the TransferSummit website built using Drupal and to discuss with OSSWatch whether this open source project can be used by the REALISE project and developed to suit our needs. Action SL

Discussion about Southampton hosting a Drupal site with the code from TransferSummit.
Questions about Steve developing the website and costs…  Steve to add his network of ideas and collaborators,  Selecting and linking to OSSWatch content and advice etc  – Steve to confirm costs for website development with Mike W.  Action SL

Work with Devices for Dignity on what has been learnt from creating the ATIB and the issues that arose.  Ideally it would have been wonderful to have been able to use the actual database but some of the features are not suitable for the REALISE project.

Managing the relationship between REALISE and ATIB

The advice about  how we set up the database categories and other aspects from ATIB will be invaluable – disability versus task – needs that the product would address etc. – the problem is that if you just use task and say – difficulty picking up an object – you then have to ask why – you can’t see it or you do not have the dexterity or it is not within reach.  In the end you have the medical model winning with categories for seeing , hearing, cognitive, memory, communication.  – need to look at AskSara – may need to use phrases etc for a decision tree type set up. Action ALL

Need to be aware of the different vocabularies used by all the users from the technical to the therapist to the user. – need a set of terms available via ATIB. -possibly enter the database via the different roles. Action ALL

Managing/targeting the OSS Watch input (to maximise benefit to project, any scope for ‘ordinary project help’ to be within OSS Watch services to anyone)
There is a realisation that the most concerning issues around open source may be the licensing ones and these will need extra advice to provide clear guidance from OSSWatch – to be costed later – may need 2 days of Ross’s time (Steve) Action SL

AAATE workshop session- –
All must register to AAATE before August to be free…need to be authors. Discuss further on 26th July meetings. Action ALL

RAATE workshop – confim Mike to submit abstract – discuss actual workshop if accespted on 26th July. Action EAD

Role of OS/OI sessions (OSS Watch lead sessions) in AAATE workshop –

Immediate actions to prepare for July 26th meeting in Oxford – need time and place from RG.   Action ALL

Introductory Meeting held at the TransferSummit conference – 25 June, 2010

Thos was not a formal meeting but more a chance for Introductions between some team members.  Those Attending: Peter Cudd (PC), Ross Gardler (RG) EA Draffan (EAD) – Steve Lee (SL) was also at the conference.  Not attending – Mike Wald (MW)

It was decided that the initial website would be hosted by Univesity of Southampton.   – This is the Blog to hold minutes of meetings, updates, and that we needed to add a meeting calendar to website – link to Ross’s calendar. Meetomatic or other one   Put in dates for meetings Action EAD

Put work packages on website and have sign off at the end of each meeting.  –Action EAD

Set up RSS feed and Google Mailgroup Action EAD

Discussion around how we would work with open source projects – Individual projects will need their own communities – we need to bridge between these communities for REALISE  for example MAAVIS and Toolbar – need to explore how we get communities working in collaboration – Action All

One idea is a  F2F meeting before AATE 2010 (Oct 5th)   – brainstorming current state and future of the AT products or devices we have developed then have time evaluating the each one with stakeholders and key people inc. user organisations and businesses etc  The end process would be coping out the ideas with all members of the REALISE and those interested in open development.

Submission to RAATE needed ASAP – workshop – how to develop AT using an open innovation methodology.  This will be a practical workshop discussing the issues that surround your ideas for products that might be useful for disabled users. Mike Wald has already written an abstract for a possible presentation. Action MW, EAD and PC

Need to review the Devices for Dignity  (D4D)  Assistive Technology Innovations Broker (ATIB) database from a technical and accessibility point of view to make a decision as to whether this can be built on for the project – We need to comment on the changes that may be needed and is it ready for potential users – check content.  Action EAD, PC and SL

Peter will embed the questions we have as part of the evaluation of the suitability of the platform. This will be available in two weeks time.  Peter will confirm to the team when we have access to the database. Action PC

Peter mentioned that he has an update on the contract related to the ATIB – Sheffield Teaching Hosp and Barnsley Hosp and University of Sheffield have met and agreed that they are currently drawing up a contract to release ATIB to the REALISE consortium.  Considerations for the open development of the database have been discussed.  Ross asked if it could be made open source – it uses Joomla that may have an impact on the level of openness. Peter to verify any copyright issues that may arise with ATIB. Action PC

D4D’s view about the future of ATIB and REALISE is that essentially the goals for the two projects are not identical so initially the two project will co-exist and only towards the end of the REALSIE project will they possibly be co-joined – so there is a positive outcome with a sharing of learning by creating a single entity.   ATIB is designed to support all innovations not just open source and open innovation – users are allowed to have password protected areas to discuss code etc.

Mike W.  to produce consortium agreement with research and Innovations team at Sheffield (Justine Daniels).  Action MW

Ross will supply governance models for agreement by the team. Action RG

Southampton to confirm financial arrangements… Discuss with Ross about amount of time needed from OSS Watch and Steve L. Action MW

Advisory group – first meeting moved to September and the addition of a final AG meeting to respond to their views at the Dissemination Even in April 2011.

Mike W. to invite Mark Hawley, Gary Wills, Lester Gilbert, and the team plus a member of the Open Source Business community and a member from  each  community in Sheffield and Southampton.  Action MW

EA to find out about future JISC meetings with support and synthesis team Update JISC websites with information. Action EAD

Peter and E.A. to set out qualitative and quantative evaluation methods for the site and logging etc. Discussed idea of having open evaluation through mail groups Action PC and EAD

Peter, Steve and E.A, to meet on 1st July to initial introduction to ATIB and its philosophies followed by the review mentioned above. Action PC, SL and EAD

The first meeting between all team members will be held on 26th July in Oxford – Action Rooms to be arranged by RG

Mark Hawley will attend AATE meeting and advisory group meetings.