The biggest splash in this year's Technology Awards was
made by an application developed to cut the number of lives lost in
Britain's dangerous waters
The Technology categories of the BCS IT Professional Awards are
always interesting because the medal winners in the four
sub-categories also compete with each other for the overall BT
Innovation Flagship Award for Technology. The four sub-categories
are: Applications, Services, Systems, and the Computer Software
Group sponsored Social Contribution.
"Innovation should happen at the speed of life, which means
there should never be a gap between what is technically possible
and what we deliver in the markets we serve," says Matt Bross,
chief technology officer at BT. "For the ongoing development of the
industry, it is vital that companies look at how, and not just
what, they innovate. This will deliver real value in the long
term."
The 2006 sub-category winners were Active Web Solutions,
StartHere, Trexy.com and Visual Planet for the Systems, Social
Contribution, Services and Applications awards respectively.
StartHere is a not for profit organisation that seeks to help
individuals locate the voluntary support available to them across a
wide range of issues. Initially a touchscreen on kiosks, the
service has subsequently been developed so that it can be accessed
across digital TV, internet and mobile phones. Content is delivered
across these platforms through the organisation's bespoke content
management system.
Another content-led entry was Trexy.com. Launched in February
2006, Trexy.com is a search engine that aims to create a universal
searching memory by remembering an individual's searches and the
web pages they visit. Free to all users, Trexy.com is the first
engine to interoperate with thousands of other search engines to
remember and share individual searches.
Cambridge-based Visual Planet has developed a display technology
that allows video, broadcast and web to be projected onto a large
screen, with touchscreens controlling the content. For the first
time, shop windows and public buildings can be used as giant
touchscreens.
While the judges were very impressed with all three medallists,
there was one Technology Award project that stood out from all the
others. Accordingly, that project - for the development of a sea
safety system for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI,
pictured above) by Active Web Solutions - is the winner of the BT
Innovation Flagship Award for Technology as well as the Systems
sub-category.
"We were really impressed by Active Web Solutions' winning
entry," said the judging panel. "It has shown true leadership in
inventing, developing and manufacturing a leading-edge, dynamic
solution. It is entries like this that showcase the varying
situations in which advanced technologies can really make a
difference."
"Raising awareness of the impact that technology can have on
everyday life is one of the key reasons that we sponsor the
systems category," says IBM master inventor Chris Sharp.
A number of software components were developed specifically for
this project, the chief ones being a satellite gateway interface,
message processing engine and operations console.
"Through the development of this unique system, Active Web
Solutions has taken the RNLI ever closer to its aim of ensuring
safety on the open seas. Innovation is all about going that one
step further and breaking boundaries. The system does just that and
by meeting - and exceeding - the demands of such a complex brief,
Active Web Solutions has set a new standard for all," says Graham
Brookes, chairman of the judges for the BCS Technology Awards.