.gif)
Industry News
OS: 100 stunning aerial images which form part of an extraordinary outdoor exhibition can now be viewed on a new interactive map created using Ordnance Survey data. In September 2010 Michael Palin, President of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) officially opened the Britain from the Air street gallery in the historic centre of Bath. The outdoor exhibition was created by the Society jointly with street gallery pioneers WeCommunic8 and supported by Ordnance Survey.
The exhibition is free to view and accessible 24 hours a day, offering visitors the opportunity to see Britain as they have never seen it before through 100 stunning images, which capture Britain’s beauty as seen from its skies. The photographs reveal mountain valleys carved by glaciers, saw-toothed coastlines edged by glistening waters, abandoned villages and transport networks, telling their story with text, historical images from the Society’s Collections, and maps.
From March 2011 the exhibition was made available online thanks to the highly detailed online mapping service from Ordnance Survey, OS OpenSpace. The free online service allows developers to create individual maps and, with the help of OS OpenSpace Web-Map Builder, users – in this case the Society – can now easily add markers, routes and search functionality to their web map without having to write a single line of code.
ScotGov: Green Academies, the first of their kind in Scotland, are to be set up over the next year. The Academies (run by Scottish Gas), will train a green army to install eco technology in Scottish homes. 447 green energy jobs will be supported including the creation of 77 new jobs & apprenticeships. Links to local college courses will help recruit local apprentices.
The state-of-the-art skills hubs will showcase green technologies such as insulation, air source heat pumps and super efficient boilers, all to be installed under the Scottish Government initiative which provides heating help for low-income households.
Trainee engineers will also learn how to install solar panels and heating systems using high-tech micro-generation technologies. which generate their own power.
Press release and related links
STFC: UK space surveillance technology is being used in ESA's first co-ordinated space tracking campaign - part of a larger programme to provide up to date & accurate information on space hazards in Earth's orbit. These hazards stem from possible collisions between objects in orbit, harmful space weather and potential strikes by natural objects that cross Earth's orbit.
UK involvement in the tracking campaign is through the UK Space Agency and includes Space Insight's Starbrook - an innovative optical sensor system for space surveillance, and the STFC's Chilbolton Observatory - one of the world's most advanced meteorological radar experimental facilities.
DFID: A Nottingham company which supplies educational equipment such as woodwork lesson tools & plumbing tools to schools in Africa has been commended by the Secretary of State for International Development. On a visit to Eagle Scientific, Andrew Mitchell MP said that the company was leading the way in working with African governments to ensure schoolchildren have the right tools to learn.
The company is in the final stages of negotiation to win a £31m contract with the Ghanaian government to kit out vocational training schools across the country. The equipment that the company have supplied includes training equipment for woodwork & carpentry, plumbing, domestic science & cookery and automotive & diesel engines courses.
NA: The National Archives has launched the fastest, most accurate version yet of its award-winning file-identification software. A new file-profiling tool DROID (Digital Record Object IDentification) takes the hard work out of managing digital data and is downloadable for free from The National Archives' website. It can scan millions of files at a time and correctly identify hundreds of different file formats, including most document, audio, video and image files in common use.
The information DROID provides can help in making decisions about what data to keep, enabling users to reduce the amount of data held so that work becomes more efficient and cost-effective.
ScotGov: Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE), Scottish Development International (SDI), Scottish Chambers International (SCI) and Chambers of Commerce across the Highlands & Islands are launching Smart Exporter Highlands and Islands. This is part of a Scotland-wide programme aimed at equipping up to 8,000 Scottish companies & senior managers with the skills & expertise to target new international markets.
BIS: The Aerospace Growth Partnership - a new government & aerospace group set up to tackle issues affecting the competitiveness of the sector - met for the first time last week. The AGP will see government and industry working together to address the issues that affect UK competitiveness in the sector. Its work will focus on ensuring that the UK remains an extremely attractive location for aerospace companies to carry out work both on current and future generations of civil aircraft.
ScotGov: Plans for a new £89mn state-of-the-art technology & innovation centre to revolutionise the way universities, business and industry work together will ensure Scotland is at the world forefront of innovation in energy, pharmaceuticals and engineering, First Minister Alex Salmond said last week
The new Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) at the University of Strathclyde will - in conjunction with Scottish Enterprise's new International Technology and Renewable Energy Zone (ITREZ) - create 700 new research jobs and support 850 existing jobs.
Press release and related links
UKOC: The first ever UK Technology4Good Awards were launched recently at an event in BT Tower, to celebrate & share the success of individuals & organisations that use computers & the internet to help make the communities a better place. Supported by BT and organised by AbilityNet, these unique awards bring together charities & businesses.
Press release and related links
BIS: Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable, and Minister for Skills, John Hayes, last week launched a £50m a year fund to help businesses develop the skills they need to drive growth. The Growth and Innovation Fund (GIF) will deliver targeted help for employer groups to overcome barriers to growth within their sectors and industries. The funding could deliver new training to boost innovation and productivity, enable industries to set new professional standards, or support new or extended National Skills Academies.
Press release and related links
.gif)
