PROJECTS ARCHIVE
Digital Photography

The Digital Imaging Project as a social fabric, which ended in December 2009, had as its initial objective the definition and implementation of a service concept, which allowed it to apply characteristics and functionalities of digital imaging (digital photos and videos, and associated metadata) to telecommunications networks and services functionalities, and in particular to mobile networks and the web.

Photographs are the images of our memories and their value is given by uniqueness, significance and non-reproducibility.
The fast spreading of digital video and photography has contributed to the creation of a huge quantity of images which are stored on computers, exchanged through e-mails and instant messengers, and published on dozens of sites, blogs, social networks.

Digital images and videos implemented, exchanged and shared in the Internet, are about 60% of traffic on IP network. Most applications and services enabling the exchange and diffusion of digital images are characterised by ad funded business models, i.e. subsidised by the presence of advertising messages for the benefit of users, on line advertising agencies, and advertisers, but not to the advantage of the operators providing and guaranteeing the connection service.

This is the main reason for the design and implementation of new business models, added to service models, for the purpose of integrating the conventional revenue models (advertising) through innovative models based on the access to and the use of capabilities of a telecommunications network.

The first phase of the project has worked out the definition of the technical and business background for digital imaging. A deep analysis has been performed on technologies, components, systems, on-going experiments, computer applications, mobile terminals and web, prototypes, business models of new design, product developments, trends and forecasts.

The study has been carried out on three sides: retrieval and analysis of the most recent literature relating to digital images; visits and direct relations with other research centres and universities (among them, Media Lab and Camera Culture of MIT, Boston), and also the participation to exhibitions, fairs and meetings
at international level (among them CES, Las Vegas).
Its basic result has been the implementation, in cooperation with TILab, of a prototype system of video guides for smart phones enabled through scanning of bi-dimensional bar codes. Its demo, set-up for a photography exhibition at the Future Centre, was presented on the occasion of a visit by Franco Bernabé Telecom Italia's CEO.

During its second, more practical phase, the project has allowed and favoured the establishing of relations with innovative companies in the field of digital imaging, such as Amazon, HP, Snapgfish and Pixsense, with the aim of collaborating to the design of service concepts, exploiting on a common basis all the different
assets available from each company.
In particular, in collaboration with Snapfish and Pisense, service concepts of new generation have been conceived, ranging from the hypothesis of a multi-channel service of photographic print (web, mobile, IPTV, booth) with functionalities of geo-localisation, to the development of a multi-channel service of digital video and image sharing, focussed in particular on mobile access.

In the final phase of the project, the concept of an application of augmented reality for smart phone has been developed, and then submitted to Matrix, which is now evaluating its implementation for the Virgilio brand.
Photographs taken through the smart phone are enriched with information that the operator adds from various services and content providers.