The threat of ‘peak data’, and what that could mean for the way we connect and access essential services in the future, is the focus of a report released by CSIRO.

Director of CSIRO’s Digital Productivity and Services Flagship Dr Ian Oppermann said wireless technology had been adopted at “breakneck pace” in Australia and around the world.

“The data rates that people now expect from their mobile services are about a hundred times the amount we thought possible only two decades ago,” Dr Oppermann said.

The report, World Without Wires, points out that wireless communications rely on the availability of radiofrequency spectrum. The spectrum has practical limits and more spectrum cannot be created so we are faced with a finite resource and growing demands to use it.

Today’s technologies and infrastructure will be hard pressed to support further increases in demand, both in terms of speed and volume, for wireless data and services over the coming decades.

Many global cities, including here in Australia, are fast approaching the point of ‘peak data’ – where user demand for wireless internet, telephony, and other services can no longer be fully accommodated by the available radiofrequency spectrum.

“Currently the useable spectrum is divided up and allocated to various uses, such as TV/radio broadcast, emergency services, and mobile phone communications for example,” Dr Oppermann said.

“In the future, how spectrum is allocated may change and we can expect innovation to find new ways to make it more efficient but the underlying position is that spectrum is an increasingly rare resource.

“Some estimates suggest that spectrum demand will have almost tripled by 2020, and existing infrastructure will need to rapidly expand its currently available capacity if it’s to meet this demand.

“With more and more essential services, including medical, education and government services, being delivered digitally and on mobile devices, finding a solution to “peak data” will become ever more important into the future.”

World Without Wires examines the role that ubiquitous access to high-speed wireless connectivity will play in enabling a range of future applications and social developments, including:

The replacement of digital TV and telephony services by internet-based, personalised streaming services

Widespread sensing technologies that optimise and improve almost every aspect of our daily lives
The widespread use of wireless positioning technologies, from making driverless cars the norm to enhancing retail experiences through “virtual concierges”
“tele-services” as the default model of service delivery for government and businesses, with education, healthcare and other public goods being delivered via private digital networks
A radical improvement in the way existing wireless infrastructure accommodates ongoing growth in service demands, including smaller cells, smarter antennae, and beyond.

“Such developments will have a profound impact on both Australia and the rest of the world, constituting significant market opportunities, and a chance to deliver widespread public good from our wireless research and enterprise community,” Dr Oppermann said.

To access a copy of World Without Wires visit: www.csiro.au/wireless

To find out more about CSIRO’s Digital Productivity and Services Flagship visit: www.csiro.au/dpas

Shift workers and tired drivers will have a better chance at arriving home safely thanks to a new safety kit.

Safety products distributor, Dawn Page, said “Statistics show that shift workers and long distance drivers are at a high risk in being involved in a drowsy driving accident.”

“I was on a personal mission to find something that would help reduce this risk and I came across the Drowsy Driver Reviver Kit,” said Mrs Page.

“I then got in touch with Janey Dwyer, a sleep expert who deals with a lot of the mines in North Queensland,” she said.

Dawn Page is the owner of Work Stuff, a supplier of safety equipment, based in Kingaroy.

Janey Dwyer is a Sleep and Fatigue Consultant at the Bowen Basin Sleep Health Centre in Moranbah. She developed the kit to help drivers recognize drowsy symptoms.

Ms Dwyer said “I am passionate about reducing fatigue and getting people home safely.”

“You have to be smart enough to recognize the critical symptoms of drowsy driving and strong enough to over ride that powerful urge to continue driving while feeling drowsy,” said Ms Dwyer.

“The kit has all of the tools needed to pull over for a roadside nap. Power napping reduces the risk of a micro-sleep and helps road users arrive at their destination safely,”

Work Stuff are the nominated distributors of the Drowsy Driver Reviver Kit.

Mrs Page said “We are proud to be Janey’s supplier. I am looking forward to meeting with business owners who have shift workers and helping them make the time that employee’s spend in a vehicle safer.

“It is too easy to say it will never happen to you because it can and the chances are that inevitably it will, if you continue to drive drowsy,” said Mrs Page.

For more information about the kits, phone Dawn Page on (07) 4162 8432.

The 12 companies who have expressed interest in developing the government precinct at Queens Wharf opposite South Bank were putting the finishing touches on their formal expressions of interest as this issue of Westender went to print. Due at 5:00pm AEST on Friday 31st March this is their final chance to pitch to the government on who will get the lucrative contract to deliver an integrated resort development at the nine hectare site.

One of the features of the development will be the incorporation of Brisbane’s oldest occupied building, the Commissariat Store, built in 1829 using convict labour. The Royal Historical Society of Queensland currently operate a museum and research centre in the building. There is no indication in the government announcement if their tenancy will continue.

Yet again the WEFF has proved to be a successful & spectacular night for both Australian short film and the local community at the West End. Facilitated by the generous Rumpus Room, filmmakers and their passionate audience were able to enjoy a great selection of very diverse short films.

As a highlight of the evening we were proud to announce this year’s winners of the West End Film Festival:

Best Animation – Teagan

Producer Tim Brown and Directors Igor Coric and Sheldon Lieberman, the directors of ‘Teagan’ Igor Coric and Sheldon Lieberman

Indigenous Filmmaker Award – Old Mate

Producer Skye White and Writer-Director Sam Dixon

Best Film – All God’s Creatures

Producer Taylor Litton-Strain, Writer Jessica Paine and Writer-Director Brendon McDonall

Brendon McDonall wasn’t able to attend the festival. During his video acceptance message he gave the audience a little insight on what inspired him to make this movie.

Thank You!

We want to thank all our generous sponsors, especially the prize sponsors Cr Helen Abrahams and Grill’d West End, as well as:

Steetscape, Taxi Films, Screen Queensland, Brisbane City Council, 2plik8 Studios, Fats Digital and WECA – West End Community Association.

A special thank you to the Rumpus Room which provided us with such an extraordinary location. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the festival, as well as the staff and volunteers who brought it all together. Without all your support the festival wouldn’t exist.

With the closing of the 2014 Festival, the doors are already opening for 2015.

Remember to mark the festival on your calendar and we encourage all aspiring filmmakers to submit films.

OFFICAL WEBSITE: http://www.westendfilmfestival.com.au

Small business seeking to get the most out of a limited marketing budget could do worse than cross promotion said business consultant and Urban Voice director, Geoff Ebbs, yesterday.

He pointed to the recent partnership between the Mattress Gallery and the Three Monkeys as an example of how businesses can buddy up to a non-competiting business and both punch well above their weight as a result.

“Attendees at the South West Chamber of Commerce will recognise certain elements of the Wow Factor presentation given by John Dwyer in February,” he said.

Urban Voice has used its ownership of Westender to leverage a deal that gives both Mattress Gallery and Three Monkeys significantly greater presentation than they would otherwise have had.

Three Monkeys has recently changed hands and is looking to build on the establishment’s reputation as an “iconic” West End cafe.

Ebbs recommended the match on the basis that many newcomers to West End are in the market for a mattress and may not know about the historic West End cafe.

“We’ll know by the end of the month if the pairing was a good one”, he said.

Insurers and risk assessment agencies are writing down the value of fossil fuels, endangering the value of many business and retiree’s investments.

Ben Caldecott, founder of Oxford University’s Stranded Assets Programme and author of the groundbreaking report “Stranded Down Under? Environment-related factors changing China’s demand for coal and what this means for Australian coal assets”, will shed light on the ramifications of Australia’s fossil fuel addiction and how individuals can help us kick our nation’s dirtiest habit.

He reports that many industrialised nations are now acting to reduce their emissions and shift to a low-carbon future, while Australia plans to invest over AUD $100 billion in new coal mining developments over the next 15 years, including nine mega-mines in the Galilee Basin and the controversial Maules Creek coal mine in NSW’s Leard State Forest.

Whether you like it or not, your savings and superannuation are probably funding the expansion of the fossil fuel industry.

The event will be held at 6pm on Thur 3rd April, hosted by the UQ International Energy Centre at Southbank Tafe, Ernest St, South Brisbane.