The European Commission has, through the Digital Olympics project, funded a range of information and communication technology projects involving both European and Chinese organizations.
The project started in 2002 with a huge exhibition in Beijing sponsored by five companies, including Ericsson.
Roger Torrenti, project coordinator at consultancy firm Sigma, says the project got off to a flying start.
"It was beyond our expectations; more then 14,000 people visited the first exhibition in Beijing," Torrenti says. "That clearly showed that the project should continue. Up until now, the European Commission has funded a range of projects involving both European and Chinese organizations, such as solutions for intelligent transport systems, mobile telephony, digital broadcasting and virtual reality information systems."
As a direct result of the Digital Olympics, the European Commission has funded a project called the EU-China cooperation for strategic planning of the Beijing Digital Olympics program (Ecosplan). Recently 33 more projects were announced.
Torrenti says: "The Digital Olympics is a political framework. To have political support is essential in China and there is no doubt that there is a political motivation to take part in this. Together, we organize events and invite European companies that are interested in developing cooperation with research centers or companies in China. We can provide information and networking opportunities and the framework makes the contact with authorities and Chinese companies much easier for European companies."
The new projects announced in the framework of Digital Olympics address services such as:
- The Intelligent Transportation Information System
- Citizen-centered, location-based, urban environment information services
- Personalized Life and Health e-Services
- Use of mobile broadband satellite systems for the Olympics
- TAS - Ticketless Access to facilities
- Virtual Athlete - Personalized 3D sport experiences on site and at home.
The last meeting of the working group for the Digital Olympics was in Beijing on June 22, and attracted more than 210 Chinese and European participants. Some of the projects highlighted were high-definition TV for the Digital Olympics, a mobile communication service's plan for Beijing Olympic Games and the broadband Olympics.
"The Chinese market is definitely a hot spot and the Olympic Games offer a great opportunity for developing communications and information services," Torrenti says. "We expect another 20 projects to be supported by the European Commission shortly."
