In the old days, you had to know how to speak the language of computers in order to use one. The dedicated few learnt precise commands in order to get a computer to undertake a task. Jump forward a few decades, and we have moved much further along the continuum of human-computer communication. Computers canContinue reading "Tech Terms: Natural Language Processing"
Tech Terms: AR, VR, MR, XR
These tech terms all refer to technologies which provide immersion into a combined real and virtual environment, but what does each specific term actually mean? And are these technologies just for gaming and entertainment or will they be part of our work toolkit in the future? XR - Extended/Cross Realities XR is the umbrella termContinue reading "Tech Terms: AR, VR, MR, XR"
Local Government Magazine article
My article 'Localism in a hyper-connected, borderless world' appears in this month's (July 2019) Local Government Magazine. link to article This article draws on research I undertook as part of this year's Rodney Davies Research Symposium. My research paper is on 'digital disruption in the planning profession'. I presented my research findings at the NZPI conference thisContinue reading "Local Government Magazine article"
Tech Terms: Digital Twin
A digital twin is a digital representation of a real world physical resource. A digital twin is used to represent a complex real life system, such as a factory's manufacturing plant, an infrastructure network, a building and even a city. The digital twin is more than a model, it is a replica of the originalContinue reading "Tech Terms: Digital Twin"
Tech Terms: BIM
BIM is not actually a new term, but it is a term which not all planners are familiar with, so it is worth covering as part of this series, especially as next we will look at the related term Digital Twin. BIM stands for Building Information Modelling. It is an information system to support theContinue reading "Tech Terms: BIM"
Tech Terms: Geofence
A geofence is a virtual perimeter around a real world area. Geofence technology can be used to identify when someone or something enters or leaves the geofenced area. This then triggers some form of action. For example, Countdown supermarkets use geofence technology for their Click and Collect service. A geofence applies to the area withinContinue reading "Tech Terms: Geofence"
Introducing PlanTech
At the recent PIA Congress in Australia, a small group of delegates were surveyed to gauge how familiar urban planners are with technology related terms. I would like to replicate that survey in NZ at some point, but for now I was inspired to cover a few of these terms in the blog to raise awareness ofContinue reading "Introducing PlanTech"
Smartphone Productivity
Smartphones are an integral tool in our workflows these days, but how can we be more productive with them. Check out these eight hints for using your mobile device more productively. 1. Sync your phone with your other devices Ensure that you are working over the cloud so that regardless of the device you areContinue reading "Smartphone Productivity"
Choosing the right productivity software
Productivity software options have grown significantly in the past few years. If you are not yet incorporating any of these products into your workflows, it is important to give one a try. This post gives you some hints for choosing the right productivity app(s). The key considerations are: Function - what you need it toContinue reading "Choosing the right productivity software"
Hacks for Browsing the Web
Today's post deals with how you can make the most of your web browser (for most people that will be the market leader Google Chrome). Not something we commonly think about, but it is the window through which we view all pages on the internet, so it is a very heavily used tool in ourContinue reading "Hacks for Browsing the Web"
RMA Digital 