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The Wireless Applications Network for Dublin (WAND) project plans to establish an ad-hoc wireless network that connects Media Lab Europe (MLE) on Thomas Street, and Trinity College's wireless campus on Dame Street. Established by Media Lab Europe and the Distributed Systems Group at Trinity College, the project is set to be up-and-running by the end of the year and will cost around EUR50,000 to implement.
Based on an 802.11 infrastructure, WAND should also see the installation of a small number of fixed wireless nodes along the route between Dame Street and Thomas Street that researchers will use to investigate a variety of issues.
According to Paolo Dini, head of MLE's Dynamic Interactions Group, these issues will include the use of distributed applications, the interoperability of licence-free broadband communications services with fixed-line and cellular networks, and the social impact of new media on local communities.
"The network will support the development of novel and compelling applications, particularly in areas of public space art, tourism, education, and traffic-monitoring," said a preliminary proposal paper for the project.
Dini told ElectricNews.net that one of the initiatives that WAND is looking to introduce involves wirelessly connecting tourists to the history of the Liberties area, where MLE is based.
"For example, visitors to the Guinness Hop Store could use a wireless device like a PDA to download a visual and audio history of the area, which has been drawn from residents' own stories. Screens could also be set-up that would display this information when a visitor with a specific electronic device approached them," said Dini.
Another possible research area is traffic movements. Wireless technology, said WAND, could be used to collect data directly from vehicles such as current and past locations, and speed, which could then be correlated with data from existing sources to improve traffic management.
The wireless test-bed will also be available to use by other research units in MLE and Trinity College, as well as the project's sponsors.
Companies involved in the programme include MLE sponsors Ericsson, Eircom, Intel and the BBC, while it is hoped that additional sponsors will come on-board. If this happens, Dini said that the project is likely to be extended to cover the nearby Digital Hub, Heuston Train Station and St. James Hospital. It may also be expanded to take in shopping areas in the city centre.
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