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Gathering Momentum
- By Anne Meltzer
- Published 05/29/2007
- Editorial & Opinion
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Anne Meltzer
Anne Meltzer is the Editorial Director of the TelepresenceWorld.net Web Portal. Early in her career, she served as Managing Editor for BioScience Magazineand was Manager of Editorial Operations for the AMA publication Archives of Ophthalmology. Anne has a BS degree in anthropology from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA and received her Masters degree in environmental science from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. As Manager of Computer and Network Services at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins for many years, Anne has substantial experience in computer, networking, and software technologies.
View all articles by Anne Meltzer
The Telepresence World 2007 Conference in San Diego, CA, represents the first in a long-term series of planned conferences designed to highlight the application of and technology behind telepresence, presence, and unified communications.
This confluence of industry and technology leaders, researchers, and endusers will undoubtedly have a synergistic effect on the telecommunications industry as a whole and will help chart the path of these amazing and innovative collaborative tools.
Although the concept of telepresence has been around for quite a while, it has only recently emerged as a viable mainstream alternative to “being there.” The primary driving force behind acceptance has been the ancillary development of necessary network and hardware infrastructure; however, there are many other
factors that have contributed to the recent interest in telepresence technology, including increased awareness of the need for ecological, corporate, fiscal, and human resource conservation.
In the coming months, it will be interesting to note the growth and direction of the telepresence industry. The next Telepresence World Conference is slated for London in January of 2008. Based on the San Diego Conference agenda, many presenters have already indicated their interest in speaking at this next event.
We expect awareness of telepresence to increase after San Diego, as the topics and applications discussed at the event appear in newspapers, magazines, and blogs.
Only two decades ago, the Internet was considered an exotic commodity, to be used only at work or by those lucky enough to have their own computers at home. Today, the Internet is essentially a requirement—economies rise and fall on its availability. Email has become the primary medium of communication. We feel that telepresence will eventually attain “utility” status like the Internet, the phone or even heating—it will become an integral part of life at work and at home. And—although you probably don’t remember where you were the first time you received email—we bet that your first experience with telepresence will make a lasting impression.
This confluence of industry and technology leaders, researchers, and endusers will undoubtedly have a synergistic effect on the telecommunications industry as a whole and will help chart the path of these amazing and innovative collaborative tools.
Although the concept of telepresence has been around for quite a while, it has only recently emerged as a viable mainstream alternative to “being there.” The primary driving force behind acceptance has been the ancillary development of necessary network and hardware infrastructure; however, there are many other factors that have contributed to the recent interest in telepresence technology, including increased awareness of the need for ecological, corporate, fiscal, and human resource conservation.
In the coming months, it will be interesting to note the growth and direction of the telepresence industry. The next Telepresence World Conference is slated for London in January of 2008. Based on the San Diego Conference agenda, many presenters have already indicated their interest in speaking at this next event.
We expect awareness of telepresence to increase after San Diego, as the topics and applications discussed at the event appear in newspapers, magazines, and blogs.
Only two decades ago, the Internet was considered an exotic commodity, to be used only at work or by those lucky enough to have their own computers at home. Today, the Internet is essentially a requirement—economies rise and fall on its availability. Email has become the primary medium of communication. We feel that telepresence will eventually attain “utility” status like the Internet, the phone or even heating—it will become an integral part of life at work and at home. And—although you probably don’t remember where you were the first time you received email—we bet that your first experience with telepresence will make a lasting impression.
