IAP Group on Towards 2012
The Information Age Partnership was invited by the former Minister for Industry and the Regions and then Chair of the Partnership, Alun Michael, to provide a technological vision for the future, using the 2012 Games as a catalyst to spur on innovation and enable UK businesses to contribute to the economic legacy that it was hoped the Games would leave. The workstream produced a paper Towards the 2012 Games that:
- Described a vision for use in the optimisation of the experience for all involved
- Identified the common technology foundations needed for a value chain to be built to ensure the experience
- Set out the timeline to provide balance between risk and wow factor.
To help deliver this, the workstream engaged with approximately 60 companies from across the Partnership and beyond, as well as public sector bodies such as LOCOG, DCMS and local authorities.
The workstream formed four sub-work groups to tackle this, each surrounding a particular domain of experience:
- Public Safety - including all aspects of public safety and security
- Community - including areas such as health, transport, education, living, culture, the environment and business
- At the Games - including the athletes themselves, spectators, organisers, volunteers
- Virtual Participation - including spectators at a distance, personalising the moment, and regional participation
The paper is a contribution to the debate by the industrial members of the Partnership, and the recommendations or key decisions are not endorsed by Government or the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG).