Manchester Digital Development Agency » Dave Carter

2012 International Year of Co-operatives

Dave Carter — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:56:59 +0000

Great opportunities this year for raising the profile of one of Manchester’s greatest assets, being the home (respect to Rochdale obviously!) of the Co-op movement. There are probably still a lot of people who don’t yet realise that 2012 is International Year of Co-operatives and that later this year (late October/early November) Manchester will host one of the biggest ever global gathering of co-ops and social enterprises. We’re also aiming to have a special strand about things digital and cooperative as there’s a growing interest in the role that mutuals can play in developing innovative business models for Internet apps and services. Especially interesting is the work that FC United and others are doing about the concept of ‘punk finance’, but more on that story later……….. In the meantime check out the 2012 info on the website.

OPEN for business, the key word for 2012

Dave Carter — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:42:42 +0000

The success of Open Data initiatives over the past year has motivated increasing numbers of people and organisations to work together to make 2012 a year when this work really does make an impact. Ranging from the local work that Open Data Greater Manchester has been doing to European networks working on Open Cities and through to global initiatives like Apps for Democracy, this is the future and a real priority for MDDA’s future work, working with local partners, including Future Everything and MadLab. Lots more to come on that over the coming weeks as we get to the stage of being part of the launches of the three new European Smart Cities projects that we are involved in, all focusing on different aspects of open data and open networks.

It’s A New Day, It’s A New Year

Dave Carter — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:40:44 +0000

Following several (fully justified) critical emails and Blog comments about why I haven’t been using my Blog, I’ve finally got round to doing something about it. We’re soon to be refreshing and relaunching the MDDA website but, like many organisations making commitments to do this, it’s taken us a bit longer than anticipated. This is mainly for very good reasons, like our success in getting projects funded through the Living Labs and Smart Cities networks that we’re involved in. Nevertheless, prior to the new website being launched to reflect the new work we’re doing through these projects, I hope to give you a taste of some of the exciting things to come during 2012.

Manchester’s Digital Corridor: the ‘final frontier………..

Dave Carter — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:59:43 +0000

MDDA hosted an open consultation for local digital businesses and other organisations based in the Corridor area, i.e. Oxford Road, Ardwick, Hulme, Knott Mill and environs, last night to talk about progress with our fibre to the premises (FTTP) initiative. More than 30 people came representing all sizes and shapes of digital businesses and networks together with two residents groups. In spite of all the challenges that we’ve faced in developing this project, which we shared in some detail with everyone attending, the responses were very positive, people being just as keen as they ever were to ensure they can get accessible and affordable very high-speed digital networks and services. We’re aiming to get our detailed plans out to everyone in September and then have a launch event in October, with services going live from then on. More on the MDDA website as this develops.

Indy networks get sorted: ‘don’t moan, organise!’

Dave Carter — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:33:29 +0000

More than 50 people representing independent digital networks from across the UK got together in London this week to plan the next steps in a national campaign to support ‘bottom up broadband’ initiatives. The Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA) was set up two years ago to provide a voice and a vehicle for change whereby community based and other local initiatives to bring ‘next generation access’ (NGA) digital infrastructure to their areas could work together to support each other and encourage new networks to set up. Two years later there are hundreds of local projects and campaigns to bring NGA to rural and urban areas where people and businesses cannot get accessible or affordable access to digitial infrastructure and services. The INCA members and supporters workshop provided opportunities for people to exchange ideas and experiences, especially about the barriers some of them are facing, as well as learn about progress in some of the leading projects in other parts of Europe, including The Netherlands, Sweden and Italy. Plenty of heated debate but also really clear ideas about how to put these opportunities into practice and how to influence government, regulators and local authorities and get them to think, and act, more imaginatively than many are doing at the moment. Many local projects are feeling marginalised as ‘the big players’ make bids to secure public funding for their own take on NGA and are perceived as excluding community initiatives, small companies and the independent sector generally. The overall feeling was (paraphrasing): ‘don’t moan, organise!’ There is a great opportunity to raise this issue at all levels, brief councillors and MPs and get publicity for the ‘bottom up’ approaches. More on the INCA website (as above) soon!

Back in the USSR……………

Dave Carter — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:19:17 +0000

On July 12th 1961 Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin visited Manchester and huge crowds braved the rain to welcome him to the city, where he recieved honorary membership of the Foundary Workers Union at their HQ in Brooks Bar. On July 12th 2011 Cllr. Jim Battle, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, hosted a 50th anniversary celebration of this momentus event. Many people who were there at the time, which includes Jim himself, came along to share their memories, including photos, press cuttings and a woman with the petals of a rose given to her as a young girl by the Cosmonaut himself. We’ve filmed this for posterity together with a visit we made, later the same day, to the excellent exhibition that Richard Evans and his colleagues at the Sale Waterside Arts Centre have put together. This has now been extended until early September and is a ‘must see’!! More details can be found here. Another great source of information has been put together by local amateur astronomer and space historian, Gurbir Singh, who also spoke at the celebration event: his book is entitled “Yuri Gagarin in London and Manchester” and subtitled “A smile that changed the World?” More about the book and an option to download one of the chapters now – here. The paperback version is £10.00 and eBook for £5.00, available from YPD Books . A fantastic event and it was great to be a part of it. More info about the short film we’ve made about this will follow soon.

If you don’t know me by now….

Dave Carter — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:56:25 +0000

After enduring weeks of people wanting to know why it seemed that I was cajoling people to ‘get to know me’ I can now exclusively (well, not really!!) reveal that I agreed to take part in an online experiment with good motives and all in a very good cause. The people behind the “I know Dave Carter” website wanted to see how people reacted to this little social media experiment and also raise money for a cause very close to my heart, which is the Woodcraft Folk, and, in particular, their summer holiday for Saharawi refugee children. So, now you know, or, alternatively, if you didn’t know but want to know now, and buy a badge or two for this excellent cause, please feel free.

July update – Digital Agenda for Europe goes local

Dave Carter — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:43:03 +0000

Just finished another very busy month building up to and then following up on the Digital Agenda for Europe Assembly in Brussels on June 16th and 17th, read all about it here: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/daa/index_en.htm. More than 1,000 people from across the EU and beyond were involved in the two days of intensive discussion and debate. One of the key results was the commitment to get local initiatives going where cities and regions developed their own ‘Local Digital Agenda’, see the results from Workshop 24 on this. Later this year we’ll be starting a refresh on the Manchester Digital Strategy and ensuring that this is a genuinely ‘Local Digital Agenda’ for Manchester linking forward to the evolving Digital Agenda for Europe. There’s also more on the excellent Local2020 website developed by our colleagues at Clicks and Links. More on the MDDA website over the coming months.

New York, New York – a digital future

Dave Carter — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:25:29 +0000

Excellent new initiative coming out of the recently formed “nyc Digital” which was set up in July 2010 to create “a new entity for citywide digital strategy that engages, services, and connects the public, making government more efficient and citizen-centric”. They have just published their “Road Map for the Digital City” following intensive consultation with city residents, businesses and public bodies. Well worth a read, especially as we’ll be starting consultations on a refresh of Manchester’s Digital Strategy – “A Local Digital Agenda for Manchester” in the autumn. More here at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mome/nycodc/90dayreport.html

Digital Agenda Europe – support the Manchester Local2020 ‘team’

Dave Carter — Mon, 09 May 2011 12:28:40 +0000

Things are really taking off across Europe (although some would argue it’s only taken us 20 years to get here!) with the launch of the new Digital Agenda Europe – DAE – initiative (find out more at the DAE website http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/index_en.htm) and the related website “Local2020″, http://www.local2020.eu/, which is working to get far more locally based collaboration on new and innovative ideas for the Digital Agenda. Local2020 is coordinated by local company, Clicks and Links, a long standing collaborator with MDDA, and supported by some of our more dynamic colleagues in the European Commission. We all met up together at the local “DAE Goes Local” event in April and came up with a number of proposals for new projects and potential new ways of doing things. The first ideas are on the Local2020 website and have been organised into a “Local Grand Prix” where each project idea is an “iCar” and needs support via ‘Likes’, comments or added support via the link through Facebook and Twitter. Our project is the “Open Services Aggregator”, an idea to promote open licensing of new ideas for the co-production of public services through Living Labs (and much more), and we have to get as much support as possible before the Digital Agenda Assembly meets in Brussels on June 16th/17th. This means YOU!!!! Please go on the site and add your comments or even add a new idea and give us support via Facebook and Twitter too! You know it makes (European) sense!!!