7th July 2011
Finmeccanica Group Services

In cooperation with MIMOS

Agenda:

08.30 Registration
09.00 Welcome Lorenzo FIORI, CTO Finmeccanica (tbc)
09.15 Opening and Introduction Agatino MURSIA, SET2 Chairman
09.30 Keynote Speech: Virtual Worlds, Real Benefits Wayne BUCK, NATO ACT
10.00 Virtual Worlds – Simulation, Collaboration and Training. Opportunities and Best Practices Mattia CRESPI, iSN – Virtual Worlds
10.30 Virtual Worlds – Past Experience and Future Opportunities David TURNER, Selex SI UK
11.00 Virtual Worlds in the Military Environment (tbc) Iain DUNCAN, Selex Galileo UK
11.30 Coffee Break
11.45 Virtual Worlds in Logistics (tbc) Alberto TREMORI, Università di Genova
12.15 Collaborative System Engineering Usage at Thales Alenia Space Italia Valter BASSO, Thales Alenia Space Italia
12.45 Collaborative Environment through Virtual Worlds (tbc) Andrea DI LELLO, Agusta Westland
13.15 Human Centred Virtual Environment in Aeronautics Danilo CANNOLETTA, Alenia Aeronautica
13.45 Lunch
14.30 3DS’s Virtual Worlds Adriano GARELLA, Dassault Systèmes
15.00 Virtual Training: Enhancing Skills Using Virtual Worlds Lorenzo GIANNOTTI, Tess-Com
15.30 Virtual Worlds Contents Creators Davide BORRA, NoReal
16.00 Moondus SDK, an European Platform to Create Professional Virtual Worlds Bruno CERBONI, Virtual Italian Parks
16.30 End of Workshop

V-3DAS (Virtual 3D Agri-Stage for experiential learning) is a project approved and co-funded by the European Commission within the framework of the Lifelong Learning – KA3 Programme.

The Project takes up the challenge issued by the agricultural sector to start an entrepreneurship and renewal process of the farmers category in terms of generational turnover and aids to the first setting up.

V-3DAS intends to support the process of sectoral innovation in terms of professional development by updating the knowledge and competences of the agricultural entrepreneurs as well as in terms of technological transfer and innovation, by encouraging the training of agricultural operators who will be able to act as entrepreneurs.

V-3DAS wants to offer farmers of the new generation a technological training tool able to help them to understand the importance to “be entrepreneurs”, to acquire the characteristic mindset of the entrepreneur, to interact within a market-oriented dimension and to manage their farms in a managerial perspective: not as a company that produce for the subsistence and that keeps going only thanks to the EC funds, but with the possibility of alternative sources of income (for example, the multifuncionality).

ISN Virtual Worlds is one of the core partners of the project, working on the 3D scenarios design and development, machinima production, marketing and communication plans and v-learning platform deployment.

We are proud to contribute to such an international effort, which involves partners with high expertise levels from many European Countries: Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Hungary and Austria.

You can follow project progresses and its outcomes by visiting the official web portal: www.v3das.com

The Venture Camp is a two-day event organized by the Mind the Bridge Foundation and hosted by Corriere della Sera (the leading Italian newspaper) in Milan, held to promote a healthier Italian entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Mind the Bridge Foundation is a non-profit organization, founded in 2007, with the aim of providing a link between the most innovative Italian start ups and Silicon Valley.

Venture Camp is an annual event with a double objective:
• Identify the most promising Italian ventures;
• Create a fertile ground where investors and entrepreneurs can meet.

Selected entrepreneurs present their business ideas to a large audience, including potential investors and partners.
Chosen startups will be invited to participate in the MtB Gym, a tutoring program between Italy and the Silicon Valley.

In today’s business context large Companies need to collaborate across borders, share ideas among workgroups and stimulate networking inside and outside the company.
Efficient collaboration translates into better ideas, efficient problem solving and cuts costs.
Companies need better internal communication to share expertise and successful client cases.
Companies need a collaboration tool that is easy and fun to use, while enabling powerful functionalities.
With the new possibilities of Web 3D, a new dimension for online interaction and collaboration is now available.

Web 3D technologies are simply the natural evolution and convergence of several technologies commonly used to collaborate nowadays. (web 2.0, social networking)
Web 3D allows:
Synchronous learning and real time interaction, with voice, chat and video.
Gives users the ability to contribute and create content within the learning and collaboration system.
Gives users the ability to share data and information with others in the 3D virtual world, enabling informal learning.
3D content is fun to use and engages people into the learning process in a more effective way.
A 3D learning environment combines powerful collaboration tool, within a videogame-like atmosphere, thus accomplishing a more enjoyable learning experience.

A new Generation of Learners… Grew up immersed in technologies. Enter the business world with a different focus mentally and with a different learning style than the previous generation.
The learning style is forged through video gaming and learning to master them.
Grew up in the age of the Internet, where they create content, become an Avatar and create their own realities electronically.

A New Generation of Learners requires A New Generation Learning Solution.

ISN Virtual Worlds develops Web 3D Immersive environments for:

Company collaboration
Corporate Training
Simulation and risk training
Change Management training
Problem Solving
Business Gaming
Web Communities and social networking

For More info click here.

Virtual training can earn companies a positive return on investment (ROI), with relative small investments. Smart companies provide employees with training opportunities to keep skills and knowledge at their top in order for employees to produce high-quality work, with all the advantages of a no-risks virtual environment to work inside. In the past, employees typically learned in classrooms led by expert instructors. but that scenario has been changing.

While face-to-face instruction offers the opportunity to interact in person with the instructor and classmates, and may be the first choice of most people, it is not realistic in today’s global environment: technology opens up new learning options.

Virtual classrooms and virtual worlds make up an array of environments for learning. Some are more instructor-led, and others are totally learner-driven. They are also cost-effective once the technology is in place and the company culture embraces other learning patterns.

Outside of subject areas where face-to-face interaction or real world testing is necessary, many researches indicate that no significant differences exist in the effectiveness of learning through virtual environments and collaborative tools.

Carefully developed 3D graphics and visuals can help better explain new concepts. Realistic environments, advanced physics simulations and even short videos and integrated multimedia contents contribute to a more visual and immersive approach to understanding concepts. That, combined with the instructor’s interactions, ensures a better and more effective way of learning. In fact, some animated sequences and scenarios in v- training would be difficult to safely and affordably duplicate in a classroom.

Interaction through blogs, wikis and discussion boards can help learners see other points of view. There is no danger of isolation for virtual learners, since they play in a immersive workspace with many other avatars and powerful tools used to reinforce the learning.

The opportunity to access specific sections of the learning content as many times as necessary to grasp key concepts provides a better overall understanding of the topic. Also, choosing the best time to learn puts the learner in a better frame of mind to learn.

While it may be tempting to assume a shift to v-learning is only about cutting costs, an over-reliance on the financial ROI justification risks compromising the current learning program’s effectiveness. Companies must objectively evaluate the financial impact on business when considering the adoption or avoidance of v-training. V-training can help address many critical business problems like supporting global employee learning, decreasing travel and expenses, and increasing productivity in a competitive environment. But companies need to do a careful assessment of the nature of internal and external learning at all levels of the business, especially the benefits, costs and risks.