Urban planners get virtual community

Cisco Systems is hoping a custom virtual community built using its WebEx software will impact future urban design and planning.

The company has thrown its weight behind the upcoming Metropolis Congress in Sydney by providing a way for delegates to virtually network and collaborate before, during and after the event.

Cisco hopes to get between 10 and 20 percent of the 800 anticipated delegates using its collaborative platform around the Congress.

It is also hoping that delegates will continue using the platform in their home countries.

This could possibly provide sales opportunities and also potentially impact ‘every aspect’ of urban design and planning, according to Martin Stewart-Weeks, director of public sector, Internet business solutions group at Cisco Systems Australia.

“Networking is one element of the mix you need to build a sustainable city,” Stewart-Weeks told iTNews.

“For Cisco, the city has become a significant arena in which to demonstrate the value of our technology and how network collaboration and communication tools contribute to better urban design, environmental management and economic sustainability.”

Routers, switches, wireless and WiMAX technologies, mesh and unified communications are all said to be technologies that have a strong play in the urban arena, according to Stewart-Weeks.

Cisco will also be looking closely at how urban planners and architects are able to use this technology in their roles worldwide.

The custom WebEx system is anticipated to be in a production environment by September.