Niels Ole Bernsen
Odense University
email: nob@mip.ou.dk

The goal of i3net is to advance the development of novel human-centred systems and interfaces for interacting with information, aimed at people in their everyday activities. In so doing, i3net is committed to an exploration of new relationships between technology, people and design.

i3net, the European Network for Intelligent Information Interfaces, is a European Network of Excellence which currently has a dual mission.

Firstly, i3net supports collaboration among the thirteen individual research projects making up the Esprit Long-Term Research Proactive initiative in intelligent information systems and interfaces for communities of ordinary people. Brief definitions of each of these i3 projects, drawn up for the EITC '97 which is described elsewhere in this Issue, are the following:

Amusement Virtual amusement space with techniques for collective presence and genetic evolution of virtual representations and behaviours.
Contact person: Javier Segovia

Campiello A range of tools for the dynamic exchange of cultural information and experiences between the local community and visitors.
Contact person: Alessandra Agostini

Comris Wearable assistant ('parrot') to enhance participation in large-scale mixed-reality events.
Contact person: Walter Van de Velde

Co-nexus Virtual meeting place and new tools for low-literacy adults.
Contact person: Luc Mertens

eRena Electronic interaction spaces support cultural experience spanning arts, performance and entertainment.
Contact person: Yngve Sundblad

eScape Large, heterogeneous electronic landscapes where a diversity of inhabited spaces coexist.
Contact person: Tom Rodden

Hips A new tool for tourists to simultaneously navigate a physical space and a related information space.
Contact person: Giuliano Benelli

Lime New tools for communities to create, share and explore dynamic collective local memories.
Contact person: Ingrid van der Zon

Maypole Sharable GSM tools connecting people, objects and places to perform a social activity.
Contact person: Kay Hofmeester

Mlounge A virtual meeting place with different levels of interaction for the members of a geographically distributed community.
Contact person: Thomas Rist

Persona Innovative navigation based on a personalised and social approach.
Contact person: Kristina Höök

Populate AvatarKiosks to automatically capture avatars for large numbers of people.
Contact person: Peter Champ

Presence New low-tech and high-tech solutions for better integrating activities of the elderly.
Contact person: Kay Hofmeester

i3net aims to make i3 more than the sum of its (individual project) parts. To this end, i3net provides a common communication infrastructure and basic services, such as the organisation of the i3 Annual Event, support for collaborative research, such as for the i3 Special Interest Groups (SIGs), i3 paradigm and concept promotion, development of training initiatives, assistance in technology transformation, and the publication of the i3Magazine.

Secondly, i3net seeks involvement of the many different players working in intelligent information interfaces throughout all of Europe, including not only academic and industrial IT specialists but also industrial designers, architects, broadcasting studios, local governments, consumer organisations, social scientists and anthropologists, offering them visibility, information on the emerging results of i3 projects, and involvement in the i3 enterprise. In addition, i3net supports the European Commission's Call for Experimental School Environments (ESE). ESE, described elsewhere in this Issue, is a visionary and exploratory initiative that aims to research new kinds of IT-based tools or environments designed for the enhancement of learning.

i3net currently has approx. 70 members mainly drawn from the institutions participating in i3 projects. The i3net Coordinating Group is working towards opening i3net to new members and creating a Technology Strategy and Road Map for the network.

More information on the i3 projects, their activities and partners can be found at, and via, i3net's web pages. These pages also present i3net's activities and provide information on how to become a member of i3net.

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Revised: 10 December, 1997.		Mail to webmaster@i3net.org