Masterclass in Mobile search at City University London 22nd July

 In conference

I met Professor Jonathan Raper at the Navigation and Location Europe 2008 Conference in Amsterdam recently and he has asked me to be part of his upcoming masterclass in mobile search at the City University London. 

More information is below and also on Jonathan’s Blog.  Perhaps I will see you there?

This one day Masterclass on Tuesday 22nd July will provide participants with an end-to-end analysis of the current state and development of the rapidly growing market for mobile search.

Use of mobile search tools on operator portals in the UK increased by a third from 2006-7 according to M:Media, and forecasts from eMarketer suggest a further doubling of W.European users by 2011 making it one of the most rapidly growing mobile services.

With mobile search offerings already established through mobile operator portals and as downloadable smartphone applications from Yahoo, Microsoft and Google there is a widespread interest in capturing the attention and revenue of the mobile user.

However, the opportunities in this area require an understanding of a sophisticated technological environment and complex value chain.

  • How do the underlying search technologies work and to what are they sensitive?
  • In mobile search context is critical but what types of positioning/ presence should be offered for each kind of mobile search proposition?
  • Do the mobile offerings from the ‘big three’ really work, and who are the startups that have compelling new propositions?
  • Is the mobile content ‘fit-for-purpose’, and how do you extract ‘local’ content from the web?
  • How do you monetise mobile search- is branded content better than mobile advertising?

The search is still on for the winning formula: this Masterclass will bring together specialists in search technologies with world leading business analysts to bring you comprehensive advice on the present and future of mobile search.

This Masterclass is designed for all those seeking to understand mobile search better, whether in R&D or in business development. It will be accessible to all those with an interest in mobile search and taught by experienced presenters with research and commercial experience, including:

  • Professor Jonathan Raper, Editor of the Journal of Location Based Services and CEO of Placr Ltd
  • Dr David Mountain, Lecturer and Technical Director of Placr Ltd
  • Dr Ayse Göker, Lecturer and Director of Ambiesense Ltd.
  • Andrew Grill, General Manager, Sales & Business Development, Seeker Wireless

The one day course will be structured into 4 sessions:

Session 1: Foundational search technologies

  • Search engine fundamentals or how Google really works
  • Evaluating search results, and how to improve them
  • Moving beyond text-based search

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    Session 2: Mobile search platforms

  • Windows Mobile, Symbian and Android
  • Google, Yahoo and Microsoft mobile search, road tested
  • Mobile portal searching- push or pull?
  • Content-driven search solutions: reviews and profiles

    •  

    Session 3: Context intelligence for searching

  • Mobile positioning, accuracy and context for mobile search and presence
  • Finding nearby, accessible and future locations for mobile search
  • Points of interest databases and what they offer
  • Extracting place from web content in mobile searching

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    Session 4: Business integration

    Mobile advertising and location in context – presented by Andrew Grill

    • The location challenge
    • Why the Starbucks example will never happen
    • Location’s place in the mobile advertising value chain
    • Location vs navigation vs presence
    • GPS vs Cell-ID vs WiFi
    • Profiling
    • Driving consumer adoption

     

    The Masterclass will be a mixture of lectures, demonstrations and Q&A sessions and will offer all participants hands-on experience with the technology. Participants will receive copies of the course materials including research papers, case studies and bibliographies on CD and will be introduced to a wide range on online resources.

    Pricing and registration is just £395 per person with lunch and materials, which represents exceptional value for the attendee.

    Places on City University Masterclasses can be booked through Alison Barrett, on 020 7040 8730 or via email on alisonb@soi.city.ac.uk. Enquiries about the Masterclass can be made to Professor Jonathan Raper on 020 7040 8415 or by email to raper@soi.city.ac.uk.

    Further details can be found here.

    About 

    Based in London, The Actionable Futurist and former Global Managing Partner at IBM, Andrew Grill is a popular and sought-after presenter and comementator on issues around digital disruption, workplace of the future and new technologies such as blockchain. Andrew is a multiple TEDx and International Keynote Speaker.