Lecturer, research and consultant in Distributed Computing,
Communications, Digital Media Technology, Wireless LANs; lecturing (to
undergraduate and postgraduate level) in the School
Of Digital Media Technology;
Faculty of Technology, Engineering, and the Environment, Birmingham City
University. (See also Research in the School of
Digital Media Technology).
Also
a visiting lecturer (in Telecommunications and Computer Networks) at EIGSI, La Rochelle, France;
guest lecturer in networked media distribution, broadband triple play services at Aston University
Current
consultancy and research involvement includes interactive and personalised networked video, personalised TV, networked media distribution (Cable TV, Telco IPTV, Satellite, DTTV, OTT-WebTV, etc); media brokerage; applications of virtual environments
Member
of the Accreditation Committee for Northern
California
University.
Media / Telecommunications networks and markets: Media Distribution
Network Architectures, strategies and solutions; Broadband Triple Play
(Multiplay), xDSL, Cable, IPTV, VOD, Middleware, End-User Equipment and
Networks, P2P; WiFi; VoIP.
Service
and applications technologies and markets: Service integration,
platforms and brokerage. Automated enterprises; service and content
brokerage; intelligent agent technology; networked virtual
collaborative environments; Market evolution: value models, rights and
content management, regulatory issues. Information infrastructures:
community networks and educational services; societal issues.
Subjects:
Digital
Media Technologies, Digital Systems, Telecommunications, Media
Industry, TV Systems and Media Distribution, Client/Server Systems; to
undergraduate and postgraduate
level; Course Director (MSc Web Technology), course development.
Guest lecturer (Wireless
LANs, Broadband Multiplay, Digital Media Distribution) to postgraduate
level at other
universities
Consultancy, researchin media
technologies and services, communications
services, networks, applications of virtual environments
A matched-funded collaborative project between
Birmingham City University, Daden Limited, Grid-108, Birmingham City
Council, Digital Birmingham and BT.
I was instrumental in setting up and defining the project.
Currently undertaking research
investigations in
applications of virtual environments, interactive TV.
Career in the Telecommunications Industry before 2005
Note - 1975-1988: GEC Telecommunications; GEC became GPT in 1988; GPT became Marconi Communications in 1999.
Derived and managed
strategy for correlating triple play services across Marconi
covering both technical and marketing aspects; derived evolving
market value models for media distribution and service
integration. Worked with third party partners, specifically for
IPTV, SoftSwitch (VoIP).
Managed Triple Play
solution for a Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) project: Liaison with
partners to successfully derive a solution and integration of
partner equipment.
Developed scenarios for
market adoption of “disruptive” technologies,
services
and user adoption (e.g. P2P distribution); forecast of effects on
next generation networks and services.
Market analysis and
intelligence. Provided key support within Marconi, including
Government facing facilities. Developed accurate scenarios for
market reaction to disruptive technologies and radical user
adoption; effects on next generation networks and services
Managed the development
strategy of the demonstration suite. Managed model development
and configuration for broadband access/triple play and SoftSwitch
demonstrations; collaborated with suppliers to build the access,
triple play and VoIP models; presentations of solutions to a wide
range of CXOs, partners and customers. Managed the development of
an online interactive demonstration facility, design of on-line
interactive demonstrations.
Managed the logistics for
demonstration models for exhibitions (CeBIT, etc.): Design and
build of models, shipping, installation and associated
formalities.
Exhibitions,
presentations - CeBIT, VON, Enterprise Networks, invited speaker
to events, etc.
Support for commercial
bids, including government-facing initiatives
Representation at
Broadband Stakeholders’ Group (BSG)
Vision and innovative new
service solutions; Market analysis and technology trend
development.
Initiated and pursued
study of service brokerage concepts, technologies and markets.
Awarded joint patent
(with P.J.Williams, ex-GPT) - for "Mobile Terminals in the
Enhanced Internet.
Founded and managed a
highly successful project in agent based brokerage for online
information economies, taking concepts into a joint-academic
collaboration (with University of Southampton). Developed the
concepts for the study; directed the strategic development;
conveyed the project in white papers delivered at international
conferences. The project successfully developed highly advanced
agent architectures for online negotiation and service platform
management for automated enterprises.
Provided key vision and
input to Centuri21 (EU funded project for online local authority
services): Formulated the direction, objectives and work packages
of the project; managed the user interface development. The
project delivered numerous innovative online services across
Europe. See annex to this cv for project details.
As invited consultant,
provided key input into strategic plans; communications
technology consultation
Was a member of the
Industrial Panel for the Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering, Queen Mary Westfield College (University of London).
The role involved planning and guidelines on development of MSc
courses.
Research in VR and real
world correlation; VR User interface metaphors; networked
collaborative working (CSCW)
Research project at GEC's
Hirst Research Laboratories, investigating networked VR.
Management for project for budget and strategic issues.
Was joint-founder of
project (DTI funded – 6 industrial partners, 4
Universities): Key input in the project building stage:
negotiating with collaborative partners, rationalising project
shape against collaborative resources, budgets and manpower;
building in relevant technology and social-science partners.
Formulating direction, objectives and work packages of project.
The project was a milestone for the development of virtual
communities and interfaces for collaborative working.
Provision of key
technical input on telecommunications aspects; cross-project
inter-disciplinary integration. Conveying project concepts in
white papers, delivering at international conferences. See annex
to this cv for project details.
Was invited for
consultation on telecommunications network infrastructures;
information service infrastructures. Provided key input into
strategic plans; communications technology and online user
services:
National Rural Enterprise Centre (became the “Regionet” project) (1996-98)
Lincolnshire 2000 community Network (1997)
Key input on service
infrastructures to GPT's strategy exercises and studies. Key
member of "new networks and services" strategic
development groups and forums
Identified
market/technology trends; promoted the issues and opportunities;
identified and liaised with partners (industrial, academic);
formulate findings and opportunities in written papers for
publications; research projects resulted, along with input to
strategic planning. A key achievement was the concept of service
brokerage – technologies, realisations and evolving markets.
Was awarded an Individual Contribution Award for work on next
generation services.
1986-88 Development of
C7: CCITT standards recommendations.
1986-88 Development of
GSM protocols: CCITT standards recommendations.
1984-88 Proposals and
developments for data networks access to ISDN (X25, X75, X71, X31,
etc), CCITT standards recommendations. Input to New Networks
Technology Forum X25 group.
1981-84 Work on
"System X" and ISDN signalling protocols (DASS, DASS2,
DPNSS, CCITT I.series)
1980-81 MOD Work
1979-80 Attended Aston
University - "Bosworth Course" (postgraduate course,
Telecommunications Technology)
1975-79 Development of
signalling protocols on Crossbar Switching system; logic circuit
design.
Papers, Publications and Presentations
Issues for Mixed Reality
Multi-National Universities (J.D.Foss); Media Education Summit,
September 2010, Birmingham UK
Object-Based Media –
Quantum Information ("A Head In The Cloud") (J.D.Foss);
article in publication “The New Optimists: Scientists View
Tomorrow's World & What It Means To Us”, (ed K Cooper) for
the 2010 British Science Festival. A Proposal For Media Brokerage
(B.Malheiro,
J.D.Foss); ECUMICT, Gent, Belgium, March 2010
Lessons From Learning In Virtual Environments
(J.D.Foss); British Journal of Educational Technology (Blackwell), Vol
40 No 3, p556-560; May 2009
LiVE - Learning in Virtual Environments
(J.D.Foss); ECUMICT, Gent, Belgium, March 2008
Dynamic Intelligent Intermediation (J.D.Foss);
invited presentation to BBC Technology Forum, December 2005
Beyond MultiPlay
(J.D.Foss); invited presentation to BBC Technology Forum, February
2005
From Triple Play To The
Global Jukebox (J.D.Foss); invited presentation to BBC Technology
Forum, July 2004
Service Brokerage,
Dynamic Virtual ASP's and the Info-Climate (J.D.Foss);
Networks2000, Toronto, September 2000.
Brokerage
In An
Information Economy
(J.D.Foss, Kulwinder Garcha, Phil Turner, Nick
Jennings); INET2000, Yokohama, Japan; July 2000.
Brokering
Automated
Enterprises
(J.D.Foss); INET'99, San Jose, California, USA;
June 1999.
Information Brokerage for
Online Automated Enterprises (J.D.Foss); Computing and Control
Engineering Journal (vol 10, no.1); (IEE); February 1999
Brokering the
Info-Underworld (2) – chapter in BT Engineering Journal,
Summer 1998.
Brokering the
Info-Underworld (J.D.Foss); FITCE UK (Federation of
Telecommunications Engineers of the European Community); London,
August 1998.
Intermediation
and Information Brokerage
(J.D.Foss), ISSLS'98,
Venice, Italy, March 1998.
Brokers and
Intermediaries in the Info-Underworld (2) (J.D.Foss); Colloquium
on Information Overload, IEE, London, December 1997.
Brokers and
Intermediaries in the Info-Underworld (J.D.Foss); ISS'97,
Toronto, ON, Canada, September 1997.
Brokering the
Info-Underworld – chapter in book "Agent
Technology" - eds (N.Jennings & M.Wooldridge), Springer,
1998.
Brokering the
Info-Underworld (J.D.Foss); UNICOM seminar, "Real World
Applications of Intelligent Agents", Heathrow, UK, June 1996
Agents In Information
Brokering Services (J.D.Foss); UNICOM seminar, "Business
Applications of Intelligent Agents", London, UK, November
1995.
Information Services and
Group Activities in a National Information Infrastructure
(J.D.Foss); Fifth IEE conference on Telecommunications (ICT'95),
Brighton, UK, March 1995.
The Global Information
Trading Environment (J.D.Foss, E.Ackroyd, B.C.M.Atkin); ISSLS'93,
Vancouver, BC, Canada, September 1993
Information Trading In
Distributed Virtual Environments (J.D.Foss, E.Ackroyd,
B.C.M.Atkin); IEE colloquium "Using Virtual Worlds",
London, May 1993.
Have supplied quotes and input for a number of other publications.
Memberships
– Member of the Institution of
Engineering and Technology (the IET)
Member of The Internet Society (ISOC)