Village Gamer

Beginning today and running until June 7th, some of the world’s smartest urbanologists will take part in an online virtual brainstorm. World Tech Jam (#worldtechjam) is hosted by World Congress on Information Technology (#wcit2012mtl) and #IBM to discuss ways in which our increasingly interconnected society can position our institutions for success in the coming decades.

The digital revolution and associated #bigdata challenges are transforming virtually every institution in society today:  from science, healthcare and education, to the way energy is consumed and produced, to the very nature of government and democracy.

“We have a unique opportunity to mobilize large numbers of connected citizens to participate in a global, online conversation designed to elicit new ideas and innovations that could help address some of the world’s most urgent challenges,” said Anthony Williams, co-author of Wikinomics and Program Chair, World Congress on Information Technology.

Jam participants will discuss how IT can improve healthcare, education, cities, energy and environment and media and culture. This massive online brainstorming session will spread over 72 hours using modern collaboration and group brainstorming technologies and data analytics to identify key discussion threads and sharpen outcomes. The result will be a Digital Society Action Plan that can inform, inspire and guide decision makers. The final Action Plan will be unveiled and voted on by a broad cross-section of stakeholders during the World Congress in Montreal this October 22-24, 2012.

Interested participants can join in the discussion by registering online. There is no cost to partake. Participants can log in over the course of the three days as their schedules permit.

Online Discussion Forums:

• Collaborative Healthcare: Hosted by Richard Alvarez, CEO, Canada Health Infoway and Sean Hogan, vice-president, Global Healthcare Delivery System,
• Closing the Global Skills Gap: Hosted by David Ticoll, executive director, Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow’s ICT Skills and Mike King, Global Education industry executive, Strategic Initiatives, IBM.
• Smart Cities and Transportation: Hosted by Gerry Mooney, general manager, Global Smarter cities, IBM.
• Energy, the Environment and Sustainable Development: Hosted by Sharon Nunes, vice-president, Government Industry Strategy and Solutions and Peter Williams, distinguished engineers, CTO, “Big Green” innovations, IBM.
• Media, Arts and Culture: Hosted by Anthony Williams, author, Wikinomics and Saul Berman, vice-president, Global Strategy and consulting leader, Global Innovation and Growth Service area leader, IBM