 Nokia Research Center (NRC) and Reuters are working together on a mobile journalism project that could transform the way journalists file news reports when on the move. The new mobile application is the first project to be showcased from a long term research collaboration that has been established between NRC and Reuters.
New mobile journalism application allows reporters to file and publish text, photo, audio and video news stories from handheld devices, rather than laptops
The software centres around a lightweight toolkit that provides everything journalists need to file and publish stories from even the most remote regions of the world.
Through an ongoing trial that started this summer, select Reuters journalists around the world made use of the mobile journalism application in their everyday work to edit, combine and file text, images, sound and live and recorded video streams, producing and publishing multi-media stories of broadcast quality without needing to return to the studio or office.
"This is a very easy-to-use application that takes account of the demands placed on journalists in the field," said Nic Fulton, Chief Scientist of Reuters Media. "By running on handheld devices, rather than on bulkier laptop computers, the mobile journalism application enables us to create complete stories and file them for distribution, without leaving the scene. This saves us time and benefits our audience by ensuring that they receive high quality news that is absolutely up-to-date."
While the application's most immediate use would be for professional journalists, the implications of the research could be much wider in the long term. Timo Koskinen, project manager with Nokia Research Center, said: "The term 'citizen journalism' has been in use for several years, but technological innovations - particularly the introduction of mobile multimedia computers - have transformed the concept. 'Citizen journalism' is beginning to embrace a wide range of public engagement with the media, from groups of contributors organized around subject or geographic areas to the casual participation of observers who are lucky - or unlucky - enough to be at the scene of a newsworthy event."
The mobile journalism application uses the multimedia capabilities already available in existing smart phones and combines these to produce a toolkit that fits intuitively with the way in which journalists want to use it. The toolkit comprises multimedia capabilities, text editing tools and live video streaming and is accessed using an innovative user interface. Metadata facilities automatically combine every piece of information the device already has about the context for the story - location, time, date and so on. For the trial, GPS integrated video-streaming technology was provided by Comvu. Reuters has already developed a mobile editorial interface that links the toolkit developed by NRC to the in-house editorial process, allowing stories to be published almost instantly from the field.
The trial involved a select group of Reuters journalists who filed stories from events ranging from New York's Fashion Week to the Edinburgh Film Festival. Reuters continues to make experimental use of the application. A group of university students will also use the application in coming months, to give an idea of how the toolkit could possibly work in a future citizen journalism context.
View footage and download stills from the mobile journalism trial here: http://reutersmojo.com
About Reuters
Reuters (www.reuters.com), the global information company, provides indispensable information tailored for professionals in the financial services, media and corporate markets. Through reuters.com and other digital properties, Reuters also supplies its trusted content direct to individuals. Reuters drives decision-making across the globe based on a reputation for speed, accuracy and independence. Reuters has 17,500 staff in 94 countries, including 2,400 editorial staff in 196 bureaux serving 131 countries. In 2006, Reuters' revenues were GBP 2.6 billion.
About Nokia Research Center
Interacting closely with all Nokia business groups and Technology Platforms, Nokia Research Center is responsible for the strategic and long-term research in Nokia. Looking beyond current product development, the Research Center challenges current strategies and drives Nokia's renewal through long-term technology exploration. Nokia Research Center participates in the standardization work and various international R&D projects in cooperation with universities and research institutes. Nokia Research Center employs about 800 people and has activities in Finland, USA, Germany, Hungary, China and Japan. For more information on Nokia Research Center, see the website www.research.nokia.com
About ComVu
ComVu is the global provider of DIY mobile broadcasting solutions, enabling anyone to simply stream live video from their mobile device to the Internet. Coupled with today's 3G mobile devices, ComVu provides an end-to-end solution for real-time broadcasting of social events, amateur sports, breaking news and emergencies in the field. The company's PocketCaster GPS solution is a multiple award recipient, including the grand-prize winner of the NAVTEQ LBS Global Challenge. PocketCaster is offered as an ASP service or licensed solution to mobile operators, consumer portals, ISPs, enterprises and government organizations. For more information please visit: www.comvu.com.
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