The University of Southampton has won the coveted award for Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year at the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) awards for the second successive year.

The award recognises the benefits of the University’s Open Data Service http://data.southampton.ac.uk/, which provides open access to University data to help improve the life of the University community and our visitors while increasing the transparency of our operations.

One of the judges, Chris Cobb, Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary at the University of London, said that Southampton’s development of open standards was going from strength to strength. “This innovation demonstrates a practical application for their web service protocols – a real case of ‘walking the talk’ and leading by example. It’s even more impressive that it’s been adopted so widely on campus.â€?

Chris Gutteridge, a member of the University’s iSolutions technical innovation and development team in the Faculty of Physical and applied sciences, and the architect who designed and built the data.southampton.ac.uk website, collected the prize at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. “We’re very proud of what we have achieved in creating the University of Southampton’s Open Data Service,â€? said Chris.

“The reason this service has been a success is that we've had by-in and support at all levels, from students and the student union, the academics, the professional services, the Web and Internet Science Research Group (WAIS) and right up to the senior management. It's the positive culture at the University that has enabled us at every step.

“The tools and techniques we used, and in many cases built, are all open source and while this initiative might be ground-breaking now we envisage that in a few years’ time this is going to be business as usual for all organisations, just like having a website is in 2012.â€?

The data the University is making available under an open government licence via the Internet and through associated applications is transforming student life. “The open data site tells students what’s on (the Events Calendar combines 73 different information feeds to provide a comprehensive overview of university activity), where things are (interactive maps show all teaching, leisure and catering facilities and links to all the data about them) and even how to get there (with real time bus data from the Council linked to maps showing bus stops).

“By drawing data from other open data sources, such as Unistats, we have linked information about our courses with NSS scores and other key data, giving prospective students more information than ever before, and easily available in one place,â€? Chris concluded. “We are also extending the benefits to academic peers and industry who can also use data.southampton.ac.uk to find out more about the University’s research facilities and major items of equipment, which could lead to future collaborations and arrangements for working more closely together on academic and commercial projects.â€?

In 2011, Southampton won the THE Award for Outstanding ICT Initiative for the innovative Synote web-based annotation tool, which makes multimedia resources easier to access, search, manage and exploit for learners, teachers and other users.

The University of Southampton was also short-listed for this year’s THE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development for the Uni-Cycle project. This scheme enhances the University’s commitment to increase recycling and reduce its environmental impact by refurbishing unwanted and donated bikes from around Southampton and putting them back into active use.

Professor Don Nutbeam, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, said: “The University of Southampton is exceptionally proud and delighted to have received these nominations and to win the award for Outstanding ICT Initiative. This is a reflection of the outstanding effort and continual dedication of our staff, and the pioneering work going on in Southampton.â€?

The Open Data Institute (ODI), founded by University of Southampton Professors Nigel Shadbolt and Sir Tim Berners-Lee, opens officially today.

Based in Shoreditch in East London's Tech City, the world-leading ODI will become the 'go to' venue for those seeking to create new products, entrepreneurial opportunities and economic growth from open data.

It will promote innovation driven by the Government’s Open Data policy, helping the public sector use its own data more effectively and developing the capability of UK businesses to exploit the commercial value of open data.

The ODI’s work will be presented to Cabinet Office Minister, Francis Maude, who says: “The creation of the Open Data Institute – the first organisation of its kind in the world – underlines our determination to maximise the potential of data as a material for economic and social growth. The ODI, and the expert team assembled there, are already helping to foster a new generation of innovative businesses built on open data, and to develop the specialist skills among data technologists that will see the creation of new products and services. We look forward to working with them to make data more readily available and accessible, and to further cement the UK’s position as an international leader in open data.â€?

The ODI was announced in last year’s Autumn Statement. It is receiving partial funding from the Government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB) – £2m a year over five years. The organisation was the brainchild of Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt and has been substantially supported through its start-up phase with resources and services from the University of Southampton.

ODI Chairman and Southampton Professor of Artificial Intelligence, Nigel Shadbolt says: “I’m delighted to see our vision for the ODI made real. A world first, the ODI demonstrates both UK commitment and leadership. It shows what becomes possible when you make data available and build the conditions for people to use it to create new products and services. The ODI will be a catalyst for business, innovation and greater openness.â€?

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web and Chair of Computer Science at the University of Southampton, adds: “People are looking to the UK as being a leader. A lot of people have come to me since they heard of plans to launch the ODI with questions about how they can launch one in their own country. I think it’s great to have somewhere to centralise a lot of experience, a lot of the brilliant work that people have been doing in this area both within the UK and in the international community. This is just the start of amazing things that are going to happen in this space.â€?

Current research by Deloitte reveals key features of an evolving open data market. As part of its start-up activities, the ODI has been working with business experts to assess the landscape.

The Deloitte analysis reveals that:

• The UK is leading the world in open data. Whilst data.gov.uk (in which Professors Shadbolt and Berners-Lee had a key role in its development) does not have the same quantity of data as government open data sites in countries including the US and France, in the period studied by Deloitte, data.gov.uk received more daily visits than either data.gouv.fr. or data.gov.; • Between January 2010 and September 2012, demand for open data on data.gov.uk, measured by the average number of page views for each dataset, has grown by 285 per cent; • There are significant variances between supply and demand for open data in different industry sectors; • As the environment develops, businesses are organising themselves in to five key “archetypesâ€? based on the ways they use open data. Costi Perricos, Deloitte Analytics public sector leader, says: “Data has been referred to as the new raw material of the 21st century. Used wisely, open data can create opportunities for individuals and organisations, both in the public and private sectors, to make more informed and more effective decisions about the issues facing them today. While the open data market is still relatively immature in the UK, demand appears to be increasing. As a result of the rapid growth and availability of data today, we can expect to see a new generation of online citizens and businesses emerging.â€?

Professor Paul Lewin of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton has been honoured for his contributions to high voltage cable engineering by being named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).

Paul joins an elite group of engineers and researchers from around the world who are recognized by the IEEE for their outstanding contributions for the benefit of humanity and the profession within one or more of a wide variety of areas that include aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications, biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.

Elevation to Fellowship of the IEEE follows a rigorous evaluation procedure. The IEEE has more than 400,000 members in 160 countries and after a rigorous evaluation procedure Paul is one of just 298 new Fellows for 2013.

Paul has been at the University of Southampton since 1989. He was awarded a Chair in 2010 and is now Professor of Electrical Power Engineering. Since 2002 he has been head of the Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory that is recognised internationally as a centre of excellence for its research into high voltage phenomena, dielectric materials and condition monitoring.

His research interests and contributions in the general area of high voltage cable engineering focus on condition monitoring techniques for high voltage polymeric cables, methods for rating transmission cables, future cable insulation systems and measurement techniques for the study of dielectric phenomena.

He has contributed to international standards and his work has been of benefit to the electrical transmission and distribution industry that has continually funded his research.

In 2007 Paul was asked to chair IEEE International Conference on Solid Dielectrics, in Winchester. He is currently an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions: Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, has agreed to chair a large international conference in Seattle, USA in 2015, and been elected Vice-President (Technical Activities) of the IEEE’s Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society for 2013. He is also the UK representative on several European and international working groups concerned with standards for electrical measurements.

Paul said: “This is a great honour but is not just down to me. We have built a fantastic multidisciplinary research team within the Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory with world-class resources and have attracted a lot of industrial support to fund our activities. I have been fortunate to work with many distinguished colleagues from around the world, as well as at Southampton, and have been supported by excellent research staff and students.â€?

Professor Neil White, Head of Electronics and Computer Science, said: “Not only is this a notable individual recognition of the research contributions of one of our professors, but it is an excellent endorsement of the strength of our research and its international reputation in the area of high voltage engineering.â€?

For the second year running, a student from Electronics and Computer Science was a finalist in the prestigious award for UKESF (UK Electronic Skills Foundation) Scholar of the Year.

Samuel Hipkin, who is in the final year of his MEng degree in Electronic Engineering, was one of the two finalists for this year's UKESF Scholar of the Year, an annual award made to the most outstanding student on the UKESF programme. The programme aims to ensure the strong future of electronic engineering in the UK, and provides scholarships and summer placements with some of the UK's leading electronics companies. Samuel spent his summer placement working with ARM in Cambridge and will be joining the company on graduation in 2013.

Last year both students in the final of the competition were from ECS - Adam Malpass (who won the award and now works for Dialog Semiconductors), and Tom Dell (who now works for McLaren), both of whom graduated MEng Electronic Engineering with First Class Honours in July 2012. This year the award was won by Rares-Mihai Popa of Edinburgh University.

'It is an outstanding achievement for ECS to have provided three out of the four finalists in the UKESF Scholar of the Year competition', said Professor Neil White, Head of ECS. 'We strongly support the UK Electronic Skills Foundation and its aims of promoting Electronics. Many of our students have benefited from the Scholarship programme, as well as from the summer placements and summer school, and many of the companies involved in the programme will be attending our annual Careers Fair in February 2013. Many congratulations to Samuel on his success in the programme.'

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For further information on this story contact Joyce Lewis.

PROV a worldwide specification for provenance of information on the Web has reached a key milestone on the road to standardisation thanks to the work of an international group led by a University of Southampton professor.

Professor Luc Moreau, from Web and Internet Science in Electronics and Computer Science, is co-chair of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provenance working group that is looking to define a standard for provenance on the Web.

W3C is an international community that sees organisations, staff and public working together to develop Web standards. It was founded by the inventor of the World Wide Web and University of Southampton Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee and aims to lead the Web to its full potential.

Luc has been leading the Provenance working group that has just published specifications for provenance of Web information as Candidate Recommendations. This is a major milestone before becoming a standard.

The PROV standard will provide the structure of a computer-processable audit trail that is capable of describing the origins of information. This audit trail will help people understand where their information has come from and whether it can be trusted.

Luc said: “The W3C Provenance working group that I co-chair has been working very hard to develop a standard for provenance on the Web. By publishing our specifications as Candidate Recommendations the community can review our proposed standard, implement it and make comments up until the end of January 2013.

“It is important that a standard for provenance is developed because it will help users determine whether they can trust data and documents on the Web. On the Web, where information is mashed up and republished, where we can trust sources more than others, provenance will allow users to decide whether information is authentic.â€?

After comments close at the end of January the specifications will become Proposed Recommendations before being finally endorsed by the W3C Advisory Committee.

To read the W3C PROV working group Candidate Recommendations in full go to:

Overview of the provenance specifications

Primer on PROV

PROV Data Model, Candidate Recommendation

Provenance Working Group page

Households are being encouraged to take part in a new project by the University of Southampton to help reduce their energy bills.

Rising energy prices combined with falling winter temperatures provide a powerful incentive for us to find ways of reducing our energy bills.

According to researchers at the University of Southampton, a key element in reducing our bills is to better understand how our home consumes energy. To help users gain this understanding, the researchers have devised a simple process which provides personalized advice with the minimum of time and effort – and at no cost.

The research is a collaboration between the ORCHID project, based in Electronics and Computer Science, which is investigating how people and software systems can better interact, and the ‘Intelligent Agents for Home Energy Management’ project, which focuses on using autonomous software agents to improve energy efficiency within the home.

Only three steps are involved in the process: first you register with the project online and you receive your free Joulo data logger (which looks and works just like a conventional memory stick). You place this on top of your central-heating thermostat and leave it for a week to collect data as you continue to use your heating as normal. You then log on to the website, upload the data from the logger, and receive instant personalised advice on how to reduce your heating bill. The logger can then be posted back to the researchers using the return bag – and postage is also free.

“We’re giving people responsible energy advice at low cost and scaleâ€?, said Dr Alex Rogers, who is leading the project. “The system is very easy to use – we’re not installing something permanently and we’re not asking users to collect data themselves; all that’s required is that the data logger sits on top of the thermostat for a week.

“The analysis that participants receive is designed to make them more aware of how they are operating their heating system against the background of the external weather conditions. We’re looking at the profile between internal and external temperatures and seeing how the home responds - how quickly it warms up and dissipates, and then providing advice on this feedback.â€?

“We believe that people will be able to lower their annual bill through taking our advice on board,â€? he added. “As we run our analysis algorithms on data from more and more homes throughout the trial, we’ll be able to add more complex analysis. We particularly want to add feedback about timer settings; warning householders that they may be heating their homes very early in the morning, or very late at night, when it probably isn’t necessary.â€?

Over 70 leading technology graduate recruiters will be attending the Engineering and Technology Careers Fair organized by Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) and the Faculty of Physical and Applied Sciences at the University of Southampton on Tuesday 12 February.

With the UK facing a current deficit of 60,000 engineers, according to Sir James Dyson, highly skilled and capable graduates are very much in demand, and Southampton students have an excellent reputation for the breadth and depth of their knowledge of different technologies, as well as for the strong mix of practical and theoretical understanding gained in their degree programmes.

This year’s Fair, the sixth in the series, brings some of the world’s leading recruiters to the University. Companies attending will be offering graduate recruitment opportunities, as well as summer internships and industrial placements, and aiming to build relationships with students as they progress through their degrees. Many of the companies also sponsor student activities in ECS, provide prizes and awards for academic course modules, and pay regular visits to give technology presentations.

Imagination Technologies, one of the country’s leading technology companies, is a regular recruiter of ECS graduates, whose skills and knowledge fit well with the company’s needs. Its multimedia and communications semiconductor Intellectual Property (IP) cores are at the heart of today's most innovative and exciting consumer electronics products and the company relies on recruiting leading graduates.

“We believe it is critical for industry and universities to work together to mutually benefit,â€? says Raeeka Yassaie of Imagination Technologies. “As a company we are represented on the Industrial Advisory Board in ECS. This helps us maintain a strong understanding of the teaching ECS delivers and we are also able to advise and influence so that the School can ensure it is producing graduates with the skills that industry needs.

“We attend and sponsor many events each year across UK universities with strong engineering and computing departments, including sponsorship of multiple events and attendance at a number of careers-focused activities in Southampton for ECS."

ECS has one of the UK’s best records for the employability of its graduates. In last year’s University league tables, the employability ranking (indicating the percentage of students in graduate jobs or further training six months after graduation) for ECS students was 95 per cent.

“It’s essential that we produce graduates who have the skills and understanding to play an effective role in developing future technologies,â€? says Professor Neil White, Head of Electronics and Computer Science. “As a school we have worked hard over recent years to ensure that our courses are providing our students with the skills needed in the workplace. We also place a very high value on our employer liaison activity, including our annual Careers Fair and our Careers Hub web site.

“This enables students to work closely with companies who can sponsor projects and course modules, to take up summer internships and work placements in vacations, and to have the best possible information about employment opportunities.â€?

Over 1200 students attended last year's event, and this year's Fair is already hotly anticipated. The event takes place in the Garden Court, Students' Union, on the Highfield Campus, from 11 am to 3 pm on Tuesday 12 February, and is open to all students in the University, with a particular emphasis on engineering and technology degrees.

For further information about the Careers Fair or careers activity in the Faculty of Physical and Applied Sciences, contact Joyce Lewis; tel. +44(0)23 8059 5453.

Centrica Plc. invited the Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory (TDHVL) to tender for a series of tests on a 27m section of 132kV offshore wind farm export cable and subsequently awarded the laboratory with its largest ever contract for commercial testing. Work has commenced on the three month long test programme and on the 7th December the supplied cable section was energized with a 1000 Amps per phase for the first time.

The cable is too large for testing within the laboratory and instead is being tested on the dockside of the University’s waterfront campus, “We are very grateful for the excellent support of everyone at NOCS,â€? said Neil Palmer, TDHVL Laboratory Manager, “their assistance in planning the work and ensuring that we can meet the test programme requirements has been outstandingâ€?. The collaboration between the TDHVL and The National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS) is largely as a result of the formation of the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) as it was through this process that TDHVL became aware of the facilities and expertise available at the waterfront campus.

The wet design cable is being initially tested under dry conditions to determine its thermal properties and leakage/loss currents under controlled conditions. Obtained values will then be used to validate cable models that will provide information on the thermal rating of the export cable connection from the offshore substation to dry land. This will allow the investigation of potential limiting factors that may reduce the overall ampacity of the connection.

“This is extremely important work for the UK offshore wind farm industry as a wholeâ€?, said Professor Paul Lewin “the outcomes from this testing programme could ultimately lead to improved international standards for the rating of offshore wind farm export cable circuits.â€?

“The expertise of the University of Southampton in terms of high voltage cable ratings is well known and the results and analysis of the testing programme may lead to a reduction in the required number of export cables in the seabed. This could significantly reduce the costs associated with construction of offshore wind farms, a vital contribution to the viability of future projects.â€? said Simon Catmull, Project Engineer for Centrica.

Professor Steve Swingler, a member of academic staff at the Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory, has received an award from National Grid in recognition of his work on the Western HVDC Link. He has worked on a number of large HVDC cable projects in recent years (including BritNed and Basslink) and played a key advisory role during the design process for the Western HVDC Link.

The Western HVDC Link is being jointly developed by National Grid Electricity Transmission and Scottish Power Transmission. It will provide a vital reinforcement to Great Britain’s transmission grid, bringing renewable energy from Scotland directly to England and Wales without having to pass through a transmission bottle-neck in northern England. The link comprises 400 km of HVDC cable and converter stations at Hunterston, North Ayrshire in Scotland and at Connah's Quay in Flintshire, North Wales. This link will be the longest HVDC cable system in the world at this rating (2.2GW) and will also be the first subsea link rated at 600kV DC.

Professor Swingler says “The Western HVDC Link is crucial in removing transmission constraints between England and Scotland. It is a challenging project, as there are a number of world firsts in its delivery. Based on my experience of working on previous HVDC interconnector projects, my role was to assist the design team through providing specialist advice on the submarine cable elements of the link. The project is now moving in to the construction phase, during which I will be continuing to work with the team at National Grid and Scottish Powerâ€?

Staff at TDHVL is still actively involved in the project, with work on going to develop fully coupled thermo-electric models of the cable system to allow detailed rating studies to be carried out. A significant component of this work draws in the experience of staff based at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton in modelling thermal processes in seafloor sediments.

This year’s Engineering and Technology Careers Fair is the biggest yet – with 79 major employers keen to offer graduate jobs and summer internships to Southampton students.

Despite reports that indicate a reduction in the number of graduate jobs available this year, students can still expect very strong interest from employers across the tech industries and from companies that are seeking excellent graduates with high-level competence in technology, including computer science, engineering and the physical sciences.

The Fair takes place at the University’s Highfield Campus on 12 February. It is the sixth annual Fair organized by Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) and the Faculty of Physical and Applied Sciences. The first Fair, in 2008, attracted 23 companies; each year since then strong demand for Southampton graduates has seen the Fair increase in size. New companies attending this year include: Amazon, Gazprom, Hawk-Eye, Lockheed Martin, Meggitt, Notonthehighstreet.com, and many more. Thirty per cent of the companies are attending for the first time.

The Fair is the centrepoint of the careers and employability activity in ECS, but activities throughout the year, such as conferences, employer presentations, and mentoring programmes are designed to ensure that students are aware of all the opportunities open to them, and best prepared to gain the position that they want. ‘It is very exciting to see the number of companies that are keen to employ our students,' said Professor Neil White, Head of ECS. ‘The environment we have created here continues to ensure that companies want to promote their opportunities to our students. For our part we do our best to increase our students’ awareness of career opportunities, right from their very first week at the University. We want to prepare them to find the job they want, and raise their aspirations of future achievement.’

Companies attending this year's Fair are: Accenture Adex-Group Aubay Altera Amadeus Amazon Analog Devices ARM Atmel BAE Systems BAE Systems Detica BBC R&D Bloomberg BT Cambridge Group Captec Career Destinations/ODAR Centrica Climax Studios Critical Software Technologies Deloitte Dialog Semiconductor ECM Selection EMC Enterprise Recruitment Ericsson Television FactSet Fidessa G Research GE Gazprom Marketing and Trading Goldman Sachs Gradcracker Gresham Computing HMG Communications Centre HSBC Huddle IBM Imagination Technologies Invensys IT Dev JP Morgan JDI Backup Lockheed Martin M&G Matchtech Meggitt Memset Micro Focus National Instruments NCC Group NDS Netcraft New Voice Media Notonthehighstreet.com nvidia Ocado OpenBet Open Market PwC RGC Jenkins & Co. Schlumberger Selex ES SetSquared Sony Professional Snowflake Software Sperry Rail SPI Lasers STFC STI Switch Concepts Teach First Telesoft Technologies Telsis Thales Transport for London True Clarity WikiJob Winton Capital Yahoo! Year in Industry

The Fair takes place in Garden Court and the Mountbatten Building, Highfield Campus, University of Southampton, from 11 am to 3 pm, on Tuesday 12 February. It is open to all students at the University of Southampton.

For further information about the ECS Careers Hub activity, contact Joyce Lewis; tel.+44(0)23 8059 5453.