Serious Gaming shows potential to improve productivity in Ports at recent TIME event
Serious gaming technology has been playing an important role in sectors such as emergency services where real-life scenarios need to be simulated to help teams to train for difficult operations in a hazard free environment.
Twenty-seven delegates from France, Belgium and the UK gathered in Ostend at one of the TIME project's workshops to hear how this state of the art technology could be used to improve safety and productivity in the European port and shipping industries.
Experts including, Elise Van Marcke of Antwerp-based Sakari Games, Jérome Poulain of French based Audace and Jacqueline Cawston from Coventry University's Serious Games Institute spoke about how serious gaming technology is being utilised to help industry perform more efficiently and how emergency services are able to simulate life threatening situations to improve the training of their staff.
Serious gaming technology is used to create virtual worlds that mirror real-life situations, enabling trainees to respond to the situation as it develops. As with ordinary gaming the complexity of the situation increases in line with their skill levels and they are encouraged in a non-threatening manner to progress to higher levels of efficiency.
Richard Barron, of UK project partner, Marine South East commented, "This is a really exciting development and will we believe revolutionise training in ports and marine related operations. The ability to bring European companies together through the TIME project has helped facilitate the process of sharing ideas and encouraging collaborations that will benefit individual businesses as well as the ports industry as a whole."
The TIME project, funded through Europe's Interreg iva 2 Seas programme, illustrates the power and effectiveness of cross-border collaboration and the opportunities that are available for businesses operating in the maritime sector.
Formed with the aim of improving the development of sustainable, innovative products and services by encouraging enterprises in the regions of Nord-Pas de Calais, Flanders and South East England to collaborate and work together, the TIME project has been looking at opportunities in the Port Security and Logistics sector.
Planned outcomes of the TIME project include helping small to medium sized marine enterprises in the participating European regions to network and collaborate creating new opportunities to bring products to market faster and more easily.
Companies, knowledge institutions or individuals involved in the development of innovative products or services that would like to become involved in the TIME project are encouraged to contact their regional partner representatives.
Transferring Innovation for Maritime Economy (TIME) is an INTERREG IVA project supported by the European Regional Development Fund operating across the geographical regions of Nord-Pas de Calais, Flanders and South East England.
For more information visit the TIME website at http://www.TIME2Seas.eu or contact Richard Barron richard@marinesoutheast.co.uk
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