October 26, 2003
How wireless imaging is impacting the world of business
Forbes published the transcript of a Q&A with Alexis Gerard, president of the digital imaging research firm Future Image, who discusses how wireless imaging is impacting the world of business.
Some examples of how wireless images apply to businesses. Excerpts:
FDCEDITORS: Alexis, can you give us some specific examples, please?
ALEXIS GERARD: Sure. Law enforcement, any kind of field repair or maintenance across industries, manufacturing, facilities management.
FDCEDITORS: How would imaging come into play in law enforcement?
ALEXIS GERARD: For instance taking a picture of a suspect, a vehicle, a location, and transmitting it to another officer or another location for verification
[...]
Rusty: What do you think is the biggest hurdle to getting greater use of wireless imaging?
ALEXIS GERARD: Excellent question Rusty, thank you. The biggest hurdle is simply that we have grown used to the fact that we cannot communicate visually, that we have to translate visual information into words in order to communicate it. By the way, this is also why the first movers can gain such tremendous advantage. There's not a steep technology, investment, or learning curve - it's a matter of changing habits.
FDCEDITORS: And what do you think it will take to push us past those perceptions?
ALEXIS GERARD: Another great question, thank you. I think the biggest single "push" is the fact that carriers will essentially give you a camera in your phone at no cost. Once it first occurs to you that "hey, wait a minute, I can just take and send a picture"...and then a second, and a third time...you won't go back.
Big-a: What are some of the most under-utilized applications of wireless in imaging?
ALEXIS GERARD: Well, imaging and wireless have never been brought together before, this is a very recent development. So everything is under-utilized...or non-utilized...but the most compelling applications are going to be where speed is important. For instance, everything that has to do with emergencies.
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