Indra to lead the "ADAPTA" R&D and innovation project, bringing customised digital content to everyday life

Indra, the number 1 technology multinational in Spain and one of the biggest in Europe and Latin America, is leading the R&D and innovation project  “ADAPTA: Technologies for Digital Content Customisation and Interaction", whose aim is to develop innovative technological solutions to enable users of audiovisual media to interact with customised digital content in various scenarios of everyday life.

ADAPTA (www.innterconectaadapta.es) aims to foster the consumption of audiovisual content, in accordance with the preferences of the user, and to deliver this content to consumers in a customised, dynamic and non-intrusive manner.  The ultimate aim is to create a system capable of providing customised advanced multimedia content and interactive services of interest to various user groups, including the disabled community. Accordingly, the project contemplates the development of technological solutions that compile information about characteristics, preferences, trends, consumption habits and even the emotions of the user upon reception of this content, imbuing the system with the capacity to provide feedback and "learn" which content to finally offer to each one of the users.

Interaction with the user (both in the compilation of data for the development of the content and in its consumption) will be based, among other things, on Microsoft's Kinect gesture recognition technology, which is currently enjoying great success in the videogame industry. Thanks to this solution, users can interact with the content without the need to have physical contact with the broadcast platform, by means of a natural user interface that recognises gestures, voice commands, objects and images. Moreover, sensors and microphones will be used to capture the auditory information generated by the user and to facilitate the user's interaction with the system.

The ADAPTA project has a global budget of €2.5m from the ERDF-Innterconecta programme, which fosters the development of innovation projects with an international scope. This programme is an initiative of the CDTI (a body under the Ministry of the Economy and Competitiveness) co-funded by the Technology Fund with ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) money and the Ministry of the Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment of the Government of Andalusia.

In addition to Indra, which is responsible for coordinating the consortium, IT, communications media and telecommunication specialists, such as the Secuoya Group, Ingenia, Wellness Telecom, Below Group and Tedial, are also involved. Furthermore, research centres, such as the Foundation for Information Technology Research and Development in Andalusia (FIDETIA) and the universities of Seville, Malaga and Granada and Madrid Polytechnic University, are also participating in the initiative.

Tests in two tourism environments

To guarantee its usefulness and future application, the ADAPTA project will be tested in two pilot schemes centred on tourism, as this sector is one of the main assets of the economy of Andalusia.

The first will be implemented in a busy public space that is yet to be defined and will provide travellers, especially in summer, with content to make their stay in the region even more pleasant. An interactive panel will capture the characteristics of the people in front of it by means of the application of identification technologies and in accordance with pre-established parameters (such as their characteristics, gestures and physical appearance). The result of this preliminary analysis will be the broadcast of advertising or information of interest to the recipients, such as activities, places to visit and typical products to consume in the city and its surrounding area.

The second pilot scheme will be implemented in a hotel environment and will focus on providing customers with customised services by means of digital television. Each television set will receive promotional or advertising content the viewer is actually interested in. HBBTV technology will be used for this, as it facilitates the broadcasting of on-demand content by combining broadcast and broadband services. The consumer will therefore be able to obtain useful information and instantly access products and interactive games with the option of naturally interacting with this content.

Significant benefits

The ADAPTA project will enable the automatic generation of customised content, providing users with the material of their choice and companies with significant competitive advantages, given that the receivers are familiar with this content and specifically interested in it. The resulting solution will be of special interest to the advertising industry, as it will facilitate the reception of user preferences and will enable the design of content that, specifically, meets the user's real demands.

It will also be of relevance to the field of Advanced Interaction as it not only recognises the preferences of consumers and designs tailor-made solutions, but also facilitates, by means of the latest technology, a constant relationship between the consumer and the system, so that the system can continue to evolve and adapt its services. For example, when showing certain products, the system will provide the consumer with the option of finding out more, that is, where to buy them, special offers, characteristics and features, etc.

In addition to its innovative aspect, the importance of ADAPTA lies in its conception as a new tool for interaction and social participation. The project will enable users to access the activities and possibilities offered by digital content, interrelating with them and improving their information and leisure options. Furthermore, the results of the project can be applied to many other sectors, such as healthcare, marketing, industry, banking, transport and security.

At the cutting edge of interactive services

Indra is contributing its experience in the creation of interactive services for television, where it is leading some of the most significant projects currently being developed in this scope. Such a case is the Inmersive-TV R&D and innovation project, whose aim is to research immersive digital content production technologies to enhance the viewer's sensation of integration, beyond current 3D techniques. Immersive television aims to allow the viewer to experience the action in the first-person, to feel like the protagonist, facilitating interaction with the scenario in all spatial dimensions.

The technology multinational is also leading the international SeniorChannel R&D and innovation project, which aims to create an interactive television channel over the internet for senior citizens, allowing them to enjoy customised content, interact, share knowledge and experiences and have fun creating their own programmes.

Indra has a decade of experience in interactive service consultancy and development projects and in the launch and operation of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT). The company has also been working in the field of accessible digital television for more than six years and has become the benchmark company in Spain thanks to the numerous R&D projects it has developed and implemented for its customers. The advanced Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform developed for Segovia Council, which allows citizens to access their local public administration using electronic identification, and the project for the Spanish national television company (RTVE), "Emplea-T Acessible", which is the first interactive application to facilitate access for the disabled to DTT services, are two good examples of this.

Indra is the number one technology multinational in Spain and one of the leaders in Europe and Latin America. It is the second European company in its sector in terms of R&D, with €550 million invested in the last three years. Its turnover in 2011 was €2,688m and today more than half of its income is from international markets. The company employs 40,000 professionals and has customers in 118 countries.