Malta Business Review
Business start-ups
Of Owls, Light And Mobile Phone Applications by Janice Bartolo
“We didn’t know we needed a name, so we came up with one in the very last
minute!”
Plenty of laughs follow this outrageous remark by 20 year old Nick, who is part of a team called Otus.
in their museum, elsewhere. Using their application, I am able to observe it and learn about it in detail.
At the Malta Information and Technology Agency’s headquarters, I am told Otus means ‘owl’ in Latin and I instantly approve of the name, because it alludes wisdom. Before me sit down a group of eight young people, whose ages range from 18 to 24. Some are students, but there is also a self-employed designer, a web application developer, an environmental sciences graduate and to my surprise, an assistant scout leader.
Llumi’s development-related application seeks to demonstrate the empowering nature of smart phones for increased citizen participation in planning decisions. I am given a demonstration. The application locates my whereabouts using GPS technology. I am then invited to request information about planning applications, or lodge a complaint. The application also has a feature whereby illegal development can be reported to the authorities.
They form two teams: Otus and Llumi. I also approve of the latter choice for a name, as it immediately evokes thoughts on illumination, enlightenment and freshness. Otus and Llumi are two startups that have been awarded separate grants of €15,000 each, having won MITA’s Start-APP €15K Challenge. Fifteen teams took on the challenge and came up with their own mobile app technology. Their research was backed by public data made specifically available by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) and Heritage Malta. Their applications had to provide solutions for problematic areas in development, planning and cultural heritage. Otus came up with the best cultural heritage solution. They realised that Heritage Malta was facing cumbersome barriers related to language and the amount of information available to visitors. Their mobile application seeks to enhance the visual and cultural experience of those visiting Tarxien Temples. This is done by means of augmented reality, multi-linguality and itinerary planning. Elisa, who is only 18, proudly shows me a 3D rotating representation of an artifact that was removed from the temples and placed 18
It has become quintessential to promote and reward innovative ideas Zach, an information systems graduate, explains that this concept has exciting potential. It may very easily be applied to other geographical aspects, such as agricultural land, water management and road planning. I realise that on both instances, they relied on public data that was already available to the Government but was not easily available to the public at large. This was due to a number of stumble blocks: lengthy bureaucratic processes and underdeveloped IT systems are just a few. Alexander Borg, manager at MITA’s Innovation Hub, explains that it has become quintessential to promote and reward innovative ideas. MITA is in fact inviting startups to conduct their own research and to be the ones to establish what is needed in order to deliver better service across various aspects of modern society. How do you quantify success? Mr Borg believes a local idea is proved successful when
it is adopted off our shores. “An idea is an idea”, he declares, adding that data and objects are mere variables. Perhaps our geographical location is our best advertising tool. Despite being small, the number of people visiting our islands and coming across our innovative ideas is exceptional. Mr Borg points out that a product such as a mobile application is globalised very easily, necessitating only a handful of people in order to update it constantly. A service, on the other hand, requires a much larger work force. I ask what teams Otus and Llumi plan to do with the funds they have been given and their answers are unhesitating. They would like to strive for excellence in their product, conduct further research and strengthen their team. With their visions in mind, I reluctantly let them be, firmly convinced that this is where the future lies. I get in my car, check my mobile phone habitually, as I do before driving. It then dawns on me that the next application I download on my phone might flaunt the credential “made in Malta”. It might very well be the next application that the world would not do without. MBR That would make me very proud indeed. EDITOR’S NOTE Janice Bartolo is a senior journalist for one of Malta’s leading television stations. Having started off at a young age, she has been able to gain experience that has enabled her to gain insight on an array of subjects. She has covered major events that have shaped history, both locally and internationally. She also anchors the news and has presented a number of programmes dealing with current affairs.