Bristol has a history of technology innovation, as far back as engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel pioneering many projects from the South West port.

So it seems fitting that Bristol should break new ground by attempting to create one of the UK's first wireless-enabled cities.

In November 2002, with funding from the Department of Trade and Industry, HP and local supplier Appliance Studio, the Mobile Bristol project was created to research and develop new mobile technology applications.

The £3.2m initiative aims to create a publicly-accessible wireless infrastructure covering the city centre, as well a variety of new business opportunities and consumer services.

What were the business objectives of the project?

The University of Bristol, HP and the Appliance Studio began the project to research how portable devices and pervasive IT could be used to enhance ways people experience and interact with their environment and each other in urban and public places.

But the aim was far more than just a commercial research project, says Phil Stenton, manager of HP's technology and lifestyle integration department.

'It is focused foremost on enhancing the experience of Bristol as a place to live or visit,' he says.

'It aimed to unlock aspects of the city's heritage and character for the benefit of education, social interaction, entertainment and tourism.'

Another key goal was to create a sustainable wired and wireless infrastructure throughout the city, giving Bristol a technology base that would continue to innovate and launch new consumer and commercial services in the future.

'We wanted to develop novel technology solutions that fit into the busy and mobile lifestyles of consumers, as well as commercial opportunities,' says Stenton.

What were the key milestones in the implementation?

'The first challenge was to get the necessary infrastructure and authoring tools in place to deliver the media experiences to the location,' says Stenton.

After receiving initial funding in November 2002, the Mobile Bristol team began building the wireless infrastructure for the project.

The first wireless application, Schminky, was launched in March 2003, at the Watershed Art Centre's caf‚. It allowed tourists to interact using mobile devices to play a 'Simple Simon' style game.

Other applications followed such as Savannah, a project involving the BBC's Natural History unit to help children from six Bristol schools learn about the ecology and ethology of African plains.

The strategy-based educational adventure game using wireless iPaq PDAs allowed children to become 'virtual lions', with predators and prey mapped onto the virtual landscape which overlayed school playing fields.

Further projects include the world's first global positioning system (GPS) 'radio play' recreating the 1831 riot for tourists walking around Queen Square and last November's Harbour Trials, giving tourists a multimedia tour with Bristol Ferry Boat Company.

What technology was used?

Mobile Bristol put in a Telewest GigaBit local area network around the harbour side, along with 802.11b wireless base stations.

'Recently we have extended the reach in the centre of Bristol by working with Cityspace to put wireless access points into information kiosks,' says Stenton.

'On the back of that there is now a project called StreetNet, which the council is funding, to take this further.'

Individual projects involved different technology partners, with Queen Square Riots using iPaqs and Vodafone GPRS networks, Harbour Trials using Node Explore technology and Savannah incorporating content from the BBC.

Other technology and content partners include Appliance Studios, QinetiQ, Inmarsat, Futurelab, Ordanance Survey and GWR.

How did you manage the business change and people issues involved?

'The key was to put in the infrastructure and the resources and then people came to us because it was a lot more accessible in terms of finance,' says Stenton.

Mobile Bristol also needed to draw a line between a project being a trial and a commercial entity.

'The intellectual property was free at trial stage, but if a commercial venture was made out of it then firms had to pay a licensing fee,' he says.

By trialling business plans first, firms were in a better position to show venture capitalists what could be achieved, he says.

What results were achieved?

Bristol city centre now has a wireless network used by local businesses, tourists and academic establishments.

Stenton also says the trials have helped HP and Bristol University progress developments in mobile and pervasive technologies.

Individual projects have also bought numerous benefits to different communities.

'The Savannah project has helped children interact more effectively using new technologies in the wider context of ecology and nature,' says Jo Morrison, creative director at Nesta FutureLab.

Mobile Bristol has also led to commercial spin-offs for the local business community.

'The Harbour Trials project has enhanced the overall tourism offering of the harbourside at Bristol, creating more business and revenue streams from the hiring of the devices and sponsorship opportunities,' says Tom Brammar, commercial director at Node Explore.

'It has also enabled Node to use the project as a springboard to establish itself as a company at the forefront of the tourism and heritage interpretation industry.'

What were the lessons learned?

'One of the key things we have learned is to work with the technologies we have got,' says Stenton.

'For example, you can't assume GPS will also give a perfect 10 metre range every time you need to factor the technology's characteristics into the project, not try and change it.'

Stenton says other organisations looking to roll out similar projects should remember that infrastructure can take longer to build than originally expected.

'In some ways it was like trying to build a plane while flying over the Atlantic,' he says.

What were the business benefits and return on investment?

'It's really helped us learn more about developing pervasive media experiences, which has been invaluable when talking to our strategic customers,' says Stenton.

Bristol University's computer sciences department has also been able to publish numerous research papers in academic journals and local entrepreneurs have been able to create commercial businesses, says Stenton.

How do you plan to build on the project further?

The project's funding will run out in April 2005 with Mobile Bristol hoping to achieve additional funding later in the year.

But the team continues to develop further wireless applications and spin out commercial entities.

The Harbour Trials initiative hopes to bring the service to all visitors with Symbian-based phones, and HP Labs is working with Vodafone to test mobile adverts that link wirelessly to billboards around Bristol.

Computing says:

Mobile Bristol has been successful on two fronts; not only has it helped commercial and academic organisations progress developments in mobile and pervasive technology, it has also bought tangible benefits to tourists and local businesses in the city.

The investment has created a wireless infrastructure that continues to grow, developing commercial business opportunities at the same time.

Project at a glance

*A £3.2m project to make Bristol a wireless city, funded by the Department of Trade and Industry, HP and Appliance Studio

*Mobile Bristol has created a wireless infrastructure around the city centre, using a GigaBit LAN and 802.11b wireless base stations

*Following early successes the city council has launched its StreetNet programme to extend internet availability throughout the area

*Trials include a GPS-based recreation of the 1831 Bristol riots, pub-based games and digital mobile jukeboxes

*The project has led to advancements in mobile and pervasive technologies, with Bristol University publishing academic papers on the topic

*Mobile Bristol spin-off Node Explore has become first commercial business to emerge from the project