Transmitting live exhibitions on the web
Differing from existing technology, e-Fairs promote the interactions between actual exhibitions and show-house suppliers with the integration of the commutative power of the web. This enables the user to view real-time or recorded images of exhibition stands and use the video conferencing function to communicate with the exhibition representative. Technological differences that facilitate e-Fairs are provided by Omni-directional panoramic video technology, which has a special mirror technique to give the 360 degrees solution that enables multiple user access. This therefore means that during live streaming, every user can select his/her own focal point individually, since the camera is not in control - e-Fairs software is. The application also uses a static environment where the hyperlinks are pre-defined including experimental Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) shape extrication methods. These functions therefore enable the user to click on an object in the image and receive the appropriate information associated with the given object stored within the electronic catalogue. The developers firmly believe that this system will be of great benefit to housing exhibitions and show-houses. This system enables the user to view all the rooms, and if so desired, change the colour of all the pre-defined objects such as wallpaper, carpets and furniture. Thus a real show-house can now be viewed with all the different aesthetic preferences that the user inputs into the application. In addition to e-Fairs' technical benefits, the consortium behind this system has also prepared a business plan that outlines the specific strategies for delivering it into the market. Combined with a user manual for installation process guidance, e-Fairs presents all interested parties with a fully operational prototype ready for fast transition to commercial exploitation.
