Use of Webcasting, Video-on-Demand and

Captioning for WIPO meetings

IAMLADP, Brussels, June 2014

Janice Driscoll-Donayre,Head, Conference Section

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

WIPO Diplomatic Conference in June 2013 - Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled.

Starting in 2010, phased introduction for WIPO meetings of:

• Webcasting – English + floor language• Video on Demand – English + floor language• Captioning – in English

Live streaming (webcasting) and Video-on-Demand (VoD) of sessions of principal committees and bodies on the WIPO website

• 2011 Assemblies session of WIPO Member States decision – scope of webcasting and VoD program widened to encompass all principal meetings

• 2012 live broadcast via Internet (webcasting) extended to all WIPO principal committees - English and the “floor” language.

• Video-on-Demand (VoD) systematically available on our web site.

Benefits:

• Meetings are more easily accessible to our stakeholders.

• Facilitates work of delegations (coordination with home offices).

• Increased transparency.

• Raises the overall visibility of the organization.

• Sound file is a facilitating tool for Visually Impaired Persons.

• Video is a facilitating tool for Hearing Impaired Persons.

Live streaming (webcasting) and Video-on-Demand (VoD) of sessions of principal committees and bodies on the WIPO website

Video-on-Demand is available for one year from date of posting of the material on our web site. http://www.wipo.int/webcasting/en/?event=vip_dc

Internal costs/resources to be taken into account

Amortization of investment in equipment

PLUS

Human resources:

• 1 sound/audio technician – 1 full day –(present in the sound booth)• 1 sound/audio technician - ¼ day (for editing work)• IT staff time - ¼ day (for web posting).

Webcasting/VoD of meetings

MEETING AUDIO / VIDEO

ENCODING

SERVER STREAMING

(External service

provider)

LIVE STREAMING

EDITING

WEB on VoD site

Live

Recording

WIPO

PROVIDER

EUROPE

AMERICAS

ASIA/PACIFIC

AFRICA

Remote participants

FIREWALL

Captioning

Benefits:

• Allows Hearing-Impaired Persons to follow meeting in “real time”

• Transcript of proceedings is available for meeting secretariats to use for report-preparation and other purposes.

• Cost-effective solution for both of the above,

• Captioning services are presently offered in English only • Link and password to access the captioning provided to meeting participants,

upon request.

• Possibility exists of integrating captioned text into the live streaming.

To put in place captioning/remote transcription services:

Technical requirements

At the meeting site:

• Excellent sound feed very important o Telephone feeds are not adequateo As the feed is taken from English interpretation, remote interpretation

likely to diminish quality.

• Reliable, high bandwidth, internet connectivity.

• Skype (or equivalent service)

• Digital recording for transmission of sound files to external service provider

Service provider (off site)

• Reliable, high bandwidth, internet connection.

• Skype (or equivalent service)

• Back-up phone line

• Secure FTP or equivalent solution allowing sharing the audio files and the Contractor to place the captioning

• Well trained, highly-skilled transcription personnel

• Sufficient availability of personnel (foresee any extended hours, night sessions, etc. in advance

Cost elements to take into account when planning captioning/transcription services for a meeting

Cost varies substantially from meeting to meeting, depending on:• number of sessions, • duration of sessions, • whether schedule during regular meeting hours• or night/weekends sessions

Type of service requested • live captioning only• or finished transcript also

Delivery time requested (of edited transcripts)

Staff resources required for meeting organizer:

1 meeting secretariat staff – essential to monitor terminology during the meeting, to ensure accuracy.

1 IT staff - to set up and test connections; quickly attend to any technical problems , in-session, and transmit audio files to the external service provider

Above meeting organizer staff time offset by substantial savings in staff time which would have been required to transcribe audio files.

Arrangement of the services of a captioning/transcription external service provider

Common tender could be explored, of, for example, Geneva-based, UN-system organizations, through the Common Procurement Activity Group (CPAG)

It would be necessary, however, to: Establish a common set of Term of References and other criteria.Agree on language requirements.

Possible cost savings could be achieved, due to larger volume if total number of days were grouped amongst several agencies.

Information on caption tender, published on the UN Global Marketplace public website at: https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/27257

A final note, worth mentioning in the framework of WIPO’s accessibility awareness in conference operations:

WIPO’s new conference hall, is to be inaugurated in late-September of this year

Equipped with audio-induction loop technology

• Enhanced sound transmission for audio impaired persons. • Sound source transmitted to hearing aid devices, free of

background noise.

Places and desks have been specially designed for wheel chair access.

… Thank you for your attention.