The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology use Lifesize to connect researchers, increase productivity, reduce travel

Researchers at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) were faced with a classic conundrum. How do collaboration researchers – collaborate? Inventing the future requires today’s tools, and to bring researchers together, Calit2 turned to Lifesize for their high definition video communication needs.

“Video is a part of our core collaborative efforts and Lifesize has an ‘always on’ capability that works very well for us,” said Doug Ramsey, Calit2’s Director of Communications. “Because it’s reliable and easy to handle, we use it everyday.”

“Lifesize is proud to be chosen by Calit2 to provide high definition video communication systems,” said Casey King, CTO, Lifesize Communications. “As a technologist, I have a deep appreciation for the research work Calit2 is doing – harnessing the world’s best minds to work on a project together has always been a difficult challenge. Our own experience using Lifesize as a global collaboration tool has helped us bring better products to market faster, and I am confident that the researchers at Calit2 will find, as we have, that distance just disappears when you communicate in high definition.”

Home to two of the world’s three highest-resolution scientific display systems, Calit2 researchers are inventing the collaborative research environment for the digital future. The institute creates research teams consisting of members from multiple academic departments often across multiple campuses across the country and around the world. These teams integrate individuals’ expertise to enable more comprehensive studies and also extend involvement beyond faculty to students, to industry, government, and community partners.

For the over 900 researches within the institution, seamless communication between groups working out of multiple campuses around the country is key. Calit2 needed an “everyday” video communications system – one that would give the best possible visual experience, yet be affordable and easy to use. Although accustomed to working with cutting-edge technologies, the scientists were impressed with the Lifesize systems.

“After reviewing several HD videoconferencing systems, we found that the features-packed Lifesize Room system offered significant image quality improvement over traditional SD systems, at a reasonable price,” said Hector Bracho, Sr. Producer/Director at Calit2. “The affordability of Lifesize products allowed us to quickly deploy the units in our building, keeping in line with Calit2’s philosophy of working at the cutting-edge of technology.”

A complete case study detailing Calit2’s implementation of Lifesize high definition video can be found here.

About California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology

Calit2 is one of four California Institutes for Science and Innovation created in late 2000 by California to ensure that the state maintain its leadership in cutting-edge technologies and industries. Its mission: to extend the reach of the Internet throughout the physical world. More than 200 faculty members from UC San Diego and UC Irvine are collaborating on interdisciplinary projects, with funding and other support from more than 100 industry partners. For more information, visit the institute’s Web site at: http://calit2.net/.