All change: New job, new challenges

I've worked for the University of Cambridge Computing Service and subsequently for University Information Services for almost 17 years. At the end of this month I'm going to step back from my current responsibilities and go and do something almost entirely new.

With the support of UIS's management and at my request I'm about to be seconded to work with Dr Ian Lewis, University Director of Infrastructure Investment, on the Intelligent City Platform that he's developing as part of the University's collaboration with Connecting Cambridgeshire's Smart Cambridge' project  and the Greater Cambridge Partnership (formerly The City Deal). This involves a whole group of technologies (remote sensing, mapping, GIS, data handling, etc., etc.) that I've always been interested in but never had the time to work with. I'm looking forward to the new opportunities.

Over the years I've done quite a few things for the Computing Service and UIS, many of which I'm still involved with managing and developing. Plans are afoot for rearranging and reassigning those responsibilities, but at least in the short term this change is going to throw additional work on my already overstretched colleagues. If you are a consumer of any of the things I've previously been responsible for then please cut my colleagues a little slack while these reorganisations complete. One advantage of the agreed secondment arrangement is that for the short term I'll still be available to provide answers to all those questions that I've somehow failed to answer in the documentation.

Onward and upwards...