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Introduction

The OWCG is an open Interest Group on wearable and pervasive computing. It is currently set-up as the common exploitation strategy of wearIT@work, Europe’s largest project in this area. It will create positive synergy effects on business opportunities challenging new ICT applications in industry.
wearIT@work is still active and is currently opening its internal Wearable Computing Group to all ICT companies interested in wearable and pervasive computing technologies implementing applications of this technology for their customer’s.

Objectives of the OWCG

Main goal of the OWCG is to create a business network which will exploit wearable and pervasive computing results gaining the interest of stakeholders and their customers to learn more about the potential benefits of this technology.
The objectives of the OWCG are to:

• Provide lessons learned and findings as a result of wearIT@work and related projects;
• Identify methods/systems applied in wearIT@work and other projects; 
• Conduct business case studies from the wearIT@work example and discuss results and recommendations — that are the economic and other related benefits (including technology) stimulating industry to implement wearable computing solutions. 
• Discuss the rationale to not implement wearable computing solutions.
• Discuss the likely cost benefits of access to wearable computing. Use results of wearIT@work and related projects as the reference model for related analysis and discussion.
• Discuss the likely ROI for industry who implement wearable computing solutions in the market place. Use results of wearIT@work and related projects as the reference model for related analysis and discussion.
• Qualitatively and quantitatively demonstrate, through analysis, the ROI for applications who implement wearable computing solutions. Results of wearIT@work and related projects will be used as a reference.

Organisation of the OWCG

Currently the OWCG is transformed to a registered association. The members are structured in the following interest groups:

• Consultants
• Application and system integrators
• Providers of Open wearable Software and hardware modules
• End-users

The interrelation of the OWCG members is regulated by Statutes, a Code of Conduct, a Co-operation Framework Agreement, and by the former wearIT@work Consortium Agreement extended beyond the project duration.

All Members benefit by knowledge within the OWCG and, at the same time create value providing competence, services, methodologies and technologies.
The way to create value along this chain is described in more detail below:

1) Consultants
Consultants identify the potential benefit out of a wearable computing approach. They cover the organizational aspects and specify a wearable computing solution for evaluation by end users. They plan the job for application developers and system integrators.

2) Application or Systems Integrators
Application or systems integrators start the implementation projects based on concrete specifications given by consultants or by end-users. They invite the owners of hardware and software modules within the OWCG to their projects.

3) Hardware and Software Module Providers
Providers of hardware and software modules create business by consulting their clients. This enables an alternative way accessing the value chain. Within the OWCG they involve application and systems integrators as well as providers of other components to their projects. They train system integrators/developers in application of their modules.

4) End-Users
Finally end-users gain knowledge about wearable computing. This enables them to take over the organisational and financial benefits applying wearable computing in industry and to create business financing the projects carried out by the OWCG partners.