For those working in information and content strategy, Documation 2017 promises to hold some interesting developments.
The event takes place in Paris later this month (29-30 March) and, for the first time, content strategists and information specialists will come together in a coordinated effort to understand, discuss and begin to define the future of information in light of Industry 4.0 (the trend towards so-called ‘smart factories’, which includes cyber-physical systems, cloud computing and the Internet of Things).
A new track at Documation 2017, called Information 4.0, will facilitate this directly by looking at the impact of future technologies surrounding Industry 4.0 on information delivery. TECH’advantage, a Paris-based software company, and Adobe Technical Communications, a provider of software tools for information specialists, will be sponsoring the track, along with Antidot, Ixiasoft, Magellan and Ermeo.
What is Information 4.0?
At first glance, Industry 4.0 seems to have a lot to do with the Internet of Things (IoT), but it’s a lot more than objects determining that the milk in your refrigerator is going bad.
Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), sensory data will allow objects to make autonomous decisions that will affect us directly in a variety of ways – those objects will need information.
Today, Industry 4.0 is driven by industrial motivations; these motivations may tend to leave out the information component. As information specialists, we must sensitise the information industry to which we belong to the changes that are coming and to the roles we should play. Events like the Information 4.0 track at Documation 2017 will help define those roles and start the process of inserting information specialists into the Industry 4.0 conversation.
Information will be one of the most important products of Industry 4.0.
You can read more about Information 4.0 and Industry 4.0 below:
- Content sensing and Information 4.0 (TCWorld)
- Where machines could replace humans—and where they can’t (yet) (McKinsey)
- The state and challenges of Industry 4.0 (i-Scoop)
Adobe returns to Documation
Documation is a trade show that has in recent years focused on big data and digitalisation. Historically, Adobe was a sponsor of this trade show that had a stronger focus on documentation. With the return of Adobe Technical Communication as a major sponsor of Documation 2017, and Information 4.0, the focus returns to documentation, information and content strategy.
Adobe will also be presenting the new release of Technical Communication Suite (2017 Release) and the XML Add-on to the Adobe Experience Manager. The completely redesigned Technical Communication Suite places a focus on user experience, both for technical authors and end-users.
Why Documation 2017?
When I posed this question to Stefan Gentz, worldwide Adobe evangelist, he indicated that Adobe likes to meet its clients, partners and future clients face-to-face and come to understand their needs. He added that Adobe is concerned with the future of information and how the company can provide the proper tools to meet these emerging needs.
Documation 2017 is the ideal event to facilitate this. It’s the only event of its kind in France. Now in its 23rd year and attracting more than 4,000 visitors over two days, it is a multi-use event: a trade show, conference and business meeting covering the entire spectrum of issues surrounding digital information as applied to business.
Adobe TechComm workshops and conferences
Adobe has a featured event at Documation 2017. On March 29, from 14:30 to 18:30, Adobe Technical Communication will present a half-day of workshops and conferences.
For the first two workshops, participants are invited to bring laptops with a full or trial version of Adobe FrameMaker (2017 Release) to follow along:
- Work Faster, Work Smarter, Wow Your Customers! Explore the New Adobe FrameMaker (2017 Release)
- Smooth Transition from Unstructured to XML DITA Content Using the Features of Adobe FrameMaker (2017 Release)
A third presentation focuses on how technical communicators can unify the customer experience by seamlessly blending marketing and technical content using a single platform:
- The Unmistakeable Convergence of Marketing Communication and Technical Communication
On March 30, a full day of conferences in the Information 4.0 track will explore the future of information in the world of Industry 4.0. Adobe has planned two panel discussions:
- Archiving and long-term information access in Information 4.0 – Industry 4.0 implies a world where information is dematerialised and often in formats not readable by humans. A panel drawn from the world of archiving will interact with Adobe experts to explore how to guarantee the availability and readability of information over the long term for archiving and traceability.
- Hybrid cross-media information in the world of Industry 4.0 – Hybrid information (information shared between humans and machines) is also a type of transmedia communication and thus presents multiple challenges of complexity. Ray Gallon interviews Stefan Gentz and Saibal Bhattacharjee of Adobe to explore hybrid information and Adobe’s view of its impact on the market.
Why should technical writers and content strategists attend?
As technology evolves, our methods, practices and attitudes toward information must also evolve. Will we wait and catch up with the times, or will we lead this information revolution and help define the future? That’s the question we should be asking ourselves as technical communicators, marketers, content strategist and digital information specialists. Documation 2017 may prove to be a key turning point in where we go in the future and how we get there.
While this event is targeted at the French market, with most conferences to be held in French, at least one of the Adobe conferences will be in English, as well as several of the conferences on the Information 4.0 track.
The fact that Adobe is returning to Documation and supporting the Information 4.0 track, means that in the future content could take a whole new position at Documation.
Paris, it seems, may become the birthplace of a global revolution in information delivery.
Event information and free registration
How to register
Documation takes place from 29-30 March 2017 and is free to attend – get your badge here.
Location
Parc des Expositions Hall 2.2
Porte de Versailles, Paris
Website
https://home/tweeddev/public_html/firehead.documation.fr/
Words: Toni Ressaire, a technical communicator, consultant and Adobe Partner. Firehead is an Adobe Technical Communications authorised trainer for Adobe FrameMaker (2017 Release)
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