BROADBAND COMMUNITIES is the leading source of information on digital and broadband technologies for buildings and communities. Our editorial aims to accelerate the deployment of Fiber-To-The-Home and Fiber-To-The-Premises.
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50 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT When Pixel Magic entered LITE's facility, it was one of the only VFX companies in Louisiana. Since then, the company has trained more than 100 artists in VFX, and virtually all the artists it employs today are graduates of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Because of its access to fber connectivity, Pixel can send large fles to studios and movie production sites all over the world. Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) is a nonproft educator established in 1996 to grow and support the game industry. Based in Sydney, Australia, it ofers a unique curriculum that provides students with the training they need to work and succeed in the video game and flm industries. AIE, which has only two U.S. locations – Seattle, Wash., and Lafayette – has been a member of theOM since 2011. It ofers the only two-year program for video game and flm industry education in the state and provides job training for the entertainment industry – an industry that the state targets for growth – hoping that this will attract more gaming companies to the area or spark graduates to open independent studios in Lafayette. AIE benefts immensely from the fber connectivity available at LITE. Te ability to transfer and edit large video game fles in seconds when other connections would usually take hours is an asset. Data Specialties Group (DSG) is a supplier of innovative, quality, custom-designed and -built electronic monitoring equipment and services. It is dedicated to next-generation industrial data acquisition technology and support service. Tanks to DSG's expertise in data acquisition technology, its customers can use its products and services to reduce or eliminate equipment downtime and optimize safety and production of nonrenewable resources. DSG, one of the newest members of theOM, was approved for incubation because of the collaborative potential with LITE and theOM to create an infrastructure for accelerating commercialization of data technology. DSG's data products and services contribute to the technology and culture in Lafayette, and a fber foundation diferentiates its products and services on a global scale. DSG developed an innovative, patent-pending, distributive data technology for which the basis is high-bandwidth fber optic connectivity. DSG also takes advantage of one of LITE's premier venues, the total immersion space, which is capable of simulating technology integration into existing processes safely and cost-efectively. Tis, coupled with collaboration with LITE's product development team, makes DSG a great community partner and allows it to better serve its customers. LUS Fiber provides businesses in Lafayette access to speeds that are roughly 20,000 times faster than dial-up and more than 100 times faster than a typical broadband connection. With a fber infrastructure prepared for the future, Lafayette is poised to develop new technological tools and applications that will help people work smarter, educate students more efectively, make business processes more efcient and improve overall quality of life. Trough the partnership of LITE and OM, businesses not only have access to premier ofce space and high-powered, technologically advanced venues but also are able to use fber services to make their processes more efcient and better. Lafayette has carved out a place among the best in the world. v Skyra Rideaux is the events and public relations coordinator for Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE). Contact her at 337-456-1824 or Skyra@lite3d.com. The LITE Total Immersion Space allows several users to be totally immersed in a virtual environment. BBC_Jan14.indd 50 1/27/14 1:46 PM