Uberveillance exhibition and book launch

An exhibition aimed at raising public awareness on the technological trajectory of automatic identification devices and location-based services is on show at the Panizzi Room, UOW Library, until Friday 18 September.

It is entitled Uberveillance (pronounced oohbuhvayluhns): Reinventing the Shadow and is being staged by Dr Katina Michael and Dr M.G.Michael from the School of Information Systems and Technology.

Uberveillance in its ultimate form is an omnipresent electronic surveillance facilitated by technology that makes it possible to embed surveillance devices in the human body.

Uberveillance has already been considered within the context of electronic health monitoring application, policing and justice, retail and the mass market, within the emergency management domain and for social services.

It is within this backdrop that the Michaels’ exhibition examines the potential social implications of emerging technologies. The exhibition of photographs records the history of automatic identification from manual to automatic techniques (e.g. tattoos, bar codes, magnetic-stripe cards, smart cards, biometrics, radio-frequency identification tags, and chip implants) with a view to raising issues relevant to the social, cultural, and ethical implications of emerging technologies.

The exhibition was held in unison with the official launch of the Michaels’ book, “Innovative Automatic Identification and Location-Based Services: From Bar Codes to Chip Implants”. The book is available for purchase from the authors and also leading global book suppliers such as Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.

The Head of the School of Information Systems and Technology, Associate Professor Peter Hyland, officially launched the book

Among those attending the exhibition and book launch were the Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), Professor Joe Chicharo; the Dean of Engineering, Professor Chris Cook; the Dean of Science, Professor Will Price; representatives from Andrew Corporation; colleagues from the School of Information Systems and Technology and Faculty of Informatics; and past and present students.

The exhibit is divided into five parts:

    • Book extract excerpts -- showing the history of identification from manual to automatic identification and location-based services within a variety of contexts.

    • Current applications -- showing embedded or wearable automatic identification devices and pervasive location-based service applications including for missing persons, those suffering from Alzheimer’s, young children and safety-related purposes, remote health monitoring, prosthetic devices, controlling devices, home care.

    • Motivations towards ICT implantable devices -- showing the variety of stakeholders involved including career academic researchers, commercial entities investing in implantable solutions (both resellers of solutions and end-users such as clubs), and so-called do-it-yourself implantees.

    • Science fiction v science fact – showing a revealing look at how predictions made in science fiction are now science fact. Visitors to the exhibition are asked to look at each poster for no more than five seconds and try to determine which part of the tile is fiction and which is fact!

    • International media releases -- showing citations in Forbes Magazine, ABC America Online, New York Times, Yahoo! Finance Canada, LapTop Magazine, The National Post (Canada), The Inquirer, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Herald Sun etc.

Further enquiries about the exhibition or the book can be sent to katina@uow.edu.au or by calling (02) 4221 3937 or visit the following website

Last reviewed: 15 September, 2009