Estel·la Oncins and Pilar Orero, researchers from TransMedia Catalonia, took part in the 4th ITU metaverse forum (the UN’s the International Telecommunication Union). A high-level event, this edition was titled “Shaping the CitiVerse: People Centred Cities & Virtual Worlds”.

The goal of the event was to discuss the metaverse and smart cities, disruptive areas of innovation “with great potential to change our economy, way of living and communicating, and society,” as explained by the ITU. This mission was carried out through open dialogues, lectures, and focus groups on the integration and requirements these digital spaces must meet in order to be inclusive, ethical, and socially impactful environments.

The forum was divided into two parts: one held on the 4th, dedicated to lectures and discussions on the topics of study, reflection and debate, and another session centred on the focus group, which held its fifth meeting on the metaverse from 5 to 8 March.

Orero, as co-chair of Working Group 8 on sustainability, accessibility, and inclusion, spoke on the 4th during the session “Digital Frontiers: Navigating the Digital Landscape of the Citiverse”. This session explored the technologies that construct the “Citiverse” and the debates surrounding it, such as accessibility, which is necessary to tear down barriers and make these digitalised spaces inclusive.

For her part, Oncins participated in the focus group, contributing her expertise on accessibility and inclusion in the metaverse. This group, established in December 2022, explores, debates, discusses, and performs significant technical and pre-standardisation work on the metaverse and the technologies that influence it, the ethical matters that surround it, and inclusion in its systems, among other aspects.