Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1127413
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 JUNE 2019 17 COMMERCIAL MCDONALD'S proudly host- ed Michela Pace and her fans at the Sliema restaurant on June 1, 2019. Michela rose to fame when she won the first edition of X Factor Malta in January. She cemented her status as Malta's sweetheart when she repre- sented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, with her hit Chameleon. The talented 18-year-old was welcomed by her fans upon her arrival at McDonald's. Fans took it in turns to meet Michela, get her autograph and didn't miss the opportuni- ty for a prized selfie with their idol. Michela thanked her fans for their support and surprised them by singing a few verses from Chameleon. McDonald's, that0 is also a sponsor of X Factor Malta, is proud to support local talent. "Hosting Michela at our res- taurant to meet the fans, was a great pleasure and we look for- ward to seeing her successful journey unfolding in the near the future" said Paul Dragan, Managing Director of Premier Restaurants Malta, the opera- tor of McDonald's. "It was also a great opportunity for us to give our customers a thrilling memorable moment, which they can look back on with fondness for years to come." Michela Pace meets fans at McDonald's INTERCONTINENTAL and Holiday Inn Express Malta is appointing a new Cluster Gen- eral Manager, Lior Bebera. A German national, born in Israel, Lior Bebera has lived and worked in seven coun- tries, on three continents. Lior Bebera has grown in his career within IHG and has played an important role in establishing strategies for numerous hotels. Bebera a few years back, was previously at InterContinen- tal Malta as Hotel Manager, responsible for the operation and the overseeing of the re- furbishment and extension project of the hotel. Lior Be- bera is enthused to be back in Malta, replacing the former General Manager, Martin van Kan, and will establish a strong 5-star service culture, sup- porting the team in achieving their personal best which will lead to greater results and a stable and enjoyable working environment. Bebera has also worked in a number of InterContinental hotels and properties such as InterContinental Berlin, David InterContinental Tel Aviv, In- terContinental Kiev and IHG Head Office in London. In his previous role as GM of Inter- Continental Bucharest, Lior Bebera was primarily respon- sible for managing the hotel operations and maintaining the service excellence that is synonymous with the Inter- Continental Brand, creating "great hotels guests love", and he wishes to continue to do so at InterContinental Malta. In his role of European Op- erations Support Manager at IHG Head Office, Lior Bebera was supporting 112 hotels in Europe in achieving nota- ble results by implementing leading-edge tools and imple- menting them together with the hotel teams. Also Bebera was part of the European Food & Beverage Committee of Ex- perts in charge of creating in- novative concepts, tools and processes for hotels to drive revenues and improve the performance of Restaurants, Bars and Conference Centres. Bebera's experience in various functional areas and aspects of the hospitality industry will help to drive the hotel, Inter- Continental and Holiday Inn Express Malta and its employ- ees to strive to be top of the hotel market on the island. InterContinental and Holiday Inn Express Malta appoints new Cluster General Manager TIMES have changed. Radi- cally and rapidly. A decade or so ago, one had to physically visit, rely on photography or read some descriptive litera- ture to get to know about a place other than that you live in. In today's digital world, the availability of advanced tech- nology has made it possible for us to get to know and experi- ence other places outside our immediate world. Most of us are familiar with the Google maps app. The app allows us to view most locations around the world through a 2D, 3D or interac- tive street map. Closer to home, the Planning Authority and the University of Malta together with a wide stakeholder involvement have embarked on a more ambi- tious and ground-breaking project. The project is revo- lutionising data as we know it. Nicknamed SIntegraM, this EU project, financed by the European Regional Develop- ment Fund is enabling us to transform the way we 'experi- ence' Malta. Not only are we moving from 2D into Virtual Reality (VR) but we are tak- ing it even further. New tech- nological advancements have been developed for us to intro- duce Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR). With AR we will brings ele- ments of the virtual world, into our real world. Therefore, we will be better positioned to en- hance the things we see, hear, and feel. This technology finds the middle-ground between our real world and the virtual world. Through MR, we will be better placed to blending the physical world with the digital world, whereby we can start to visualise potential scenarios. All and much more than this is possible. Through SIntegraM we have sought the past, un- derstood the present and are projecting for the future. Today we are better placed to take a snapshot of our en- vironment, travel within it and review the likely impact if a change is put into affect. We can better understand and visualize the threat of rising sea levels, the impact of major development projects, the po- tential of underwater explora- tion, the better appreciation of our cultural heritage treasures and much more. Over the past years we have garnered experience and in- sight in data capture and its conversion to information. Now we are showing foresight and moving ahead with a pro- ject will have a long lasting effect. This platform is em- powering society to be more knowledgable, leading to a better understanding of the natural, physical and social environments that encompass us. But how is this achieved: what is behind these delivera- bles? This is where technology comes in..... The SIntegraM project is a veritable integration of tech- nology, processes and visuals which provide tools to policy makers, experts and the public alike to better understand the world around them. Through the project, large datasets are being gathered in order to understand the structure of buildings, fortifications, roads, reservoirs, tunnels, cliffs, coast and a plethora of structures that make up our environmen- tal and urban realities. At this stage, the Planning Authority (PA) as lead part- ner and the University of Malta as project consultants, are engaged in integrating dif- ferent types of scanning tech- nologies that capture data from the air, on the ground, underground and underwa- ter. The technologies are the most advanced in Europe and will enable Malta to have the capacity to carry out its own data capture rather than de- pending on other external en- tities. This will bring Malta at the forefront of data capture, analysis and will lead to better policy making and decision taking, on an ongoing basis. The terrestrial (land-based) scanner employs high-end technology which is set in a special vehicle that captures a cloud of points and colour to deliver a 3D model of build- ing facades, building street furniture, road health, rubble walls, trees and any item that requires study and assessment. The technology will be avail- able through a series of web- services through the PA's web- site and the www.cloudisle.org The public will also be able to view the data and appreciate the national jewels, identify areas that require intervention and become owners of this national information. Such in- formation can also be used for heritage and tourism, virtual experiences, gaming and fu- turistic study which will allow citizens to interact in virtual worlds and be part of disrup- tion for a better society. We are capturing reality while converting it into a digi- tal world of simulations where the public can be informed and take action. This places the power of information in the citizens's domain. This is SIntegraM. Disrupting reality: creating a legacy for visualisation