1. You were nominated for your role in two CTM projects - “Personalized Multiview Environment” (as part of the research line MAT - Media Arts Technology) and CNG (Next Generation Contents). Would you tell us a little about these projects and your role?

Even though they are different, both projects follow a common line of thought: reproducing quality multimedia contents that can be adapted according to the needs of users, technological constraints and the quality of the network at a particular time.

For project CNG, we initially used streaming solutions based on RTP. However, by adopting the MPEG DASH protocol, we were able obtain a solution that could be used in two different projects: on one we created an immersive environment  for the user using 3D technology; on the other we adopted the MPEG DASH protocol to mobile devices, integrating a global application developed for the editorial market.
In these two projects, I analysed needs, studied existing technology, presented solutions and developed prototypes/the final product. The typical day of any researcher at INESC TEC!

2. You are complimented for your technical and soft skills. What do these compliments mean to you?

It is very important to me. I believe that having soft skills is key to the success of any project. Because I have worked with various teams throughout the years at INESC TEC, with different personalities and deadlines, I learned how to deal with different constraints, in different contexts, that I had not found previously. These compliments just stress how the work environment at INESC TEC is important to any researcher’s personal and professional development.

3. You have been working at INESC TEC for five years. What advice would you give to a young researcher?

First and foremost, never give up. Sometimes we feel that we have found a dead end, and that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. But sometimes the answers to your problems are found in the most uncommon situations. So this is something we must learn to deal with.

Being proactive is also an asset: don’t stop believing in your ideas, because some of the most successful projects in the future may come from the minds of a young researchers.

4.  You’re part of CTM’s multimedia systems group. Are there any areas that you would like to try or any other project you would like to develop?

Even though I am part of this group now, I started at the group WIN, with Prof. Ruela, Rui Campos and Jaime Dias, in project RECOOP. And so I have a special esteem for the area of Networks and Telecommunications, and in the future I would like to work on a project with this group.

5. We conclude this brief questionnaire by asking you to comment on your nomination to be featured in the Limelight section, provided by the coordinators of CTM.

“The coordinators of INESC TEC’s Centre for Telecommunications and Multimedia (CTM) stated: “We would like to nominate Tiago Costa to be featured in the Limelight section for his extraordinary work in projects of interest to CTM and for his performance, in May 2015, in  projects MAT (Media Arts Technology) and CNG (Next Generation Contents), for which he developed a demonstrator of a client-server system for adapted multi-view video streaming. Tiago is very autonomous, dedicated, and is always available to solve any existing problem. He has also been performing really well in other strategic projects in the field of Multimedia Systems, namely in the project PGlobal, developed with Público.”

First and foremost, we would like to thank the coordinators for this nomination. I am extremely proud of being part of this Centre, and INESC TEC is my second home. For that, I would like to thank the support of all those who have given me the necessary tools which have allowed me to add value to CTM, and I hope to maintain the level of performance I have demonstrated thus far.