Irish gov launches new citizen site: The Irish government has unveiled a new citizens information website, www.citizensinformation.ie. The site is run by Comhairle, Ireland's national agency for providing information and advice on social services, and provides guidance on a range of subjects in 14 separate categories, including employment rights, buying a home, moving abroad and education. The new site features facilities such as a 'find an address' tool that helps users contact over 8,000 service providers and government bodies nationwide, and a 'My Information' facility whereby users can create their own, personalised accounts to store links and documents of relevance. Some content is published in Polish, French and Romanian, and the entire site is available in English and in Irish. The site has also been designed to be accessible to users with disabilities.
Kerry outsources web hosting: Kerry County Council has chosen Hosting365 as its new web hosting provider. The council had previously hosted its website in-house, but its growing online activity, including a move into e-procurement, prompted it to outsource the job. The council's recently launched online procurement service is expected to drive more traffic to the site. "We expect to register in excess of 3,000 suppliers, who will in turn offer thousands of quotations online each year," explained Catherine Carmody, e-procurement project manager for the council. Twenty-four local authorities are also registered on the site. "The e-procurement process is time-efficient and ensures that the local authority and their bank of suppliers can match up requirements quite literally at the touch of button. Due diligence and the appointment of the right supplier is simplified through this exciting feature," Carmody added.
EU provides anti-terrorist research funding: The European Commission is funding 15 research projects aimed at ramping up security for citizens, in light of recent terrorist threats. The Commission is allocating EUR15 million for initiatives such as improving the detection of explosives, including those contained in liquids, at airports and protecting the drinking water supply against bio/chemical terrorism. Other projects to be funded include the development of an information management tool to improve the security of humanitarian operations, the rollout of interoperability and standards for border security, and new methods against money laundering and financing of terrorism. "The Commission is determined to do its part to better protect our citizens and fund EU-wide targeted research efforts. A strong European security research programme will also enhance Europe's competitive edge in many areas," said European Commission vice-president Gunter Verheugen. A full list of the projects is available here.
UK funds 'digital divide' projects: The UK government has released new funding aimed at bridging the so-called digital divide in society. The Social Impact Demonstrator Grant Funding, which was announced in the Government's Social Exclusion Action Plan in September, will provide financial support to 'online centres' around the country. There are around 6,000 of these centres in England, providing free or low-cost access to the internet and delivering online courses to people with little or no ICT skills or access to technology. The two-year funding programme will help the online centres develop projects for five key groups of people: older adults, families in poverty, teenage parents, adults with mental illnesses and those supporting children in care. "The relationship between digital exclusion and social exclusion should not be underestimated, and by connecting people to technology they can be reconnected with society," said Helen Milner, managing director of UK online centres.
Lombardia to roll out t-government tool: The regional government of Lombardia in Italy is set to implement an interactive government tool -- the iTVBox from DigiSoft. The so-called t-government application enables the authorities to offer services to citizens over free-to-air digital television. "The DigiSoft platform will help to make government services more accessible and more user friendly," said Antonio Lasi, general manager of Lombardia Informatica, the technology division of the government of Lombardia. "It's easy to imagine that people would much prefer to submit a government application from the comfort of their own home by simply using their remote control and their TV, rather than losing half a day crossing town to wait in line to perform the same operation." Lombardia has been involved in a number of t-government projects as part of the Italian government's drive to make citizen services available via interactive Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT).
Autor(en)/Author(s): Sylvia Leatham
Quelle/Source: ElectricNews, 25.10.2006
