Hawaii's nurses flock to online licence service: The state of Hawaii says that its online professional licence renewal services are gaining popularity. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs recently revealed that more than 62 percent of Hawaii's nurses and 41 percent of acupuncturists logged on to the state web portal, www.ehawaii.gov, to renew their professional licences during the most recent renewal period. In the previous renewal period, only around 36 percent of nurses chose to renew their licence using the e-government service. Nurses and acupuncturists are required by state law to renew their licences every two years. "This [renewal] cycle's remarkable adoption is proof that we are responding appropriately to requests for streamlined access to government services," said Mark Recktenwald, director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. The licence renewal facility is one of 30 services that are available on the state portal to help businesses, citizens and visitors to Hawaii to interact with the government more efficiently.
US spending on telecoms set to rise 70 percent: Spending on telecommunications by state and local governments in the US is expected to grow 70 percent from USD9.6 billion in fiscal 2005 to USD16.4 billion in fiscal 2010, according to market research firm Input. The company's "State & Local Telecommunications TargetView" report says that the main driver for telecoms spending will be initiatives to roll out interoperable communications across government jurisdictions, especially those related to homeland security. The government is expected to make more investment in the Homeland Security Data Network, a centralised network to share classified information with intelligence and law enforcement officials across federal, state and local governments. The security of the network needs to be boosted and additional efforts are required for the network to reach all state and local authorities -- a move that is predicted to drive significant spending for several more years.
Cape Town looks for open source opportunities: The Western Cape government in South Africa is beginning to take a more aggressive approach to the rollout of open source software (OSS), reports African open source newswire Tectonic. Attendees at a recent conference in Cape Town were told that in order for Africa to compete on a global scale, it must be transformed from a consumer of proprietary software into a developer and user of open source software. Delegates were given details of moves by the government to implement open source initiatives and to train staff to use the software. The e-governance manager for the City of Cape Town, Mymoena Sharif, outlined a number of initiatives that showed the city's commitment to open source software, including projects to use OSS in the public library system and for a Patient Health Records Management System. "Africa needs to enter the information age as a developer [of software] and not only a consumer," said Sharif.
Asia fuels growth in content management market: The content management software market in the Asia-Pacific region is set to enjoy strong growth in the coming years, driven by developments in the government sector. That's according to a new report by research outfit IDC, which predicts that the market will grow 16.6 percent a year until the end of 2010, when it will be worth USD200 million. "Government initiatives such as e-government projects and digital archiving systems for government documents, as well as compliance-related spending will be some of the key market drivers in the region for content management," said IDC market analyst Sharon Tan. The top five vendors in the Asia-Pacific region's content management market are IBM, FileNet, Interwoven, EMC, and Open Text; collectively they enjoy a 46 percent share of the market. India is predicted to be the chief driver of the forecast growth.
Taiwan launches military website: Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) has announced the launch of a new multi-purpose website that promises enhanced administrative efficiency, Taiwan News reports. The MND site, available in Chinese and English, promises to provide a one-stop shop for those dealing with the ministry. The site offers news, official reports, statutes relating to the military, and briefings by the MND. Detailed information on military procurement processes and a guide to national defence laws and regulations also feature on the site. Historical military documents are also due to be made available for public consumption.
Autor: Sylvia Leatham
Quelle: ElectricNews, 17.08.2005
