Mobile solution helps Barnet improve social services: The borough council of Barnet in London, UK, is hoping that a mobile solution will help it to improve services in its Children and Families Service. More than 200 O2 Xda II handheld devices equipped with Intellisync's Mobile Suite have been issued to front-line social workers, in an effort to free them up to spend more time with children and parents. The solution enables staff to have access to e-mail and diary facilities while on the move and, importantly, allows staff to share crucial information with other employees regardless of their location. Previously, information-sharing was mainly paper-based, requiring staff to spend more time in the office. "Social workers now have better access to information they need to be able to make decisions and do their job properly," said Tony Nakhimoff, divisional manager in Barnet Council's Children and Families Service. The devices, which can also be used to make phone calls, can be locked in the event of theft and data can be wiped from the memory remotely.
Munich delays open source migration: The city of Munich in Germany has decided to delay its migration to Linux on the desktop until 2006, according to media reports. The LiMux project, which involves switching 14,000 desktop and laptop computers from Microsoft software to open source alternatives, was originally due to begin this year. The rollout has suffered a number of delays and setbacks since it was first proposed in 2003. One of the reasons for the latest delay in the change-over was the need for an additional pilot phase for the initiative, project leader Peter Hofmann told newswire CNET. "It became clear later in the planning phase that a pilot was more important than we first thought and should last longer," he said. The trial will now run through the first of 2006, and the Lord Mayor's department will be the first to migrate to Linux and OpenOffice.org. Munich is one of a number of European cities that have made moves towards implementing open source software, including Vienna, Paris and Bergen in Norway. In addition, the US state of Massachusetts recently proposed to move all of its employees over to open source solutions by 2007.
E-inclusion is key part of Europe's i2010 strategy: Viviane Reding, the EU Commissioner responsible for Information Society and Media, has outlined proposals for three flagship initiatives to promote e-inclusion across Europe. Delivering a keynote address at the "i2010" conference in London, Reding said the initiatives would "give critical mass to our work in three important and visible areas where ICT has a positive impact on citizens." The initiatives are part of the European Commission's new i2010 strategy -- a five-year information society programme for growth and employment. The first initiative aims to help people grow older "with independence and dignity" and will build on research initiatives on assistive living, e-health and e-accessibility. The second project involves the development of an "intelligent car" that is safer, smarter and cleaner than regular vehicles. The third flagship initiative concerns digital libraries. "My hope is to make Europe's rich literary and audiovisual heritage available to all and to give a spur to enterprises that can create value by reusing these vast resources," said Reding. Read the full text of the keynote address here.
E-procurement service to launch in Oman: Online marketplace Tejari is set to launch in Oman, offering its e-procurement services to businesses as well as government. The Times of Oman reports that Tejari, which already operates in a number of countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, will launch in Oman thanks to a partnership with Omania e-Commerce. The company says its online procurement service will help government departments and companies to lower the costs of procurement, while improving the transparency of the process. "Tejari Oman will contribute significantly to Oman's e-government initiatives, while enabling its members to cut the time and costs traditionally associated with the procurement function," said Tariq bin Ali Al A'amri, chairman of Tejari Oman. Once its offices have been established, Tejari Oman hopes to begin discussions with key stakeholders from industry and government, before the service becomes fully operational late this year.
Minnesota counties plan to pool e-gov resources: A number of counties in Central Minnesota in the US are joining forces to develop e-government services for citizens, reports the St Cloud Times Online. Information services directors from the counties Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, Morrison and Wright and from the city of St Cloud have begun meetings to discuss the possibility of setting up a single website to provide e-services to all citizens in those areas. The "virtual service centre" would make it easier for citizens to access the services they need without the need to know exactly which agency supplies the service, said George McClure, information services director for Stearns County. McClure gave the example of the new website enabling a person who is building a home to apply for permits, pay fees and schedule inspections online; currently visits to several different offices would be required to access these services.
Autor: Sylvia Leatham
Quelle: ElectricNews, 07.09.2005
