The US is lagging behind other nations with regard to the adoption of biometric technology, according to a panel discussion at the Comdex trade show in Las Vegas. Stewart Mann, chief executive officer of EyeTicket Corp, said it would take longer for the US to integrate biometric technologies, due to added complexities in the wake of September 11 and disagreements over which types of technology were the most effective. The panel also predicted a shake-up in the biometrics industry in the next few years, as hundreds of small companies will likely consolidate into a dozen or so large vendors.
The on-line edition of Government Executive Magazine reports that the winners of this year's Grace Hopper Government Technology Leadership Award for the improvement of services included New Mexico and Alaska. New Mexico's Integrated Database for Environmental Assurance involved the state's Environment Department consolidating all of its information on environmental permitting, compliance and enforcement into a single database that is soon to be made accessible to the public. Meanwhile, Alaska's Federal Health Care Access Network was recognised for its provision of telemedicine services to remote Alaskan communities, whereby local health care practitioners can submit medical records for expert advice from physicians via the Internet.
Microsoft has launched a new public services channel for UK citizens on its MSN portal. The channel, which retains the MSN branding, brings together information on topics including health care, education, tax, retirement planning and travel. The portal also provides numerous links to various government departments, mainly routed through the UK Online portal, UKonline.gov.uk.
An experimental text messaging service by Rushmoor Borough Council in Hampshire, UK, has proved a success, reports E-Government Bulletin. The council ran a ten-month trial of Infotxt, which was set up in collaboration with text messaging specialist CouncilFlow to provide information to Rushmoor residents, particularly young people, about local leisure activities. By the end of the trial, around 600 subscribers had signed up for the service, mostly aged under 25. Following the pilot's success, a re-launch of Infotxt will begin in February 2003. Meanwhile, three other councils have committed to running similar projects with CouncilFlow.
The government of the Bavarian state in Germany has been accused of wasting millions of euro on an on-line project, according to Europemedia.net. In an annual report, the Bavarian Audit Commission said that major aims of the state's "Bavarianet" project, such as the integration of different networks and the standardisation of voice and data communication, "have not been achieved." The report said the state had also failed to integrate government bodies, police and firefighter networks. Over five years, the Bavarian state has spent more than EUR180 million on the project, over EUR8.5 million of which has been wasted through mismanagement, said the commission.
Elsewhere in Germany, the city of Schwaebisch Hall in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg is to replace its Microsoft software with open-source Linux programs. In a move aimed at saving it more than EUR100,000 a year, the city says it wants to have Linux installed on its 400 PCs by the end of 2004. Schwaebisch Hall is the first German city to stop using Microsoft programs under a recent agreement between Germany's Interior Ministry and IBM that will see the main sponsor of Linux in the corporate world deploy open-source technology in municipal and national agencies throughout Germany.
Quelle: electric news
