Wales sets up on-line learning resource: An education Web portal aimed at teachers and students has been launched in Wales. The National Grid for Learning Cymru Web site is a public private partnership project funded by the Welsh Assembly and managed by Curriculum Data Wales. CDW is a consortium involving the Welsh Joint Education Committee, the 22 local education authorities in Wales, BT Education and e-content provider Learnthings. Among the bilingual site's features are a database of schools, a guide to Web sites useful to students and teachers and a support centre for parents of schoolchildren.
Scotland trials virtual interpretation service: Cantonese patients have been invited to participate in pilot project to test out virtual interpreting services at a doctors' surgery in Scotland. Cantonese patients attending the Polwarth Surgery in Edinburgh can use two-way videoconferencing equipment to speak with an interpreter based at the Interpretation and Translation Service in Edinburgh's Central Library. Patient confidentiality is ensured because the interpreter is alone in the videoconferencing room and the conversation is not recorded. The service is designed to enable interpreters to provide services to more people by reducing the time they spend travelling to appointments. The project is being funded by the Scottish Executive through the Modernising Government Fund and run by the City of Edinburgh Council, in conjunction with BT Scotland and Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust.
Mobile phones ease Finnish traffic: Finland is hoping that mobile phones will be able to assist in the management of traffic, reports the BBC. The transport ministry is organising a series of trials that use the signals sent from mobile phones to base stations to calculate the time it takes to drive from one point to another. Finnra, the Finnish Road Administration, says that monitoring which phones communicate with which base station and how long it takes the phone to reach the catchment area of a new base station will enable it to work out how long a trip is taking. Finnra can then use the information to find out where traffic jams are building up and to warn drivers to expect delays.
US program brings buyers and suppliers together: The US Small Business Administration has set up an on-line matchmaking system aimed at helping small businesses win government contracts. Small enterprises and government buyers fill out an on-line profile, detailing their services and requirements, and the Web-based Business Matchmaking Program matches buyers with suppliers and schedules face-to-face appointments. Company and government representatives then meet up during two-day regional events due to take place in 15 cities across the US. The events, which are sponsored by HP, will also feature seminars for small businesses on topics such as government contracting and business planning and marketing.
Washington State offers permits on-line: Five cities in Washington State have come together on the Web to make it easier for citizens to obtain building permits for work on their homes. The cities of Bellevue, Issaquah, Sammamish, Mercer Island and Kirkland have set up MyBuildingPermit.com, with help from eCityGov.net, an alliance of local governments. Homeowners in these cites can apply on-line for electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, which are usually required for even minor repairs on the home. The permit can be paid for on the site and printed off from the screen. A number of other cities in the state are expected to join the initiative in the near future.
Quelle: electricnews.net
