EU reaches out to ease language barriers: A new EU project aims to ease linguistic difficulties for EU citizens who are not resident in their own state when communicating with the government of another state, reports the European Commission's eGovernment Observatory. A pilot project known as HANDS (Helping Answers Decision Service) will soon see public bodies in the UK, Belgium, Germany and Italy offer an online communication service to users. Accessing the service via government websites, EU citizens will be able to submit questions in their own language, using everyday speech. They will then receive a reply in their own language, including any relevant documentation that they might need, along with pointers to contact relevant public bodies for more information. This kind of communication is enabled through the project's use of advanced Natural Language-Processing technology. The 18-month, EUR 850,000 project is being funded by the EU's eTen programme, which promotes cross-border e-services among EU member states.
Pan-European e-government goal unveiled: The European Commission has said it wants to remove the barriers that exist between e-government services within the various EU member states. The goal of EU interoperability was unveiled on 23 February by EU Commission Vice-President Gunter Verheugen. The objective is to achieve a modern public administration built on digital services, together with streamlined e-government processes. The result will be borderless electronic mobility smoothed by interoperability among all national and regional administrations in the EU, according to Verheugen. The Commission is now aiming to encourage member states and industries to set priorities, publish policy documents and guidelines, and to exchange technical recommendations with a view to encouraging pan-European standardisation. For more on this story, see ElectricNews.net.
Scottish students to get virtual work experience: The Scottish Executive has launched a virtual work experience project for schoolchildren, according to UK e-government newswire eGov Monitor. The 3D computer program, which was tested at a school in Dunfermline and will be made available to all Scottish pupils by August, simulates a number of workplace environments and allows pupils to carry out interactive tasks in the virtual workplace. The project was devised by the Highlands and Islands branch of advisory body Careers Scotland, in partnership with BT and number of private and public sector agencies. "What excites me about this project is the way in which gaming technology and broadband have converged to help the pupils of today prepare for the challenges of tomorrow," said Bob Downes, director, BT Scotland. "And because it's virtual, it can beam a variety of workplaces into rural Scottish schools, where remoteness might otherwise preclude pupils from experiencing the full range of work on offer in our larger towns and cities."
Security scores high on US agenda: The US Budget for fiscal 2007 is heavily weighted in favour of IT projects devoted to homeland security and the "war on terror", according to a study by government market analyst firm Input. Nearly half of the new funding allocated for IT is going to the Department of Homeland Security, which has been given a 21 percent increase in its budget to more than USD4.4 billion. In total, federal agencies plan to spend USD64.3 billion on IT next year, a 3 percent rise over this year's IT spend. Funding for cybersecurity has also risen, with a new budget allocation of USD5.2 billion. "The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) acknowledges that while reporting tools for the Federal Information Security Management Act and systems training remain solid, more work is needed in security product and systems evaluation and response initiatives," said James Krouse of Input. "In addition, more focus will be placed on how agencies identify and manage risk."
Filipino government to reassess ICT projects: The government of the Philippines is set to re-evaluate all of its existing and proposed e-government projects, reports newswire INQ7.net. The chairman of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), Virgilio Pena, said that a technical working group would assess all government ICT initiatives, with a view to re-distributing unused resources. For 2006, PHP1 billion (around EUR16 million) has been allocated to e-government spending by the Department of Budget and Managements (DBM). Among proposed new projects are a PHP200 million e-accounting system for DBM, an integrated government financial system, the modernisation of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, and an overhaul of the anti-cybercrime unit of the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation.
Autor: Sylvia Leatham
Quelle: ElectricNews, 01.03.2006
