Irish architectural archive goes online: Ireland's inventory of historic buildings is being published online to create a new treasure trove for professional researchers and the wider public. Content management firm TerminalFour has teamed up with the Department of the Environment's National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) to digitise government and local authority lists of significant buildings and gardens, map their locations, and publish the data online. The internet database, Buildings of Ireland, catalogues noted structures and gardens around Ireland, expands on various features of interest and gives a history of each site. The archive also lists important public buildings such as hospitals, as well as noteworthy gardens and other private buildings with recorded architectural features. For more on this story see ENN.
UK abandons youth card scheme: The UK's Youth Opportunity Card project has been scrapped, according to Public Sector Forums, an independent organisation of public sector professionals. A leaked memo from the Department for Education and Skills obtained by the organisation reveals that the multi-million-pound scheme, which aimed to tackle anti-social behaviour by teenagers, has been prematurely abandoned. In March last year, the Government announced plans for a pilot scheme whereby 300,000 teens would be given cards that could be topped up with cash by parents, family members or themselves to spend on "positive activities" such as sport and classes. The memo, which was dated 22 February, says that following an assessment of the project, "the Department's conclusions are that the costs far outweigh the money being provided to young people, considerable risks and uncertainties remain and there is no off-the-shelf solution or one that can be developed with certainty at the present time."
Estonia prepares for online voting: Estonia is about to become the first country to allow internet voting in national elections, according to a report in the International Herald Tribune. Analysts have estimated that as many as 40,000 of the country's 940,000 registered voters may cast their votes online in the forthcoming parliamentary election. Estonia has already tested out the e-voting system: local elections in October 2005 saw 10,000 people casting their ballots over the internet, and a nationwide trial in recent weeks gave voters the opportunity to choose "the king of the forest" from among 10 candidates, including moose, deer and boars. To use the online voting system, Estonians need to insert their state-issued electronic ID card into an electronic reader attached to a PC, and then enter two passwords. Many Estonians are already familiar with this method of obtaining digital signatures, which they can use to sign documents when doing business online.
Bush proposes rise in IT funding: US president George Bush is requesting a 2.6 percent rise in IT spending in his 2008 budget proposal. The proposed USD1.6 billion increase is a reflection of the Administration's commitment to improving cybersecurity, according to officials from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Between them, civilian agencies would receive a 3 percent rise in IT funding, while the Pentagon would get a 2.1 percent increase. Bush is proposing to spend USD65.5 billion on IT, with USD31.4 billion earmarked for the Department of Defense, USD5.6 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services and USD4.1 billion for the Department of Homeland Security. The Government is this year focusing on IT security following a number of reports of data breaches last year. The OMB said it would ask many agencies to pay attention to internal problems that may leave them vulnerable to loss of data, rather than focusing on external threats.
Australia finds search solution: The Australian government has awarded a contract for the provision of search engine technology to Canberra-based search specialist Funnelback. The two-year deal, which will be worth AUD2.25 million if the Government exercises an option to extend the contract for a third year, will see Funnelback's search technology made available to all government agencies for use on their websites. A search tool powered by Funnelback is also already available on the Government's main website, www.australia.gov.au. Funnelback said that its search service will crawl and index all government websites each weeknight to make sure new content is included when users perform searches. "Funnelback search engine technology... was developed in Australia and provides users with fast, comprehensive and up-to-date access to government information and services," said Special Minister of State Gary Nairn.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Sylvia Leatham
Quelle/Source: ElectricNews, 01.03.2007
