US tests e-filing system for courts: Two counties in Texas are trialing an electronic filing system for state and local courts. The Web-based "eFiling for Courts" service, developed by Microsoft and BearingPoint, enables attorneys to file on-line any type of case document, whether criminal or civil, simple or complex. Attorneys who register with the on-line service must pay a fee for filing documents. Users can then log in at any time to track the status of their documents and to see whether they have been accepted by the court. Microsoft and BearingPoint are offering the facility as a managed service, which they say allows the courts to avoid making large capital investments in the system. The two firms signed an agreement to develop the system with the TexasOnline Authority, the state portal's governing body, in January 2002. Fort Bend and Bexar counties launched pilots for the scheme last November, and there are plans to expand the trials to another four counties this summer, before taking the service nationwide.
Dubai promotes on-line recruitment facility: The government of Dubai is taking advantage of the "Careers UAE 2003" employment fair to highlight the recruitment services offered by the state's e-government portal. The four-day careers conference, which claims to be Dubai's largest dedicated jobs fair, brings together public and private sector firms in the drive to recruit young, educated UAE nationals. The Dubai e-Government stand will provide information on career opportunities in government-owned companies and within government departments. The portal site www.dubai.ae has a job search facility designed to allow candidates to browse all available vacancies across government departments. The site also offers guides to employment regulations, crafting a CV and cover letter and attending an interview. Career opportunities with the Dubai e-Government initiative itself will also be highlighted at the jobs fair.
Scottish police use biometrics to ID suspects: Police in Scotland are implementing a biometric facial recognition system in an effort to speed up the process of identifying suspects. IT services provider Steria has been chosen to integrate biometric firm Imagis' ID-2000 face recognition technology for the Grampian Police Force. The system will be used to cross-check the police service's existing database of images in order to confirm the identity of suspects. ID-2000, a software program that identifies an individual using 692 facial descriptors, can search 15 million records for a match within one minute. The system works with all races and genders and takes account of changes in hairstyle and facial hair. ID-2000 uses a combination of spectral analysis and 3-D modeling to locate and fit a face.
Spain steers entrepreneurs on-line: Spain's Minister for Public Administrations, Javier Arenas, recently declared that Spain would like to be ranked among the top European nations with regard to e-government. One of Spain's most successful e-government initiatives so far is its "Virtual Entrepreneurial One-stop Shop." Established in October 2002, the site, www.vue.es, has provided information to over 60,000 visitors seeking details on how to start up a business. The site is divided into three sections guiding entrepreneurs through the entire start-up process, and personalised advice is available from a "virtual counsel," along with the facility to construct a customised "roadmap" for starting up a business. Nearly 3,000 users have registered with the system, and over 4,000 personal consultations and roadmaps have been requested.
European Commission voices concern over e-customs: The European Commission has expressed fears that some countries may not meet the imminent deadline for the implementation of the new Europe-wide e-customs system. All EU member states have committed to implement the New Computerised Transit System (NCTS) by 30 June. In addition, the EU candidate countries and Switzerland, Iceland and Norway are required to implement the system, which aims to make customs administration more efficient and improve security against fraud. In a recent report, the European Commission said that it had "specific concerns" regarding the implementation of the NCTS in Austria, Greece and Luxembourg. The report also noted that Ireland, Belgium, Finland, France and Portugal have "tight schedules in order to meet the deadline."
Quelle: electricnews
