US federal Web sites have high error rating, says study: The majority of US federal government Web sites experience Web application failures, according to a new report. A study undertaken by the Business Internet Group of San Francisco (BIG-SF) and TeaLeaf Technology examined around 40 government sites that featured in the Keynote Government 40 Internet Performance Index earlier this year. Using tools that track actual user sessions, the study found errors on 68 percent of the sites surveyed. The Web application failures fell into two categories: technical errors, such as blank pages and internal server errors, and incorrect data errors involving programming, database or human errors. Although the failure rate is significant, the government sites outperformed a similar sample of e-commerce sites conducted by BIG-SF, where leading shopping sites recorded a 72.5 percent Web application failure rate. The report recommended that government Web site administrators undertake a closer examination of end-user functionality. "Government agencies can only achieve a comprehensive view of their Web site health by incorporating the perspective of the end-user into the testing and monitoring process," said Diane Smith, BIG-SF analyst.
E-government to drive federal telecoms spending in US: Federal spending on telecommunications is expected to exceed USD17 billion in fiscal 2008, according to a report by research firm Input. E-government, homeland security, the Department of Defense, and an increase in telecommuting will be among the main drivers of federal spending on telecoms over the next five years, says the report, which is titled "Federal Network/Telecom Services Market View." Spending is forecast to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 7 percent, from USD12.5 billion in fiscal year 2003 to USD17.3 billion in 2008. Homeland security will have the biggest impact on telecoms spending in the near term, while "e-government will become more significant in the later years of our forecast," said Payton Smith of Input. Leased circuits for both voice and data account for most of the telecoms budget, with such spending predicted to rise from USD8.6 billion in 2003 to USD11.8 billion in 2008, according to the study. Among the e-government initiatives that are expected to drive spending are call centres and interactive voice response systems, said the research firm.
Local authorities launch e-democracy survey: An organisation set up by local authorities across Europe has launched an "e-democracy" initiative. TeleCities is a group of over 100 local authorities from cities across 20 European countries; the organisation was established in 1993 with the aim of sharing ideas about how to achieve a so-called Information Society. The body's latest project involves the launch of a new annual survey on "e-citizenship." Working with Deloitte & Touche, TeleCities will collect data about e-democracy from questionnaires filled in by its members. The findings of the survey will be captured in a database, to which TeleCities members will have exclusive and free access. Members will be able to use the database as a benchmarking tool, comparing their situation and progress with regard to e-democracy with that of other members. Participants in the survey will also be invited to submit projects for e-citizenship awards, which will be presented at a ceremony in Porto, Portugal, in November. For more information on the survey, visit the TeleCities Web site, www.telecities.org.
Sweden signs USD12 million contract for embassy network: The Swedish government has announced that it has signed a contract for the supply of a network that will connect its embassies and foreign service offices in 70 countries. The four-year contract, worth USD12 million, was awarded to Equant, a member of the France Telecom Group that supplies IP and data services. Equant is building a network that will connect 2,500 computers in Swedish government offices in 100 locations. Sixty-five locations have already been connected and the remainder will be connected during 2003 and 2004. The majority of locations will be connected via an IP VPN-based solution in conjunction with Equant IP Dial. In five countries where the terrestrial infrastructure is either non-existent or unreliable, Equant will supply satellite services to ensure access to the IP network. The provision of the satellite services was agreed in a separate contract for USD1.7 million. Under the terms of the contract, Equant is providing Application Performance Analysis and consultancy services for the Swedish government. To date, Equant has secured contracts with 14 other Foreign Offices and government bodies.
Spain rates poorly as an Information Society: An annual survey of Spain's development as an Information Society has shown that it is lagging behind most other EU countries. The "eEspana 2003" survey, published by La Fundacion AUNA, ranks Spain 14th out of the 15 EU Member States, ahead of Greece in 15th place. The main factors thought to be holding Spain back are the low level of Internet penetration, with only 7.85 million users in a country with a population exceeding 40 million; poor adoption of e-business by SMEs; poor development of the e-learning market; and a failure to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. In terms of e-government, the report found that e-government efforts decreased for the central administration over the past year, while autonomous communities and cities have moved ahead. The study also highlighted a lack of cooperation and coordination between Spain's various autonomous regions with regard to the development of e-government.
Quelle: electricnews
