Information Policy

ICANN Appoints Ombudsman

ICANN has appointed Canadian Frank Fowlie as its ombudsman.
The ombudsman, a requirement under Article 5 of its new by-laws, is meant to provide independent internal evaluation of complaints by ICANN community members who feel they have treated unfairly by the ICANN staff, Board, or an ICANN constituent body.

http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-24nov04-2.htm

Open source's next frontier

Open-source software, increasingly popular with budget-conscious companies, is beginning to expand into a new area: The lucrative infrastructure-software market dominated by industry giants such as Microsoft.

http://news.com.com/Open+sources+next+frontier/2100-7344_3-5460334.html?tag=nefd.pop

E-Learning in Nonprofits and Associations: 2004 Nonprofit and Association E-Learning Survey Results

The first-ever Nonprofit and Association E-learning Survey shows wide and growing adoption of e-learning among nonprofit organizations and associations, with more than 54 percent of total respondents either using e-learning or planning to in the next 12 months. Sponsored by Isoph and N-TEN, the survey provides the first broad data on mission-based organizations’ use of e-learning technologies. From August 24 through September 15, 2004, 697 individuals responded to the Web-based survey, offering important insight into how nonprofits and associations develop and use e-learning. Findings include: --High satisfaction: More than 88 percent of respondents indicated they were very or somewhat satisfied with their e-learning programs. Another 10 percent reported that they were somewhat dissatisfied, while only 2 percent were very dissatisfied with their e-learning programs. --Key benefits: convenience, access, and cost-effectiveness Almost 88 percent of respondents listed "convenience for learners" as a key benefit of e-learning. "Cost effectiveness" and "ability to reach more learners" were also chosen as key benefits by over 70 percent of respondents. --Biggest barrier: staff time When asked to report the three biggest barriers in developing e-learning, "staff time" was the only choice listed by a majority of respondents (54 percent). "Funding," "expertise," "concern about end users' technology," and "concern for effectiveness" were all listed as barriers by at least 30 percent of respondents. http://www.isoph.com/pdfs/2004_Nonprofit_E-learning_Survey.pdf

The Future Impact of ICTs on Environmental Sustainability

This report presents the results of a research project commissioned to investigate the possible effects of ICT on a set of environmental indicators in 2020. The project adopted an innovative methodology combining qualitative scenario-building and quantitative modeling. The general conclusion was that the impact of ICT is roughly between -20 and +30 %. Therefore, there are significant opportunities for improving environmental sustainability through ICTs. ICT should accordingly be taken into account by environmental policies in order to ensure that ICT applications make a positive contribution to environmental outcomes, and, at the same time, to suppress rebound effects. ftp://ftp.jrc.es/pub/EURdoc/eur21384en.pdf

UK: Politicians and civil servants buddy up with e-community

The UK government has set up a new system for transferring information between Parliament and Whitehall departments. Peter Hain, the leader of the House of Commons, has launched a system for electronically transferring information between government departments and parliament. In its first stage of development, the network will deliver parliamentary questions from the House of Commons to Whitehall and ministerial answers in the other direction. It is hoped that the system, known as the electronic Parliamentary Community (ePC), will be extended to cover all information exchanged between government and parliament. The ePC has been set up by the Knowledge Network team in the e-Government Unit along with parliamentary staff, Hain said in a written statement on 24 November 2004. The National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) has also helped in setting up a secure connection between Westminster and Whitehall. Along with the ePC, Hain also announced the next version of his office's Web site. It offers details on the government's forthcoming legislative programme and features and email alert service. http://management.silicon.com/government/0,39024677,39126143,00.htm