Information Policy

European project to promote e-government good practice 'portability'

Supported by the European Commission’s eTEN programme, the ‘Provide eGovernment Good Practice Portability’ project – dubbed PPP – will enable the people behind best of breed e-government projects to meet face to face with parties from other administrations and explore practical ways of transferring good practice.

Project PPP is a new initiative launched under eTEN, the European Community Programme designed to help the deployment of e-services with a trans-European dimension. Based on working groups that will study specific cases of e-government good practice in four key areas (electronic identity, secure infrastructure, cross-border portals, and citizen portals), the project will enable owners of good practices to meet face to face with interested parties from other administrations.

http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/4479/194

e-Commission Benchmark Survey launched

The European Commission is currently carrying out a public consultation aimed at collecting external opinions on how it could improve its use of ICT in communicating and providing services for citizens and businesses.

The e-Commission is an ambitious project aimed at making the European Commission a model in its use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). In 2004 the European Commission organised an internal survey resulting in a first benchmark measuring ICT usage in its internal administration activities. Now, the Commission is conducting an online survey aimed at collecting external opinions and views on how it could improve its use of ICT in communicating with outside partners and in providing services for the general public and businesses. Thus, the target groups of this survey are citizens, businesses, and external partners of the Commission – such as national administrations, universities, and other public and private sector organisations.

http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/4481/194

WIPO launches PatentScope

WIPO has recently launched a new web portal for all patent-related information and services concerning the international patent filing system (Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) System) at http://www.wipo.int/patentscope/. Existing information on PCT filing, electronic filing and other patent-related resources is available through this new portal. In addition, new sections have been introduced on patent data, statistics and current issues. The patent data section provides access, through a PCT Online File Inspection System, to the complete collection of published international patent applications filed under the PCT system (now more than a million) from 1978 to the present day.

http://www.wipo.int/patentscope/en/

UNESCO prepares to launch new ICT teacher training project

26-07-2005 (UNESCO Bangkok) - Preparing teachers to judiciously use technologies for teaching and learning is the aim of the Next Generation of Teachers (NET) Project, which is designed to assist teacher education institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. It is one of UNESCO’s most recent initiatives for the professional development of teachers that the Organization as supported for 60 years.

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=19535&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

South Korean citizens get Super Smart Cards

Smartcard provider e-Smart Technologies has launched its Super Smart Card in the city of Busan in South Korea. At a ceremony sponsored by the city government, the city’s transit authority and other government organisations, e-Smart unveiled the first of 5 million "e-Smart MYbi" cards due to be distributed to citizens.

http://www.forum-edemo.org/article.php3?id_article=408