BPN 1385 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (10)

Category: e-Science & Technology

Newstin

PRODUCER’S DESCRIPTION
Newstin is the largest news database in the world with up to 250,000 articles processed daily, comprising over 100 million and 5 billion metadata items. Newstin’s mission is to help corporate and government clients optimize intelligence and improve performance management by providing fully automated news and data categorization solutions in all the major world languages. Newstin technology is a unique system that features multi-language and cross-language document categorization. It is a powerful engine which harnesses a variety of cutting-edge technologies and implements linguistic processing with semantic analysis, multi-tier content categorization and cross-language taxonomy structures. With 2 million users globally, Newstin patented technology has the potential to become a core platform
for organizing any form of unstructured textual data.

JUROR’S EVALUATION
Newstin’s innovative technology of real-time content organization allows for the creation of the world’s largest categorized news database, working in 11 world languages, and for other possible applications that require powerful searching and indexing tools and data mining capabilities. It is thus not just a news application, but an effective tool for business intelligence and enterprise performance management. Newstin is an ideal gateway into the world of news or other categorized data from all over the world — no longer is the user dependent on citation-based crawling tools and catalogues or forced to visit specialized resources to obtain the global view. Newstin helps users overcome language barriers and allows to receive an unbiased, but full world view, without the interference of “noise” and/or bias introduced by search optimizers.

Producer
Newstin a.s.
Frank Vrabel
Julius Rusnak
Peter Zajac
Vladimir Meier
Petra Novakova
Country
Czech Republic
Contact
products@newstin.com
http://corp.newstin.com
Language
Arabic, Chinese, Czech,
English, French, German,
Italian, Korean, Spanish,
Portuguese and Russian
Media Format
broadband/online
Product URL
www.newstin.com

Blog Posting Number: 1385

Tags: news, e-technology

BPN 1384 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (9)

Category: e-culture & Heritage

You Tour

PRODUCER’S DESCRIPTION
You Tour uses the latest generation iPods to offer a multimedia tour guide which lets tourists conveniently do their sightseeing at holiday destinations. In an educational, entertaining and interactive way, the user is guided around their chosen destination, their route enriched by a wealth of content. Not only are the tours well documented with location maps, digital reconstructions, photographs, illustrations, animations, videos and instructions; a regularly updated directory of museums, restaurants, shops and services keeps tourists up-to-date. A ‘survival kit’ offers information on embassies, currency, and emergency phone numbers. Finally, You Tour offers an audio/photo dictionary which contains useful phrases in the local language. Available in multiple languages, this comprehensive package can be downloaded free of charge from the iTunes store.

JUROR’S EVALUATION
This ingenious application offers a rich mixture of intriguing and practical content, combining historical explanations with current logistical information of interest to visitors of the Chiapas region. The You Tour navigation is intuitive, both compliant and sympathetic to the Apple interface standards for iPods. The product interacts excellently in a variety of user languages, taking advantage of location-based information. You Tour provides reliable local e-Content, at a time and place where the visitor is most likely to be interested and make use of it. You Tour is distributed by institutions or museums loaning the branded iPods to visitors at no charge. If this business model proves successful in Chiapas it will globally substituting local e-content for tour guides. As GPS becomes more ubiquitous in devices, further features may be added.

Producer
You Tour
Alejandro Machorro
Fernández
Rodolfo Laddaga López
Country
Mexico
Contact
info@youtour.travel
www.youtour.travel
Language
Spanish, Italian, French and English
Media Format
mobile content
Product URL
www.youtour.travel

Blog Posting Number: 1384

Tags: e-heritage

BPN 1383 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (8)

Category: e-Culture & Heritage

A Journey Into Time Immemorial

PRODUCER’S DESCRIPTION
A Journey into Time Immemorial offers users the opportunity to see and learn about the ancient Stó:lo people of Canada. The virtual online museum environment offers visitors infinite ways to explore and enjoy animated scenes from the past. Text descriptions, visual renderings, and photos describe the Stó:lo daily life, and with innovative Flash video content, users are transported three thousand years back in time. The website dynamically loads sound, video characters, and educational content via a customised Flash panorama engine. The website navigation lets visitors choose their own path through the virtual Stó:lo village, thereby creating a different experience with each visit. In addition to the Flash website, a fully accessible HTML site is available, in accordance with the strict specifications of the Virtual Museum of Canada.

JUROR’S EVALUATION
“Immersivity” is the keyword identifying this online resource. It is based on the Canadian First Nations traditional knowledge and oral history and provides a picture of life in the Fraser Valley as it was three thousand years ago. A deep insight of the Stó:lo daily life including fishing, trapping, weaving, and canoe building through a very rich selection of visual renderings, videos, photos and textual descriptions. Once downloaded the splash page navigation appears natural, easy and highly immersive; “explorers” simply look around the everyday life in the Stó:lo’s village and “touch” the objects they are interested in. The application provides a rich set of structured information taking advantage of the most suitable and effective media. The historical quality of the content provided by the archives is excellent and the quality of graphic, photo and video is outstanding.

Producer
Simon Fraser University
Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnology
Barbara Winter
Ivana Filipovic
Linnea Battel
Country
Canada
Contact
bwinter@sfu.ca
http://www.sfu.museum/
Language
English and French
Media Format
broadband/online
Product URL
www.sfu.museum/time/en/flash

Blog Posting Number: 1383

Tags: e-culture

BPN 1382 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (7)

Category: e-Learning & Education

Our Space

PRODUCER’S DESCRIPTION
Our Space aims to forge communities and explore identities through a user-generated, interactive digital media experience. It guides visitors to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa through virtual and physical exhibition spaces where they are also able to view images submitted by the public and to work them into individual representations of national identity. In order to become a part of the exhibition, users join a web community and upload images or videos into a database. The media objects are then tagged to allow them to be easily accessed. Based on well-established social media functions such as the Flickr model, Our Space connects the images to a physical on-site experience. Visitors to the museum are invited to manipulate the material, completing the experience through aural, tactile, and visual stimulation and interaction. By recognising and inviting media from the great plurality of perspectives on life in contemporary New Zealand society, Te Papa is creating a vital resource for exploration and learning.

JUROR’S EVALUATION
This customized state-of-the-art installation is a great example of a digital playground that invites users to explore digital content about their national identity in different dimensions. Highest quality multimedia technology has been integrated for multiple user interaction, content management, and content display in a seamless way creating a unique multisensory experience for the user in order to facilitate the access to a great library of digital content that has been exceptionally handcrafted and designed. Is a great example of how interaction and quality digital content can be transformed in to an immersive and interactive experience appealing for everybody with no computer skills required. An outstanding example of on-line, off-line experience for identity learning.

Producer
Museum of New Zealand Te
Papa Tongarewa
Adan Tijerina
Gibson International
Allan Smith
Country
New Zealand
Contact
ourspace@tepapa.govt.nz
ourspace.tepapa.com
Language
English with some Te Reo Maori
Media Format
cross media

Blog Posting Number: 1382

Tags: e-Learning

BPN 1381 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (6)

Category: e-Learning & Education

CELL-Centre for Experiential Learning

PRODUCER’S DESCRIPTION
CELL-Centre for Experiential Learning is a multimedia and interactive learning
environment for medical practitioners, which delivers effective and engaging
learning projects in accordance with the latest andragogy principles. The training
centre exploits new technologies supporting natural interaction and new media
applications within the medical and scientific fields, offering physical settings for
clinical simulations and thereby promotes the active participation of physicians in
their vocational training. Interactive virtual reality theatres, virtual desks and
clinical simulations are part of the wide range of methods and tools available in
order to train and test medical and paramedical personnel. CELL creates a unique
learning environment where the excitement of being involved in a new and
meaningful experience favours learning and the intake of information.

JUROR’S EVALUATION
CELL represents excellence in the field of e-Learning for health and radically
transforms conventional continuing education and refresher courses for medical
practitioners. It introduces comprehensive cutting edge e-Learning facilities using
the added value of digital technologies for the needs of e-Health. Users are
"immersed" in highly realistic simulations enabling more powerful learning
mechanisms. To learn by doing or testing with the support of a qualified tutor is
for sure one of the most significant achievements of a creative use of ICT. Stateof-
the-art technologies, content and learning methods converge to make training
solutions effective. CELL represents an ice breaking solution in this sector, a
relevant case study and a significant advance in both in e-Health and e-Learning.

Producer
QBGROUP spa
Luca Quareni
Country
Italy
Contact
catedra@qbgroup.it
www.qbgroup.it
Language
Italian, English
Media Format
kiosk/multimedia
installations

Blog Posting Number: 1381

Tags: e-Learning

BPN 1380 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (5)

Category: e-Health & Environment

Mamaherb

PRODUCER’S DESCRIPTION
Mamaherb.com is an internet platform, enabling users from all over the world to access and evaluate information on alternative herbal remedies. Having become the world's largest free Natural Health resource, its goal is to function
as a paradigm-changing tool in the field of alternative - and perhaps all – health related knowledge. Users are able to research, rate, comment on, or discuss particular treatments and thus, with the help of other assessment tools, such as links to external references, be part of a huge project which aims to assess the effectiveness of natural and alternative treatments. Exploiting the universality of the internet, Mamaherb.com seeks to address two main issues: "What's out there?" and "What actually works?"

JUROR’S EVALUATION
Mamaherb is an excellent site with a fresh lay-out about natural health resources and alternative medicines. It offers information about natural herbs and remedies as well as establishing a community of users and practitioners to
exchange knowledge and experiences about these herbs and treatments. The knowledge and research of these alternative medicines is not as systematic as that of regular medicine, but in this site the present state of knowledge is brought together by a social network, the community of users and experts. The information offered is extensive and packaged attractively, giving product information and natural ingredients as well as information on treatment and remedies. It gives advice on remedies, accompanied by proper warnings.

Producer
Mamaherb.com
Elad Daniel
Country
Israel
Contact
thepeople@mamaherb.com
www.mamaherb.com
Language
English
Media Format
broadband/online
Product URL
www.mamaherb.com

Blog Posting Number: 1380

Tags: e-health

BPN 1379 Yet another iRex e-Reader; when comes the marketing strategy

The Dutch e-Reader developer iRex Technologies will have a new consumer e-Reader in the US shops for 399 US dollar by October. iRex Technologies hopes to counter attack Sony and Amazon with it. The e-Reader will be available in the US only for the time being.

Irex was the first commercial developer, who launched a digital paper reader in 2006, first for Sony and later on with its own product, the iLiad. But despite the excellent product, iRex has missed the commercial wave, which has been caught by Amazon and Sony, partly because of the high prices of the devices and its marketing (by technicians).

Now iRex launches yet another e-Reader, the IREX DR800SG, a slim, touch-screen eReader that offers multi-mode 3G wireless capabilities. The new device with a screen of 8.1 inch (diagonal) follows the line of the iLiad version Versatile and its eunuch version Bookwurm. iRex Technologies has also the iRex 1000 series with a screen of 10.2 inch (diagonal), which has two versions on the market and a third version promised. The DR800SG will be the fifth e-Reader model of iRex in the market.
Competitionwise, Amazon and Sony are far ahead of iRex in the USA. According to estimates there are 4 million e-Readers in the USA, of which Amazon and runner up Sony have the lion share. This is mainly due to the way they modelled their marketing strategy according to the iPOD syndrome, which consists of five elements: hardware; price, portfolio of books, format, download service, innovative image as promotor (Apple, Sony, Amazon).

Despite the hefty price tag of 399 US dollar, Barnes & Noble, consumer electronics chain Best Buy and telecom operator Verizon will attempt to help iRex into a comfortable seat. Barnes & Noble is a bookshop chain, which had an e-Book shop in 2003 and closed it, but re-opens now with 750.000 titles. Best Buy is a consumer electronics chain, which is not the most ideal environment for selling e-Readers and books. Verizon has been the partner of iRex for a long time.

The new e-reader will not be available in Europe for the time being. Later on in the year iRex will make its plans known for the European market.

BPN 1378 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (4)

Category: e-Health & Environment

BioMAP

PRODUCER’S DESCRIPTION
The BioMAP project monitors and assesses the biodiversity of Egypt and aims to create a comprehensive IT-based database of existing Egyptian biodiversity records. Linked to up-to-date data bases through internal and external monitoring
of Egypt´s Protected Areas, the project enables an analysis to be made of changes in the status of the country´s biodiversity. The web-based information centre contains five operational sites. One of these is the Egypt’s biodiversity web site
which was authored by Image House and includes a large number of photographs and illustrations on all topics of relevance to biodiversity, enabling users of all types to access credible information, in order to inform decision-making at all levels.

JUROR’S EVALUATION
Egypt has been endowed with a unique variety of ecosystems and a corresponding variety of wildlife that ranges from Eurasian species to purely sub-Saharan species. The attractively designed BioMAP shows that Egypt is not only
concerned with the preservation of its history, its pyramids and royal graves, but also with the preservation of its living biodiversity. Maps are produced to be used as a knowledge base for researchers, for conservationists, for planning projects
and for ecotourism. The BioMap encourages and enhances the capacity of park rangers to monitor and collect data, raises public awareness of the need to conserve biodiversity for future generations, and supports work in local communities that makes sustainable use of local resources, preserving and celebrating the traditions and heritage of people in the context of their environment

Producer
Nature Conservation Sector -
EEAA
Ahmed Said
Country
Egypt
Contact
info@smres.org
www.zone.biomapegypt.org/hiaa
Language
English, Arabic and Italian
Media Format
broadband/online
Product URL
www.biomapegypt.org

Blog Posting Number: 1378

Tags: e-environment

BPN 1377 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (3)

Category: e-Health

MPedigree

PRODUCER’S DESCRIPTION
MPedigree enables anyone in a developing country with access to a cell phone to authenticate drugs before use. In order to fight the deadly consequences of the growing global counterfeit pharmaceutics market, it works via a simple SMS, accessible by default on all phones, and available on all cellular networks.
Akin to the very popular scratch card method for replenishing cellular talktime, users reveal a single-use code on drugs and SMS it to a provisioned mobile short code, which in turn generates an automated verification response. There is no cost to the drug patron — genuine drug manufacturers bear the cost due to the entrenched benefits they stand to reap when counterfeiters are driven out of the market.

JUROR’S EVALUATION
Malaria kills over a million people a year: a simple SMS could prevent 20% of deaths. This health application brings together medicine manufacturers, government and consumers to solve one of the main problems in Ghana as in other African countries: that is medicine and drugs authenticity. Currently 80% of the medicines are counterfeited and result often in death. This project is the hope for every individual in this region suffering from counterfeited medicines and drugs. Armed with a simple cell phone, users can finally find out about the
quality of their medicine. This project bridges the gap between the mobile technology and medical related contents to solve a major problem in Africa and other developing regions.

Producer
MPedigree
Bright Simons
Ashifi Gogo
Country
Ghana
Original Title
MPedigree
Contact
agogo@mpedigree.org
bbsimons@mpedigree.net
Language
English and traditional
African languages
Media Format
broadband/online
mobile content
Product URL
http://www.mpedigree.net/

Blog Posting Number: 1376

Tags: e-health

BPN 1376 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (2)

Category: e-Government & Institutions

Government Information Center (GIC)

PRODUCER’S DESCRIPTION
The Government Information Center (GIC) is a single, electronic, trilingual (Sinhala, 77 key government organizations. Obtaining a particular government service used to involve navigating through a thicket of organizations and making multiple personal visits and repeated telephone calls. Language was a further barrier for the 25% of Sri Lankan citizens who speak Tamil. The GIC was established as a public/private partnership to provide a single point of access to government information and services in an effective and friendly manner. The knowledge base, stored in an SQL database, is available through multiple channels, including a Microsoft Visual Basic interface for call center staff, a web based interface for the IT-literate general public and, to accommodate future expansion, a web services API.

JUROR’S EVALUATION
The product perfectly addressed challenges faced by the citizens of Sri Lanka in accessing government services. One single phone number 1919 for getting information about what, how, where, who and how much of government services provides great value to ordinary citizens, particularly who are living far way from where the government institutions are located. The product leverages the telephone as the still most used and affordable I&C technology for accessing government information and uses access through Internet as well. The GIC has a very strong inclusion dimension: it offers the services in all three languages people talk in Sri Lanka. Illiteracy is not a barrier as accessing a phone is not a problem at all in Sri Lanka. The GIC helps particularly poor people save effort and time. The public
private partnership ensures sustainability of the services.

Producer
ICT Agency of Sri Lanka
(ICTA)
Country
Sri Lanka
Original Title
Rajya Thorathuru Kendraya
(1919)
Contact
info@icta.lk
www.icta.lk
Language
Sinhala, Tamil and English
Media Format
broadband/online
Product URL
www.gic.gov.lk

Blog Posting Number: 1376

Tags: e-Government

BPN 1375 My selection of WSA Best e-Content 09 (1)

Category: e-Government

PRODUCER’S DESCRIPTION
The National Broadband Map is a visual representation of New Zealand's broadband landscape. It has been created to graphically represent broadband supplier network footprints alongside geocoded points, which indicate potential broadband demand locations. The Map takes publicly available government location data from various sources and combines it in such a way as to provide information and tools to aid in demand aggregation and infrastructure planning. The National Broadband Map also allows any citizen, business or government agency to reuse, reanalyse or visualise the demand point data in any manner, providing an environment in which extra value can be created from data which was once dispersed and inaccessible.

JUROR’S EVALUATION
The functionalities developed by the National Broadband Map unlock huge stores of information that otherwise would be locked up in proprietary or legacy systems. This content application makes the information accessible to a greater audience and thus creates transparency in an area hitherto closed off. By using open source software, standard API's and exposing the data in standard formats, the usage of the data is not restricted by technology or application, making it much easier for people to both consume and add to the data store. The mashup of public and private data is quite unique and both the public and private sectors in New Zealand are becoming aware of the value of having accurate, precise, data which are accessible to all. This intuitive, cross sector, public/private initiative is critical to the future of NZ.

Producer
State Services Commission
Country
New Zealand
Contact
info@broadbandmap.govt.nz
www.ssc.govt.nz
Language
English
Media Format
broadband/online
Product URL
www.broadbandmap.govt.nz/map

Blog Posting Number: 1375

Tags: e-Government

BPN1374 EC Guidelines for broadband networks

The European Commission has today adopted Guidelines on public funding for broadband networks:

The Guidelines offer Member States and public authorities a comprehensive and transparent tool to ensure that their plans for state funding of broadband are compliant with the EU's state aid rules. The Guidelines will therefore facilitate the widespread roll out of high speed and very high speed broadband networks, enhancing European competitiveness and helping to build a knowledge-based society in Europe.
We expect to see up to 300 billion euros of investment in both high and very high speed European broadband networks in the coming decade.

While this investment should be made mostly by private companies, there is an important role for public investment in achieving the widest possible access to broadband in underserved and non-profitable areas. As President Barroso said earlier this month:
* "all Europeans must have access to high speed broadband".

Failure to act decisively to pursue this goal would hurt Europe's future. And acting decisively requires legal certainty and predictability for both governments and private investors.

Public investments in line with the present guidelines will significantly contribute to shrinking the digital divide - both within and between EU Member States.

Guidelines details
Now, about the details of the guidelines .... The Guidelines provide a clear and predictable framework for all stakeholders and will help Member States and regions to make funding decisions.

This applies to traditional broadband as well to the Next Generation Access networks which will allow the provision of advanced interactive communication services - the services of the future - to European citizens. We want our guidelines to foster investment in this strategic infrastructure without re-creating old monopolies or unduly distorting competition.

These guidelines will help to clarify the conditions under which public money can be used to extend broadband coverage by serving areas where private operators do not exist or where broadband services are inadequate.

Such situations arise for both basic broadband networks - such as^ ADSL, cable, and wireless and satellite networks - and the Next Generation Access networks.

The Guidelines make distinctions between different types of areas:
* competitive areas ("black" areas), where state aid is not needed, such as densely populated cities
* areas where one broadband infrastructure already exists, but broadband services are not adequate - these are "grey areas", and
* areas where no infrastructure exists ("white areas"), such as rural areas.

Considering that the deployment of Next Generation Access networks is still at an early stage, in determining the areas where these networks can be financed with state aid, we will not only look at existing infrastructures but also at concrete future investment plans by telecom operators.

Moreover, in the guidelines we lay down a number of crucial safeguards to avoid undue distortions of competition and avoid the 'crowding out' of private investment.

These safeguards include:
* detailed mapping to identify the unserved or unprofitable areas
* operation of open and transparent tenders to grant the aid
* open access obligations to foster competition at the retail level
* technological neutrality to let the market pick the best technological solution and
* claw-back mechanisms to avoid disproportionate advantages to the beneficiary undertakings and a waste of taxpayers' money.

The Guidelines summarise also the rules for the cases where provision of a broadband infrastructure is designated as a Service of General Economic Interest. Telecoms is a liberalised sector, therefore an SGEI in this area is conceivable only if
* in the absence of private investments, a public service network is necessary to ensure universal coverage,
* compensation is granted only to deploy the network in the unprofitable areas, and
* the network is open to all service providers.

But make no mistake: public funds are not always needed for public authorities to promote broadband deployment and, in any event, they should not crowd out or delay private investments. Before granting state aid, public authorities should therefore consider whether they can promote private investments with other means, for instance by coordinating civil works and streamlining administrative procedures.

With a view to facilitating investment by private operators, the Commission is also working on a draft NGA Recommendation, on which it held a public consultation during the summer. Once adopted, the NGA Recommendation will set out the regulatory environment to encourage private investments in fibre while at the same time maintaining effective broadband competition.

Conclusion
These guidelines should facilitate public support for the rollout of new, neutral and open broadband infrastructures in underserved or unprofitable areas, on which a competitive market for services needs to develop. Today, with the Guidelines, the Commission has moved an important step forward to close the digital divide and this within Member States, among Member States and between Europe and those countries in the world where the rolling out of NGA Networks is already well advanced.

The Guidelines should be seen as a clear indication of the Commission's attempt to put Europe at the forefront of the digital economy and knowledge based society.

Blog Posting Number: 1374

Tags: broadband

BPN 1373 Digital life during holidays

After all the events in Monterrey, Mexico, I flew down to Cancun, Mexico, or more precise in Playa del Carmen, a beautiful beach resort, for a holiday break. Normally, I would not write about my holidays. But I see something happening, which is becoming part of the digital lifestyle.

Wifi has become commonly available in hotels. These have different policies regarding this phenomenon. In Finland free wifi has become part and parcel of the hotel package. In the Middle East wifi is still rare and you have to pay in almost every hotel for it; sometimes 3 euros for 1 hour up to 24 euros for 24 hours. The three hotels I have stayed in in Mexico had free and open wifi with very good transmission.

In the last hotel in the holiday resort I saw many senior people using a webbook. Talking to them they indicate that they like to stay in touch with their kids and grandchildren. They send them photographs of the hotel, beach and sea. They even send movies. But they also listen to their native radio and watch television. One of the pensionados was listening music and had downloaded many Abba songs. They could also pass the webcam address of the hotel to their family and friends: http://www.playa.info/webcam-playa-palms.html.

The webbook is a real hit. Looking around I saw mainly Acer machines. Despite the fact that Asus started the webbook revolution, Acer is my view the winner of this revolution. I bought an Asus of the first generation with Linux; in the end I sold it, as my email messages got scrambled and attachments got corrupted many a time. This was not acceptable for me professionally. Now I use an HP mini with Microsoft XP and I am more satisfied, except for the screen quality. A printer professional would be very unhappy with the unequal black quality of the letters. Acer has a better screen quality as far as I have seen.

The webbook brings me back to my first portable PC in 1983, when I laid my hands on the Tandy Zenith Model 100. Given the luggable computers of that time The Zenith was unbelievable. It was light and designed for communication. The internal memory was small: 40Kb. The screen showed 8 lines, including a command line. There were of course disadvantages such as a short battery life. But it was really the first portable PC. I see the webbook as a really worthy successor of the Tandy Zenith Model 100, now becoming part of digital life.

Another part is the e-reader. I saw this week two Kindles-1 being used. Its users were very enthusiastic about the device. They could download their books also in Mexico. They were reading e-books at the beach in full sunshine. I even saw a Kindle-2 e-reader today. Digital life with webbooks is making inroads. Digital life with e-books is coming more slowly, but it is coming at last.

13 September 2009 BTW Webbooks or netbooks are also contrabande for thiefs. Last night my webbook HP mini was stolen after a nightly break-in.

Blog Posting Number: 1373

Tags: digital life

BPN 1372 WSA Winners' Event Monterrey, Mex. (6)

The World Summit Youth Award is an international competition e-Contents from around the world that address in an inspiring manner the UN Millennium Development Goals, and use internet and mobile contents to create awareness of the MDGs, show actions towards reaching those goals and demonstrate the consequences of interaction or counter-action. The winners were invited to attrnd thanks to the sponsorship of the Knight Foundation. They followed their own program.

Day one, 2 September 2009
Time Side Program
08:30 – 11:00
WSYA Visit of the Monterrey Technology Park (optional)

14:00 – 15:30
WSYA Workshop with TakingITGlobal
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis
“Leveraging Social Networks for Social Change”
Expert:
Jennifer Corriero, Co-Founder and Executive Director,
TakingITGlobal

Day two, 3September 2009
Time Side Program
10:00 – 11:25
WSYA - Youth Award Amphitheatre
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis
WSYA 09 Winners discuss the Action on UN Millennium Development Goals with:
Cheick Sidi Diarra, Under Secretary General for the Least Developed Countries, United Nations
Osama Manzar, Director, Digital Empowerment Foundation, India
Moderator: Peter A. Bruck, WSYA Inspirational Doc, Austria

Day three, 4 September 2009
Time Side Program
09:00 – 10:30
Workshop with Cyberpeace
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis
“Youth on line safety and its relation to
creativity in the participative web era”
Expert: Mohammed Fathy, CPI, Egypt

09:00 – 10:30
e- Content: Design and Social Responsibility
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis
Moderator: Alexander Felsenberg, Executive Management and Communications
in the Digital Economy, Germany
Speaker: David Berman, Ethics Chair, The Society of Graphic Designers, Canada
Respondents:
Osama Manzar, Director,
Digital Empowerment Foundation, India
Manar Al-Hashash, General Manager,
Dot Design & Secretary General, Kuwait e-Award, Kuwait
Lumko Mtimde, Chief Executive Officer
at the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), South Africa
















10:30 – 12:30
WSYA Youth Award Global Huddle
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis
“A young world with a challenging future: Ideas on action
WSYA Winners”
Moderators: Jak Boumans, Secretary General of the European Academy of Digital Media, Netherlands
Jennifer Corriero, Co-Founder, TakingITGlobal, Canada

Blog Posting Number: 1372

Tags: content

BPN 1371 WSA Winners' Event Monterrey, Mex. (5)

DAY 3 | FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 4, 2009
Time Main Program
09:00 – 13:00
Global Forum Conference
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis

13:00 – 14:00
Lunch Break

14:00 – 19:00
WSA Winners’ Conference
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis



14:00 – 15:20
WSA Winners’ Conference: e-Science & Technology
Chair & Moderator: Dorothy Gordon, Director-General,
Kofi Annan Center for ICT and Development, Ghana
Keynote: Alejandro Pisanty, Chair,
Sociedad Internet de México - ISOC México
WSA 09 Winners
Videolectures.net (Slovenia) -Mitja Jermol
Genomics Digital Lab (Canada) - Dr Jeremy Friedberg
Fossil Web (China) -Wei Wang
Newstin (Czech Republic) - Frank Vrabel



15:30 – 16:15
WSA Winners’ Conference: e-Business & Commerce
Chair & Moderator: Alexander Felsenberg, Germany
Keynote: Mohammed Ali Al-Qaed,CEO,
eGovernment Authority, Bahrain
WSA 09 Winners
Ngpay (India) - Sourabh Jain
Remediation Check (Austria) - Andreas Fleiss



16:30 – 17:30
WSA Winners’ Conference: e-Inclusion & Participation
Chair & Moderator: Latif Ladid, President, Ipv6 Forum (Luxembourg)
Keynote: Effat El Shooky, Advisor for International Relations to the Minister,
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Egypt
WSA 09 Winners
Voices of Africa (Netherlands) - Olivier Nyirubugura
ICT for Illiteracy Eradication (Egypt) -Mohammed Fathy
Impaired Aid (Sri Lanka) - Reshan Dewapura
Homeless Nation (Canada) - Daniel Cross

17:45 – 18:30
Closing Plenary
WSA and Future Trends in e-Content – going for the Fourth Screen
Moderator: Peter A. Bruck, Chairman, World Summit Award, Austria
Ricardo Medina Alarcon, Business Development Manager,
Microsoft Mexico
David Berman, Ethics Chair, The Society of Graphic Designers, Canada
Ashis Sanyal, Senior Director of the Department for Information Technology,
Ministry of Communication & Information Technology,
Union Government of India
Latif Ladid, President, IPv6 Forum, Luxembourg
Ramón Alberto Garza, CEO, Indigo Brainmedia, Mexico

19:00 Transport to Planetario














20:00 Nuevo Leon Government Dinner (WSA, GAID)
Planetario

Blog Posting Number: 1371

Tags: content

BPN 1370 WSA Winners' Event Monterrey, Mex. (4)

DAY 2 | THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 3, 2009
Time Main Program
08:00 – 08:30
Registration
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis

08:30 – 08:50
Inauguration and Walk-through the WSA Exhibit and iMarketSpace
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis

09:00 – 13:00
GAID Global Forum
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis

13:00 –14:00
Lunch Break

14:00 –19:00
Winners’ Conference
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis



14:00 –14:45
WSA Winner’s Conference: e-Entertainment & Games
Chair & Moderators: Peter A. Bruck, Chairman of the Board, World Summit Award, Austria
Catherine Warren, Founder and President, Fan Trust Entertainment Strategies, Canada
Keynote: Ramón Garza, CEO, Indigo Brainmedia, Mexico
WSA 09 Winners
My Machine (Belgium) - Aagje Beirens
Casebook (New Zealand) - Jan Bieringa



14:45 –15:30
WSA Winners’ Conference: e-Culture & Heritage
Chair & Moderator: David Berman, Ethics Chair, The Society of Graphic Designers, Canada
Keynote: Dina Pule, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Communication,
Government of the Republic of South Arifca
WSA 09 Winners
You Tour (Mexico) - Alejandro Machorro Fernandez
A Journey Into Time Immemorial (Canada) - Stephen DeMuth

15:30 – 16:00
Coffee Break



16:00 – 17:30
WSA Winners’ Conference: e-Government & Institutions
Chair & Moderator: Alexander Felsenberg, Executive Management and Communications in the Digital
Economy, Germany
Keynote: Christian Rupp, Spokesperson, e-Gov Digital Platform, Federal Chancellery, Austria
WSA 09 Winners
EVA Enhanced Vehicle Automation (Italy) - Captain Francesco Morelli
Integrated Court System ICS (Malaysia) - William Then Choo Jak
Government Information Centre (Sri Lanka) - Reshan Dewapura
National Broadband Map (New Zealand) - Laurence Millar



17:40 – 18:25
WSA Winners’ Conference: e-Health & Environment
Chair & Moderator: Jak Boumans, European Academy of Digital Media (Thr Netherlands)
Keynote: Ashis Sanyal, Senior Director of the Department for Information Technology,
Ministry of Communication & Information Technology, Union Government of India
WSA 09 Winners
MPedigree (Ghana) - Ashifi Gogo
Catalonia Shared Medical Record (Spain) - Joan Guyanyabens

19:00 Transport to Dinner














Illustrations: Students performing Mexican and foreign folklore dances

20:00 MON TECH Raices Show and Dinner
Monterrey Tech

Blog Posting Number: 1370

Tags: content

BPN 1369 WSA 09 Winners' Event Monterrey, Mex. (3)

On the first day, the deputy minister of Communications of South Africa launched the WSA Winners' Event with a speech summing up the background of the origin of WSA and augmenting this with the policy followed in South Africa.

THEME: Bridging Digital Divides and Narrowing Content Gaps: Strategies and Challenges.
PRESENTATION: Deputy Minister of Communications Dina Pule




Introductory remarks
It is an honour to be part of this august gathering hosted by a team of stakeholders in the beautiful city of Monterrey, Mexico. I also wish to thank the people of the Republic of Mexico for their warm hospitality.
This important World Summit Award Winners’ Conference, Exhibition and Gala, is in recognition of the outstanding achievements of those of you who are pursuit to create a more globally connected, interconnected, and e-Inclusive world.

Let me recall the World Summit on Information Society outcomes adopted by UN members Heads of States and governments, who committed us to the “achievement of internationally- agreed development goals, including those in the Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Implementation, by promoting the use of ICT-based products, networks, services and applications, and to help countries overcome the digital divide”.

The WSIS Geneva Plan of Action provides us with a framework for bridging the digital divide and outlines concrete plans to build “cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content”.
It further calls on governments and stakeholders to “develop national policies that support the respect, preservation, promotion and enhancement of cultural heritage within the information society”.

The way forward for our citizens is to exploit the full potential of the internet, within the confines of our culturally, heritage and linguistic diversity across the world driven by mutual respect for each others culture and languages.

It is a formidable but achievable expectation that we could and would connect the majority of our citizens to the internet facility, which is also the goal of the Internet Governance Forum to endeavor to connect the next Billion of our world´s population.

Furthermore, we must empower our people to generate appropriate digital content and uploading it on cyberspace. Internet connectivity has the potential to unlock both the individual and collective inventiveness, creativity, and through storytelling, animation capabilities of our people in our respective countries.

To achieve this, we need to:
(1) Mobilize resources including funding for the production of content:
(2) Create greater international synergistic cooperation and collaboration, and
(3) Create conducive policy and legislative conditions in our countries for the development and diffusion of new technologies that reduces cost and increases access to ICT infrastructure and services to all.

Although the financial meltdown and global economic slowdown will limit us for a time to achieve our goals of a more inclusive information society, our indomitable individual and collective human spirit will outlive the crisis.

To implementing the WSIS commitments, South Africa has developed an Information Society and Development Plan (ISAD Plan), as our National e-Strategy, whose vision is to “establish an advanced Information Society in which information and ICTs tools are key drivers of economic and societal development”. This policy framework prioritises the development of ICT applications for e-Education, e-Content development, e-Health, e-SMMEs and e-Government services as key drivers for ICT for development.

Our strategies for the building of a people-centred, inclusive, and development-oriented information society, includes the following:
• ICT connectivity projects aimed at the construction of national backbone network infrastructure to connect public centres educational and health centres, libraries, national archives, and museums. The main goal is to provide ubiquitous access to a reliable infrastructure and services at affordable prices.
• Developing a national policy and programmes to digitise volumes of archived materials, including those in libraries, and Archives Centres.
• Development of a portal referred to as the “National Digital Repository on cultural and heritage content”. The aim of this initiative is to capture, preserve and disseminate South Africa's cultural heritage in a digital format. It is accessible on www.ndr.org.za, the focus of the project is also to provide training and employment for the youth in the country.
• Building of a National Human Language Technology Centre which will host our programmes such as a multilingual telephone based system, automated language translation systems, and MS Word Spell checkers for 10 official languages.
• ICT support programme for the House of Traditional Leaders which includes website development and maintenance for the Houses of Traditional Leaders in eight (8) provinces as a means to provide platforms of communicating information.
• A Strategy to replicate the 2010 FIFA World Cup Johannesburg based-International Broadcasting, as Digital Content Production Hub in at least three provinces.
• We also have development and funding initiative by the Media Development and Diversity Agency to develop community based broadcasting services including television and radio.
• Lastly, the government funded Broadcast Programme Production supports local content production and programming.

Some of the Challenges we face in bridging the digital divide and narrowing the content gap, includes the following:
• Limited access to ICT Infrastructure to connect the majority of our people remains one of our key challenges, despite seemingly high mobile telephone penetration in Africa and other parts of the world.
• Law access to Internet and services for the majority of our people due to low broadband penetration. Internet remains the most effective communications platform, and for the production and dissemination of digital content.
• Funding requirement for content production remains very high and most countries do not have enough resources to executive content development and production projects.
In conclusion, our policies also aim to build participatory Creative Industries as a means of creating SMME opportunities and for the development of Art in the information age.

Blog Posting Number: 1369

Tags: content

BPN 1368 WSA 09 Winners' Event Monterrey, Mex. (2)

If you do not know what the World Summit Award is, please play this movie first.


The first of the three day event has started. Justn have a look at the schedule; it runs over midnight!

DAY 0 | TUESDAY | SEPTEMBER 1, 2009
Time Program
Through the day: arrivals in Monterrey
Pre-Registration for the WSA Events at Hotel Holiday Inn Parque Fundidora

20:00 –22:00
Global Piñata - WSA / WSYA 09 Winners meet WSA 09 Jurors and Experts
Hotel Holiday Inn Parque Fundidora

DAY 1 | WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
Time Main Program
08:30 –09:00
WSA Registration
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis

09:00 –12:30
UNDESA GAID Strategy Council
Club Industrial

12:30 –14:00

Lunch
13:30 –15:30
UNDESA GAID Strategy Council Meeting Conclusion
Club Industrial

16:15 –18:30
WSA Winners’ Conference
Parque Fundidora - Nave Lewis

16:15 –17:00
Opening and Introduction:
Bridging Digital Divides and Narrowing Content Gaps: Strategies and Challenges
Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General, DESA, United Nations
Peter A. Bruck, Chairman, World Summit Award, Austria
Ramón Alberto Garza, CEO, Indigo Brainmedia, Mexico
Lynn St. Amour, President, Internet Society, USA
SR Rao, Additional Secretary, Department of Information Technology, Ministry of
Communication & Information Technology, Union Government of India
Dina Pule, Deputy Minister of Communications, South Africa



17:00 –18:30
Winners’ Conference: e-Learning & Education
Chair & Moderator: Osama Manzar, Director,
Digital Empowerment Foundation, India
Keynote: Mario Franco,
Chairman, Foundation for Mobile Communication, Portugal
WSA 09 Winners
- CELL (Italy) - Luca Quareni
- Lingorilla (Germany) - Philip Gienandt
- Human and Nature (Lithuania) - Arvydas Andrijauskas
- Our Space(New Zealand) - Jan Bieringa

19:00 Transport to the Marco Museum of Modern Art











Time Program
20:00 –20:05
WSA Winners’ Gala and Ceremony
MARCO - Museo de Arte Contemporane



Welcome to the World’s Best in e-Content and Creativity
Hosts for the WSA Board of Directors:
Manar Al-Hashash, Board Member from Kuwait
Peter A. Bruck, Chairman
Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General, DESA, United Nations
Ramón Alberto Garza, President & CEO, Indigo Brainmedia

20:05 –20:35
World Summit Youth Award Gala:
Getting Action on MDGs through use of ICT - Internet and Mobiles
Laudators:
Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General, DESA, United Nations
Mario Franco, Foundation for Mobile Communications, Portugal
Lynn St. Armour, President & CEO, Internet Society, USA
Jose Zamora, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, USA
Bruce Sewell, Senior Vice President, General Council, Intel Corporation, USA
Alfonso Romo, CEO, Plenus, Mexico
Moderators:
Mohammed Fathy, Unit Manager, Cyber Peace Initiative, Egypt
Jennifer Corriero, Co-founder and Executive Director, TakingITGlobal, Canada

20:35 –20:45
Arab e-Content Award
Mohamed A. AlQaed, CEO, eGovernment Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain

20:45 – 20:50
Video Flash back to WSA Galas 2003, 2005, 2007

20:50 –22:00
WSA Winners GALA:
Celebrating the Richness and Diversity of the World’s Best e-Content and Innovative ICT Applications
Laudators:
Lynn St. Amour, President & CEO, Internet Society, USA
SR Rao, Additional Secretary, Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communication &
Information Technology, Union Government of India
Juan Molinar Horcasitas, Minister of Communications and Transportation, Government of Mexico
Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman, GAID, United Nations
Juan Carlos Jil, Director and Deputy Chair of GSMA, Latin America
Raslan Ahmad, Under Secretary of the ICT Policy Division, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia
Ramón Garza, President & CEO, Indigo Brainmedia, Mexico
Dina Pule, Deputy Minister of Communications, South Africa
Moderators:
Peter A. Bruck, Chairman of the Board, World Summit Award, Austria
Denisse Dresser, Mexico

22:00 –24:00
WSA Gala Dinner


Blog Posting Number 1368

Tags: content

BPN 1367 WSA Winners' Event Monterrey, Mex. (1)

It is now more than two years that I met Ramon Alberto Garza in Venice, Italy. He is the founder and CEO of the publishing company Brainmedia in Mexico. He was in Venice in order to collect his WSA Award for an electronic magazine his company produces. He was caught by the combination of the new media competition in the framework of the World Summit on the Information Society. He threw up the idea to have the next WSA Award ceremony in Monterrey. And after two years it is happening in Monterrey, Mexico.

Monterrey is in the North-east of Mexico and is from what I can see in the past few days a very industrial town with a history of heavy industry such as steel mills. In the meantime most of the steel mills are gone. But you still can see the remnants everywhere. In the park, where once the steel mill was located there are many reminders of the past. At least the local government has done an successful preservation of their industrial heritage. You find even parts of the steel mill plant in the rooms of the hotel in the park. In my room there is a piece of heavy metal bearing the number 23687. And it does not stop with artefacts. While walking to the conference venue, I met a guy who had worked in the administration department of the steel company for some twenty years and came back now to the pension office to get his papers in order.

Last night the winners came from all over the world, Canada, Kuwait, Belgium, The Netherlands, China, to Monterrey in Mexico to celebrate their selection for the award and for their product. And a delegation of the jurors has also come to this industrial Mexican town for the celebrations and in order to get acquainted with the winners and their products.

But the event has grown. Now there are the WSA Award Gala, Conference and Exhibition and two more events: WSYA, the youth awards and a conference of the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID). All in all it will be a busy schedule for the delegates. But also the exhibition is interesting. It is modeled after the caves in the mountains, which surround Monterrey. The 40 Content Caves will showcase a new media exhibition of its own class. By bringing together government, business and civil society the WSA supports the creation of synergies between suppliers and users of communications applications and assists in connecting practical applications worldwide.

Blog Posting Number 1367

Tags: content