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The
"scene-setting" for the occasion was provided by Bob Crichton of HOP
and Stuart Owen of Toshiba. Realising
the potential of the Information Age Bob provided an outline of the issues involved for
local authorities - or indeed all large organisations - in working in the
"Information Age" Focusing
on practical and productivity issues, Bob produced a checklist of to help those
involved in setting up and running local e-government projects. Key elements
were how to spread awareness, how to get the most from technology investments
and how to deliver the benefits rapidly. (Click here
to see a paper produced by Bob to accompany the presentation.) |
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Future technologies Stuart
Owen provided a picture of the technology platform on which local e-government
can develop, and painted a picture of the future. Key characteristics of this
future include:
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wireless working
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new battery and fuel cell
technologies
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much greater memory and storage for
portable devices
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a new generation of lightweight
products enabling anywhere, anytime working
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instant networking
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automatic synchronisation between
your in-office and out-of-the-office devices.
The challenge for local government
is in developing working practices and processes to maximise the benefits from
investing in these technologies.
Identifying the people and tasks who
can benefit the most from new methods of work and service delivery is key - but
decision-makers, and not only in the IT department, have to understand the
capabilities of the new technologies.
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Notebook powered by new generation of
slimline lithium batteries
A variety of novel and more
user-friendly interfaces are being developed |
