PublicTechnology.net

Ministry Of Defence awards 230 million contract for battlefield comms systems

Two contracts, together worth �231 million, have been awarded to General Dynamics UK to upgrade the UK Armed Forces� Bowman military communications system, the Ministry of Defence announced yesterday.

Waltham Forest Resident Card sees growth and improved services

London Borough of Waltham Forest has entered the third year of operation of their resident card scheme, which continues to grow and help the Council improve services and save money.

Candidate for Chair at Science and Technology Facilities Council is announced

Professor Michael Sterling, until recently Vice Chancellor of Birmingham University, has been selected as the preferred candidate to become Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

EIB lends 360 million to National Grid to support secure & cleaner energy

The European Investment Bank (EIB) yesterday signed a loan of GBP 360 million with National Grid to support the company�s investment programme for the upgrade and extension of its four gas distribution networks in the UK.

EU updates rules for state funding of public broadcasters

The European Commission has adopted a new Communication on state aid for the funding of public service broadcasters. The Communication provides a clear framework for the development of public broadcasting services and enhances legal certainty for investment by public and private media alike.

BCS appoints new Director of Learned Society

BCS has appointed Dr Bill Mitchell as its new Director of Learned Society. He will be responsible for developing the BCS Learned Society capabilities in partnership with the computing/computer science and IT communities.

�140 million call for proposals for research into fuel cells for greener laptops

With yesterday's publication of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative (JTI)'s second call for proposals for research, Europe stays the course to realise the potential of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies and to create a cleaner energy system for the future.

Second series of Digital Birmingham IT comics hits the streets

Hot on the heels of its hugely popular comic strips teaching kids to pass on their IT skills to other family members, enterprising Digital Birmingham has launched a second series.

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust plans Electronic Document & Records Management

Kainos has been selected by Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GWH) to implement an EDRMS project that will improve the efficiency, control and management of the Trust's corporate documents including departmental policies and procedures.

New research network to provide high speed connectivity for central Asia

Central Asian researchers and students will be able to better collaborate with their colleagues across the world, through a new EU-funded high-speed data-communications network.

Government tells Councils about improvements to Integrated Children�s IT System

Children�s Minister Delyth Morgan has written to Local Authorities in England outlining a package of improvements for the Integrated Children�s System (ICS), the electronic record-keeping system for social workers, supported by �6.4 million of additional funding.

NHS South of Tyne & Wear automates its IT support for 3,200 staff

NHS South of Tyne and Wear has set out to improve IT support for its 3,200 employees using the Kaseya IT automation platform.

Scotland develops action plan to drive development of renewable energy

An action plan to drive the development of renewable energy and capitalise on Scotland's natural resources to derive maximum economic benefit was published yesterday.

Central Office of Information radically overhauls roster of market research agencies

A total of 108 agencies from across the UK secured a place on one or more of the five lots. 50% of these are new to the framework.

Second Indian government Web site hacked by cybercriminals

A second Indian government Web site - operated by the Institute of Remote Sensing - has been compromised for malware purposes, says Finjan Inc., a leader in secure web gateway products and the provider of unified web security solutions for the enterprise market.

Nominations open for this year's e-Government National Awards

Nominations open in the e-Government National Awards 2009 � to reward e-government services which help improve citizens' lives & the public sector's efficiency.

The call for nominations for the e-Government National Awards 2009 is launched today at www.e-governmentawards.org.uk, and the 11 category winners will receive the UK's highest level commendation for the best e-Government and technology-driven services - services which, through innovative online delivery or IT implementation, have positively transformed the lives of citizens, local communities, business and stakeholder groups.

Digital Britain Update: the Government's 'Actions & Implementation ' plan

The Draft Legislative Programme, published yesterday, set out plans for a Digital Economy Bill. The Government is publishing an update on the implementation of those actions in the recent Digital Britain White Paper which do not require primary legislation.

ID Cards: Home Secretary promises to accelerate rollout

The rollout of identity cards will be accelerated under new proposals set out today by Home Secretary Alan Johnson, highlighting the benefits of identity cards to those who need them most.

NHS South of Tyne & Wear gets new endpoint security solution

FrontRange Solutions, a developer of business software for mid-sized and distributed enterprises, has announced that NHS South of Tyne and Wear has selected its DeviceWall endpoint security solution as part of a layered approach to meet government guidelines on the treatment of sensitive data.

Welsh Assembly Government awards 4.6 million contract for software & services

Objective Corporation has signed a major software and services contract with the Welsh Assembly Government. The contract will deliver an enterprise-wide solution that will position them at the forefront of Public Sector best practice information management.

European public sector leads the way in automation

Survey findings released by Adra Match, a supplier of automated reconciliation software, says that organisations from the public sector have embraced automated reconciliation more heavily than those in the private sector.

BCS announces results of Oxfordshire Schools Web Competition 2009

Oxford High School collected Senior First Prize in this year's BCS Oxfordshire Schools Web Competition.

EU approves proposed acquisition of Tiscali by Carphone Warehouse

The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Tiscali UK Ltd, a subsidiary of Tiscali SpA of Italy, by The Carphone Warehouse Group Plc of the UK .

Gordon Brown publishes plan to re-build Britain�s future

Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday published a plan for Building Britain�s Future - a vision for a fairer, stronger and more prosperous society. In it, public service entitlements will for the first time be guaranteed to parents, patients and communities.

Government plans 1 billion venture capital fund to invest in businesses

The Prime Minister yesterday announced the creation of the UK Innovation Investment Fund to invest in technology-based businesses with high growth potential. The new fund will focus on investing in growing small businesses, start-ups and spin-outs, in digital and life sciences, clean technology and advanced manufacturing.

TV viewers taking greater control with 9 million digital video recorders sold

Research from Ofcom shows that more viewers are taking greater control over the way they watch television as the total number of digital video recorders sold reaches almost nine million (8.9 million).

Special Report: Management of the Galileo programme's development & validation phase 1

The Galileo programme was launched in the mid 1990s with the aim of establishing a European Global Navigation Satellite System. It has seen substantial delays and cost overruns. In this Special Report the European Court of Auditors analyses the development and validation phase of the programme.

EU launches �Click a Tree� online climate change campaign

The European Commission yesterday launched its new initiative �Click a Tree� in a drive to raise awareness of the actions we can all take to fight climate change and protect the environment.

Open evening success for Ordnance Survey OpenSpace

Over 30 developers were able to get hands on experience with Ordnance Survey OpenSpace, and the opportunity to experiment with some of the world�s best mapping data, at an open evening held by Ordnance Survey at the Rejuvenation Centre in London.

BCS & Sun Microsystems join forces to benefit IT students

BCS and Sun Microsystems have completed an agreement that will allow all BCS student members access to Sun's learning management system: Sun Academic Initiative (SAI) Learning Connection.

EU welcomes industry's plan for a common charger for mobile phones

Incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones is a major inconvenience for users and also leads to unnecessary waste. Therefore, the European Commission has requested industry to come forward with a voluntary commitment to solve this problem so as to avoid legislation.

The planned common charger for mobile phones: frequently asked questions

Incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones is a major environmental problem and an inconvenience for users across the European Union. Currently specific chargers are sold together with specific mobile phones. A user who wants to change his/her mobile phone must usually acquire a new charger and dispose the current one, even if this is in perfect condition. This unnecessarily generates important amounts of electronic waste.

ID cards: Scottish Government stresses opposition to the new Home Secretary

Scottish Government Minister for Community Safety Fergus Ewing has written to the new Home Secretary Alan Johnson reiterating the Scottish Government's opposition to the proposed National Identity Card Scheme.

It's time to be nominated in the e-Government National Awards 2009!

Now is the time to start writing your nominations in this year's e-Government National Awards,
organised by PublicTechnology.net. Nominations open on 1st July, close on 1st October, and the Awards dinner takes place at the City of London Guildhall on 20th January 2010. It's free to enter, and hints on how to plan your nomination are at this link.

The 11 winners will receive the UK's highest level commendation for the best e-Government and technology-driven services - services which, through innovative online delivery or IT implementation, have positively transformed the lives of citizens, local communities, business and stakeholder groups.

Prof. Tanya Byron & Becta launch new e-safety resource for all primary schools

Child psychologist, Professor Tanya Byron, is launching a new set of resources called 'Know IT All for primary teachers' to help schools keep children safe online. The engaging and interactive resources, unveiled at Anson Primary School in Brent on Friday 26 June, have been designed to empower all primary school employees to understand, tackle and teach e-safety issues to children.

UK cyber security strategy could extend invasive counter-terror powers say Lib Dems

Commenting on the Government�s publication of a cyber security strategy, alongside the updated National Security Strategy, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson, Tom Brake said:

Public finance heads positive about procurement innovation in face of expected cuts

More than four out of five public and third sector finance directors expect new Gershon-type efficiencies and just over half think local grants will be cut, according to a new study� from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA) commissioned by Civica.

Scottish DNA database figures far lower than English equivalent

SNP MSP Nigel Don said he is encouraged by figures showing the retention of DNA on the Scottish DNA database from under 18s is far lower than in England and Wales.

BCS interactive design conference tackles climate & economy

The impact of the global economy and climate change on IT research and design practice is the theme of this year's Create09 next week.

Ofcom proposes measures to improve competition in pay TV

Ofcom has published a further consultation as part of its pay TV market investigation. This is the test of its statement on the plan:

Irish Gas Board data loss highlights need for digital vaulting

The theft of a laptop containing the bank account details of around 75,000 customers of the Irish Gas Board highlights a serious security procedure failing, rather than an unfortunate incident, says Cyber- Ark, a digital vaulting specialist.

Accolades for GOSS customers at national awards

Two Local Authorities from the UK, managing web content with GOSS iCM (intelligent Content Management), have been recognised at this year�s Good Communications Awards.

Government plans strong new cyber security measures to combat emerging threats

Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday announced strong new measures to protect the UK and British citizens from the growing threats to our security in cyber space and take advantage of the opportunities of Digital Britain.

Gordon Brown makes statement about cyber security & 'National Security Strategy'

Yesterday Gordon briown the Prtime Minister made a written Ministerial Statement on the first annual update to the National Security Strategy. This is what he said:

Public sector lags behind in electronic document management

A survey launched by multi-function printer (MFP) document imaging software supplier eCopy, says that the public sector is lagging behind the private sector in adoption of document management systems (DMS). Of the organisations polled, 42% of those in the public sector said they use a DMS compared to around half (52%) of their private sector counterparts.