W3C and WSRI Workshop To Explore Transparency, Effectiveness in eGovernment

Web Standards Community, Government Experts Share Goals for Effective Web Use

 

http://www.w3.org/ -- 15 May 2007 -- Web standards and research leaders are looking for input from government experts on how the Web currently works for them, and what efforts would make it a more effective tool for achieving their goals, both in terms of greater access to and transparency of information and new approaches to citizen services. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), in co-ordination with the Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI), has issued a call for papers for "Toward More Transparent Government - Workshop on eGovernment and the Web". The workshop will be held in Washington, DC (USA), on 18-19 June 2007. Deadline for paper submissions is Tuesday 22 May 2007.

The Internet and Web Change the Interface of Government

Internet-connected computers and the World Wide Web are revolutionizing the ways in which citizens and governments relate. Citizens can use an increasing number of services (e.g. apply for a driving license, ask for a tax return) and have easier access to information of public interest including legislation and regulatory information, basic data generated about the operation of government, public policy debates, as well as the basic information about public resources such as geospatial data. But there are many open questions to be explored in order to better understand the unique dynamics of government information on the Web:

• What new dynamics of information services and web publishing marketplace should governments consider in setting eGovernment strategy?
• How can governments leverage open standards (Web protocols, data formats, etc.) to achieve public sector information goals and better interoperability?
• What are the long-range information policy goals that remain unmet by current eGovernment strategies?
• Are there any significant differences between Web services created in commercial or other non-governmental environments, and those designed specifically for government application?
• If so, what can we learn from these differences about the unique requirements of eGovernment services?

These issues have been explored in W3C's European eGovernment Symposium, held in Gijón, Spain, earlier this year. The initial findings provided points for serious discussion and suggestions for future work; it's hoped that this workshop will reveal common issues shared by European and US government agencies, as well as identify unique challenges.

The jointly sponsored workshop will bring together government officials, computer scientists and other academics specializing in both technical and legal eGovernment issues, leaders in the Web standards community, as well as a wide range of companies providing products and services in the government marketplace. It is chaired by Ari Schwartz, Deputy Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology; Nigel Shadbolt, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Southampton, and Daniel Weitzner, Technology and Society Policy Director for W3C and Principal Research Scientist at MIT CSAIL Decentralized Information Group.

Prominent Speakers to Share Challenges and Success Stories on Data Integration

The developing agenda already includes experts in Web technology as well as data integration and policy development. Confirmed participants include Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and Senior Research Scientist at MIT CSAIL Decentralized Information Group; Vanessa Lawrence, Director General and CEO, Ordnance Survey, UK; and Carol Tullo from the Office of Public Sector Information, UK.

Deadline for Papers Extended to 22 May

Registration for the workshop is now open; as space is limited, interested parties should register as soon as possible. The Workshop Program Committee continues to receive and review papers until 22 May; those interested in more details may review the Call for Participation.

About the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C]

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. W3C primarily pursues its mission through the creation of Web standards and guidelines designed to ensure long-term growth for the Web. Over 400 organizations are Members of the Consortium. W3C is jointly run by the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the USA, the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) headquartered in France and Keio University in Japan,and has additional Offices worldwide. For more information see http://www.w3.org/

About the Web Science Research Initiative [WSRI]

The Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI) is a joint endeavour between the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT and the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton. Its goal is to facilitate and produce the fundamental scientific advances necessary to inform the future design and use of the World Wide Web. WSRI provides a global forum for scientists and scholars to collaborate on the first multidisciplinary scientific research effort specifically designed to study the Web at all scales of size and complexity, and to develop a new discipline of Web science for future generations of researchers. For more information, see http://webscience.org/

 

Contact Americas, Australia --

Janet Daly, <[email protected]>, +1.617.253.5884 or +1.617.253.2613

Contact Europe, Africa and the Middle East-

Marie-Claire Forgue, <[email protected]>, +33.492.38.75.94

Contact Asia --

Yasuyuki Hirakawa, <[email protected]>, +81.466.49.1170

 

 

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