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From: Dan Jellinek [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thu 24/05/2007 20:42
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: E-Government Bulletin, 25 May 2007: European Directive on digital maps; Animation livens up city planning; Data sharing after Soham.
+++E-GOVERNMENT BULLETIN
- ISSUE 239, 25 May 2007.
- A Headstar Publication
http://www.headstar.com .
IN THIS ISSUE: European Directive in digital maps; Animation
livens up city planning; Data sharing after Soham.
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++Special Notice: Building the Perfect Council Website
- 12 July 2007, Olympia 2, London
http://headstar-events.com/council07/ .
Following the huge success of last year's conference, we are pleased to
present this second annual event where a wide range of experts and
practitioners will offer their view of how you can create the perfect
council website: easy to use, compelling and engaging.
A partnership between E-Government Bulletin and the Society of IT
Management's Socitm Insight Programme, the event will draw on the
collected wisdom of eight years of Socitm's annual 'Better Connected'
review of all UK council websites and feature the Better Connected
reviewers' own insights, plaudits and brickbats.
Interactive workshops will cover issues in detail including usability,
and the use of third party software. For details and to register see:
http://headstar-events.com/council07/ .
And if your organisation might be interested in exhibiting at the event
or sponsoring it, please contact Claire Clinton on:
[log in to unmask] .
[Special notice ends].
++Issue 239 Contents.
01: Police Must Share Information More Effectively, Warns Bichard
- MPs and Peers learn of progress since Soham Inquiry.
02: Environment Set To Benefit From European Directive
- EU public sector bodies must join up information.
03: Computer Animations To Revolutionise City Planning
- gaming technology to bring plans for London Olympics to life.
News in brief: 04: Home Help - e-health project unveiled; 05: Public
Profile - British Computer Society Awards; 06: Independence Day -
District Councils take a stand on YouTube.
Section Two: Conference Report - GIS In The Public Sector.
07: Environmental Concerns Raise Profile Of Geospatial Data:
Public bodies, particularly local authorities, hold valuable information
about the environment, writes Derek Parkinson. Increasingly this is
being converted into digital formats, and a new EU directive paves the
way to join all this data together, providing a valuable resource for
policymakers.
Section Three: Focus - Parliament.
08: Police Forces Grapple With "Crucial" Legacy Of Soham Inquiry:
In the wake of the Soham murders, the Bichard Inquiry recommended
improvements to police records, IT infrastructure, and processes. The
Parliamentary IT Committee recently heard Sir Michael Bichard's
verdict on progress since that time. Derek Parkinson reports.
[Contents ends]
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[Sponsored notice ends].
++Section One: News.
+01: Police Must Share Information More Effectively, Warns Bichard.
Police forces in England and Wales take too long to enter details of
convictions into the Police National Computer (PNC), hampering
attempts to share information between forces and so protect the public
from violent individuals, MPs and Peers have been warned.
According to a report published this week by the Parliamentary IT
Committee
( http://www.pitcom.org.uk/ ),
Sir Michael Bichard expressed concern about progress with sharing
police intelligence, one of the key issues that arose during the inquiry
into the Soham murders that he chaired. Sharing information about
known offenders was identified as a priority for the police following
the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002.
Although good progress has been made with improving the
functionality of the PNC, which now includes details about vehicles
and firearms as well as individuals, use of the system in day-to-day
policing could be improved, Sir Michael told the meeting in April.
"The most recent figures published for the time taken to enter
convictions on the PNC, especially by the Metropolitan Police, have
not improved significantly and serve to reinforce my concern that the
culture of the police service is not moving swiftly enough on this issue
of intelligence," he said.
The Bichard Inquiry made a total of 31 recommendations in four main
areas. It called for improvements to PNC; implementing a code of
practice for sharing information; introducing a national Vetting and
Barring System for those working with children; and developing a
national IT system for police intelligence in England and Wales. The
recommendations concerning the PNC and the code of practice have
been achieved, said Sir Michael. Significant progress has been made
towards a Vetting and Barring System - to be introduced in 2008 - and
a new national IT system for police intelligence, due in 2010, he said.
However, use of this infrastructure needs to be integrated more
effectively into frontline policing, he said. "Two points I never tire of
making is that with IT deployment, success is about changing the
culture. And with national initiatives, what happens locally is what
makes the difference," he said.
The Home Office confirmed this week that it is drawing up plans for
sharing information about violent individuals more widely, including
local authorities as well as the police. "We have convened a joint
Home Office/Association of Chief Police Officers working group to
develop proposals to facilitate multi-agency information sharing at a
local level to prevent serious violence. The group is comprised of
police officers and other government departments," said the Home
Office.
+02: Environment Set To Benefit From EU Digital Maps Directive.
A European Directive comes into force this month paving the way for
all geospatial data, including environmental information, to be shared
by public bodies across the EU, delegates heard at 'GIS In The Public
Sector', a conference organised by Headstar, publisher of E-
Government Bulletin.
The directive, known as Inspire, sets out a 15-year timetable to create
the European Spatial Data Infrastructure, which includes a portal
providing spatial information such as maps, geology, land use, and
wildlife, according to Niall Watson, a senior adviser at the Department
for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs
( http://www.defra.gov.uk/ ),
the lead UK authority for the project.
The new directive will provide policymakers with unprecedented with
access to fine-grained geospatial information across Europe,
supporting attempts to integrate environment awareness into future
policies. "Better environmental policies will produce better
environmental outcomes," said Watson. In addition, Inspire will
support attempts to make effective use of local information, a key aim
of the transformation agenda, he said. It will also help to implement
legislation covering use of public sector data within the public sector,
to citizens, and to private companies for commercial exploitation, he
said.
Inspire calls for the directive to be adopted in national legislation by
May 2009, and for so-called 'Implementing Rules' to be phased in by
public bodies between 2008 and 2012, said Watson. These cover
practical issues such as metadata, data specifications, network services,
data and service sharing, and monitoring and reporting. A first draft of
the rules on metadata will be released for public consultation in June
2007 and public bodies can stay informed about progress through a
dedicated European Commission portal
( http://www.ec-gis.org/index.cfm ),
said Watson.
The directive will impact on all levels of government, and councils
have an important role to play, he said. A Regulatory Impact
Assessment of the effect Inspire will have on local authorities being
conducted, and this will examine the costs to local authorities of
implementing standards and co-ordinating information, said Watson.
+03: Computer Animations To Revolutionise City Planning.
The City of London is planning to assess future skyscraper
construction projects that bring major changes to the London skyline
using the kind of computer graphics used to create 3-D gaming
environments, delegates heard at 'GIS In The Public Sector,' an event
organised by Headstar.
Public sensitivity to policies on tall buildings and heritage views means
that the technology could be used to engage the public more effectively
in the planning process, said Duncan Smith, a researcher at the Centre
for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College
( CASA - http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/ ).
Many large scale construction proposals will be assessed by planners
and the public in this way, and we will begin to see this with
construction plans for the London Olympic Games, he said. For
example, residents of the London Borough of Newham will see the
effect on their neighbourhoods of construction work for the 2012
London Olympics through computer graphics, said Smith. A proposal
being considered by Newham would see a short film distributed to
residents featuring aerial views of a realistically rendered virtual scene,
swooping around major new landmarks, he said.
A partnership between CASA and London Connects, the regional e-
government body for the capital, is already helping to deploy 'Virtual
London', a 3-D representation of the city, to all London boroughs, he
said. The model is available in a range of ways including Geographic
Information System, Computer Aided Design, and Google Earth
formats, Smith told delegates. The model was created by combining
data about the outline of buildings from the Ordnance Survey
Mastermap, and so-called "LIDAR" data which gives the relative
heights of buildings and the surrounding terrain.
The next challenge for the technology will be to render this data in a
more realistic way so that it looks more like film of a real environment
than a planner's model, he said. However, there are technical and legal
hurdles to delivering this kind of content online, he said. Typically, to
deliver an interactive 3-D model to a user, software needs to be
downloaded on he client PC, and this could break the licensing terms
offered by data providers such as Ordnance Survey, he said.
News In Brief:
+04: Home Help: Sites in Kent, Newham and Cornwall have been
chosen for a 12 million pound Department of Health project to explore
the potential of new technology to help residents with health problems
live more independently. The project will test remote devices that
enable residents to check their blood pressure or glucose levels on a
small machine at home. The results are monitored by healthcare
professionals such as the local GP surgery, who can alert patients with
any concerns:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/index.htm .
+05: Public Profile: The British Computer Society has introduced an
award specifically for public sector IT in this year's annual IT industry
awards. Judges will be looking for contributions made to an
organisation's success by the IT department, and a professional
approach in the delivery of IT. Organisations have until July 12 to
enter for the Public Sector Award and winners will be announced at a
presentation ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, in
December. Further information about the awards can be found at:
http://fastlink.headstar.com/bcspub1 .
+06: Independence Day: District councils in Somerset have launched a
campaign on YouTube opposing plans by Somerset County Council to
create a single unitary authority in the county. The proposal is being
fought by five District Councils - Mendip, Sedgemoor, South
Somerset, Taunton Deane and West Somerset. The smaller authorities
argue that the changes will lead to higher council tax bills in Somerset
and would involve "the creation of a giant new bureaucracy and much
more red tape". The campaign video can be seen here:
http://fastlink.headstar.com/som1 .
[Section One ends].
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++Section Two: Conference Report
- GIS In The Public Sector.
+07: Environmental Concerns Raise Profile Of Geospatial Data
by Derek Parkinson.
Public concern about the environment has never been higher, and so
joining up the huge amounts of geospatial information held by public
bodies is an important part of responding to this, delegates heard at
'Geographical Information Systems In The Public Sector', a
conference organised by Headstar, publisher of E-Government
Bulletin.
Moves are underway to achieve this with Inspire, a new EU Directive
that came into force this month, said keynote speaker Niall Watson, a
senior adviser at the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural
Affairs
( http://www.defra.gov.uk/ ),
the lead UK agency for the project. Inspire sets a two-year deadline for
EU member states to introduce legislation that will bring many
changes to the way all public bodies store and distribute spatial
information, including maps, geology, land use, and wildlife said
Watson.
Beginning in 2008, all member states will adopt new 'Implementing
Rules', which set out the types of information that must be held, and
how it is stored and shared, he said. To pave the way, a first draft of the
rules on metadata will be released for public consultation in June 2007,
and public bodies can stay informed about progress through a
dedicated European Commission portal
( http://www.ec-gis.org/ ).
From 2010 to 2019, the focus will shift to ensuring that member states
comply with the new standards, he said. The outcome will be the
European Spatial Data Infrastructure, which includes a geo-portal that
will provide access to spatial information across all EU member states,
said Watson. These timescales may seem comfortable, but there is no
reason to be complacent, said Watson. "Yesterday [May 15] the
directive came into force and the clock started ticking at that point. We
have two years to bring this into national legislation.The last thing
we want to be is complacent," he said.
Inspire will impact on levels of government, and councils have an
important role to play, he said. A sharper focus on the outcomes of
public policy and growing awareness of how much valuable local
geospatial information is held by councils is already part of the
transformation agenda, and so Inspire overlaps with central aims of
public sector policy, said Watson. Inspire will also help to implement
UK legislation covering use of public sector data in three main areas:
within the public sector, to citizens, and to private companies for
commercial exploitation, he said.
To become actively involved in helping to shape Inspire, public bodies
should seriously consider registering as Legally Mandated
Organisations or Spatial Data Interest Communities
( http://fastlink.headstar.com/inspire1 ),
said Watson. They will then be able to take part in reviews of the
Implementing Rules, and be consulted on drafts at an early stage.
There are significant challenges facing Inspire, said Watson. Apart
from engaging with the numerous organisations that need to be
involved, ensuring consistent data standards between them, finding a
path forward that reflects the common interest, and funding, he said.
Delegates were interested in knowing more about how Inspire will
affect local government. A Regulatory Impact Assessment is being
conducted, and this will examine the costs to local authorities of
implementing standards and co-ordinating information, said Watson.
Overall, it will be well worth the effort, he said. "Better environmental
policies will produce better environmental outcomes," he said.
[Section Two ends].
++Special notice: Techshare Expo 2007
04 - 05 October 2007, Novotel, London
Techshare Expo 2007 is set to be the biggest ever European exhibition
on access to the information society by people with disabilities.
Supported by RNIB, RNID, Dyslexia Action and E-Access Bulletin,
Techshare Expo 2007 is a fabulous new showcase for products,
services and organisations working to ensure that people with
disabilities can participate fully in the information age. It is the place
where decision makers from across the private and public sectors, and
people with disabilities and their carers will attend to source new
products and services, meet with suppliers and be inspired by the
innovations and ideas on show from exhibitors.
The exhibition is expected to attract more than 1,000 visitors. To find
out more please contact Claire Clinton at Headstar at
[log in to unmask]
[Special notice ends].
++Section Three: Parliamentary IT Committee
- Public Sector Data Sharing.
+08: Police Forces Grapple With "Crucial" Legacy Of Soham Inquiry
by Derek Parkinson.
The Soham murders will live long in the memory, not only for the
deaths of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, but also because of the
failure by public bodies to identify Ian Huntley as a danger to young
people, and take appropriate action. Subsequently, the Bichard Inquiry
recommended improvements to police records, IT infrastructure, and
processes.
The Inquiry made a total of 31 recommendations in four main areas:
improving the Police National Computer; implementing a code of
practice for sharing information; introducing a national Vetting and
Barring System for those working with children; and developing a
national IT system for police intelligence in England and Wales.
At a meeting in April, the Parliamentary IT Committee heard Sir
Michael Bichard's views on progress in these areas
( Pitcom - http://www.pitcom.org.uk/ ).
The recommendations concerning the Police National Computer and
the code of practice have been achieved. Significant progress has been
made towards a Vetting and Barring System - to be introduced in 2008
- and a new national IT system for police intelligence, due in 2010.
"I keep being told nothing much has happened, which is not quite how
I see it. A good deal of progress has been made," he said. "The Police
National Computer now includes data about vehicles and firearms.
New codes of practice are being developed and we are closer to having
a register of people working with children," he said. "It will, someone
said recently, probably be the toughest regime for child protection in
Europe. Good," he said.
Progress has been made towards a national IT system for police
intelligence, said Sir Michael. "This remains the most important of my
recommendations - crucial not merely to prevent another Huntley but
crucial to the effectiveness of a modern police service," he said. It is
now possible to confirm that a police force holds intelligence on a
person, and to gain access to it, but more work needs to be done, he
said. At the moment this functionality is only available to Child
Protection Units. "Access to the information is only via telephone or
email and consequently cumbersome and dependent on resources being
made available in each force," he said.
Implementing the new national IT system brings tough challenges,
notably joining up the information systems of the 43 police
constabularies, and changing police processes, particularly at the local
level. "Two points I never tire of making is that with IT deployment,
success is about changing the culture. And with national initiatives,
what happens locally is what makes the difference," he said. "Overall
then I am sufficiently if not completely satisfied - at this point. But
there is no room for complacency," said Sir Michael.
The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), launched in April
2007, will have a key role in carrying forward work on the issues
raised by the Bichard Inquiry, explained Chief Constable Peter
Neyroud, the recently appointed chief executive of NPIA. The agency
takes responsibility for work previously carried out by the Central
Police Training and Development Authority (Centrex), the Police
Information Technology Organisation (PITO), and some programmes
previously under the control of the Association of Chief Police
Officers (ACPO), he said.
Some 40 per cent of crime in the UK is dealt with by the Metropolitan
Police. Pitcom members asked if London's IT infrastructure could be
repackaged for other forces, so speeding up convergence between
constabularies. Peter Neyroud said that such an approach would not
deliver the access to data and performance required by the new
Information Systems Strategy for the Police Service.
Sir Michael concluded his talk with some thoughts about the need to
reform the administration of the law courts. A former solicitor himself,
Sir Michael said that IT is a key part of a less bureaucratic and more
efficient system. "I can only describe the court system as
dysfunctional," he said. "It costs this country a fortune. Solicitors are
waiting around court all day because we don't have the data we need at
our fingertips," he said.
[Section Three ends].
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- EDITORIAL.
Editor - Dan Jellinek
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Technical Advisor - Nick Apostolidis
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[Issue ends].
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