W3C Announces Symposium on Role of Web Standards in eGovernment

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Participants to Discuss How Web Standards Enable Governments to be More Efficient, Accountable

 

http://www.w3.org -- 16 January 2007 -- To understand how Web standards can make interactions between governments and citizens more efficient, accountable, and secure, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is holding a European Symposium on eGovernment on 1-2 February 2007 in Gijón, Asturias, Spain. Participants will discuss issues that governments and citizens currently face in their use of Web technology. The Symposium may lead to suggestions for improvements in W3C specifications or further W3C energies devoted to eGovernment initiatives.

The Symposium is organized by the W3C Spain Office and Fundacion CTIC, and receives support from the Principality of Asturias Government.

Attendance is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Citizens Eager for Advances in Effective eGovernment

eGovernment refers to the use of the Web or other information technologies by governing bodies to interact with their citizenry. Like any information provider, governments have found it useful and efficient to interact with customers — citizens — online, allowing them to file tax returns online, take drivers education classes, access forms, and vote. Access to information, and efficient and secure interactions, help ensure fair governance. Following interoperable, open Web standards helps ensure access to information to people with diverse capabilities, using various devices, and helps ensure that "the people's data" will remain available long into the future.

"Web standards created at W3C currently enjoy broad use in eGovernment," said Ralph Swick, Acting Technology and Society Domain Lead at W3C. "We hope that participants at the symposium provide us with critical information to help us develop new technologies that meet citizens' needs and goals."

Representatives from eGovernment Initiatives and W3C to Share Expertise

The Symposium audience will include government institutions, technology companies, and consultants working in eGovernment services and eGovernment users (citizens, local industry, etc.). They are likely to discuss the following topics (and possibly others): eGovernment requirements; challenges citizens and governments face when using information technology; interaction, accessibility and mobile Web within eGovernment services; Web Services and eGovernment; Semantic Web and eGovernment; Security and privacy in eGovernment transactions.

Speakers participating in this symposium include Peter F. Brown (Founder of Pensive.eu and eGovernment Focus Group Chair, CEN), Serge Novaretti (Project Officer, European eGovernment Services - IDABC, European Commission), Eric Velleman (Director, Bartimeus Accessibility Foundation), Vassilios Peristeras (Senior Researcher), and Tomas Vitvar (Group Leader SIB - National University of Ireland, DERI Galway), as well as W3C experts such as Daniel Dardailler (Associate Chair for Europe, W3C), Ivan Herman (Semantic Web Activity Lead, W3C), Steven Pemberton (Chair of HTML and Forms Working Groups, W3C), and Yves Lafon (Web Services Activity Lead).

W3C and W3C Spain Office are grateful to sponsors Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza, Satec, Universidad de Oviedo, Fundación Dintel and Ayuntamiento de Gijón, who have generously agreed to provide financial or in-kind services to help ensure the success of the W3C European Symposium on eGovernment.

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

 

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Contact Europe, Africa and Middle-East --
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