IST Information Day, Nicosia 22nd January 2000

2 The Progress of IS in Europe Projects and initiatives associated with the Information Society have been flourishing in Europe Driven by the digital revolution and global competition, the private sector has started exploring and investing in new market opportunities Moreover, public authorities, be they European, national, regional or local, play an important role, being catalysts as well as clients, and act as a vector for more solidarity Both inventory and follow-up have become a strong necessity 1996:

Hence the creation of E.S.I.S. The European Survey of Information Society

4 Overview of ESIS Content IS Promotion Actions Call for ideas Regulatory developments Alternative Networks WWW indicators Inventory of IS projects: ESIS database and ESISCOPE Who’s who Technology indicators Statistical reports

5 From ESIS to ESIS II February 1997: start of ESIS 4 elements: Inventory, Promotional Activities, Regulatory Developments, Who’s Who ESIS has progressed rapidly and it contains valuable information and tools The ESIS conference in March 1998 was a success  due to this success and following requests from several countries and organisations in October 1997 and March 1998, it has been decided to extend ESIS to the CEECs and Mediterranean countries

The ESIS II Countries

7 ESIS II Activities & Structure 24 countries active 13 lead contractors 23 partners Decentralised Data capture and Analysis Inventory of Projects based on a Questionnaire Quarterly, Half Yearly and Yearly Reports Communication Activities Project Management Support  March 99, Brussels: Kick-off ESIS II

8 Tasks, Objectives and Key Success Factors Inventory of projects and a who's who in the Mediterranean and CEEC countries Reports on several topics: regulatory issues, alternative networks, IS promotional activities, basic indicators, etc. ESIS II promotion Knowledge Dialogue and cooperation Operations "Navigation" Promotion Partnership ESIS II ESIS II aims at providing a tool for …

9 The ESIS Definition of an IS Project "Information Society projects use data processing and telecommunications technologies to support innovative methods of communication between members of society for a wide range of purposes (e.g. education and training, healthcare and social care, culture, administration, industry and commerce, research & development, etc.). Projects of this type will generally be interactive (two-way communication between users and systems or among users) and remote access (the users and systems are able to communicate over a distance). Projects may have a societal dimension or will possibly serve as a model for other organisations and businesses."

10 Regulatory Developments Report: Content General telecom policy Institutional structures in charge of the regulatory issues International relationships and agreements Regulatory framework: historical overview, current general legislation, key legislative measures Issues of the regulatory framework such as liberalisation, licensing, universal service, tariff policies, quality of service, interconnection, etc. Freedom and protection including copyright and intellectual property rights, privacy, data protection, etc. Information Society policies: umbrella policies and Information Society application priority areas On-going developments in institutional structures, regulatory framework, media and telecommunication markets and IS

Regulatory Developments Mediterranean countries: Impact of liberalisation of services.

12 WWW Sites Indicators Report Why? Exclusion from Inventory of initiatives that merely implement websites to: avoid overloading the database make a clear distinction between "Information Society Projects", as defined in the questionnaire, and these type of actions Which Categories? Schools, Universities, Hospitals, Museums, Libraries, Regional and Local Authorities. Important Notice: The data must be considered with care and only as estimates and general indications. In fact, there are no central bodies allowing a "scientific" monitoring and the comparison between the countries is difficult due to this situation and due to the disparities of the national organisational systems

13 WWW Indicators: Mediterranean Countries

14 In April 99, 19 contractors have submitted the ‘Basic Indicators’ for each country, with figures, general information and a short description of the status of deregulation in the Telecom sector (update: January 1, 2000) Data cover: computers, internet, figures on the public telecom network market size, on telephone lines, on telecom equipment, etc. and provide a global synthesis for the two areas (Mediterranean and CEEC countries), e.g.: The First 5 Months of ESIS II: The Basic Indicators

15 Basic Indicators MED Countries: Number of PC ’S per 100 inh.

16 Basic Indicators MED Countries: Number of Access Providers 1997/98

17 Basic Indicators MED Countries: Network Digitisation

18 Permanent Inventory of Projects Ë The questionnaire Electronic and paper version available on the website Ë The Database Dedicated tool for data collection and statistical work Central database including each national database Development of the Internet Access to the central database

19 Central Database and Internet Database The national databases will be regularly uploaded in order to build the central database. There will be two ways to find information in the central database from the web site: a "classic" search tool and dedicated tools:  ESISCOPE for projects and promotional activities:  ESISCOPE for partnerships  ESISCOPE for persons and organisations (WHO'S WHO)

20 ESIS II for Cyprus The ESIS II project for Cyprus is the responsibility of AC Nielsen AMER (leading contractor) and the Department of Computer Science of UCY (technical consultant) So far we have identified: 20 IS projects (10 of them are already inserted in the database) 24 key organizations involved in IS activities 26 promotional activities of various types

21 More Information about IS in Cyprus If you would like to get detailed and up to date information about all aspects of the development of IS in Cyprus, visit our web site at: If you would like to contribute your activities for inclusion in the database, please contact: Michalis Photiou (AC Nielsen AMER) or George Papadopoulos (CS - UCY) or use the website above