Random Winners
“IQ” Training & Testing is an entertaining and educational software package for PCs. Suitable for anyone with a reading age of 7+, the software stimulates users to improve their logical, mathematical and visual intelligence via a series of questions and games. It promises to tune up mental focus, improve intellectual productivity and enhance concentration, promoting faster thinking and learning. Users can compete with others at problem and puzzle-solving tasks and display their results – making learning appealing and fun. For more information visit the website http://www.dominativ.hr.
‘MyMachine’ is a unique online project which builds bridges between three different levels of education: primary, secondary and higher. Via an attractive interactive web-site, children in primary schools produce ideas to create their own ‘dream machine’, the focus being on creativity and imagination over functional usage. Subsequently, higher education students, such as those studying engineering courses, translate these ideas into workable designs, publishing their endeavours to a virtual online community. Finally, pupils from technical secondary schools use the online material in order to produce real prototypes of the machines. In this way, the ‘MyMachine’ lifecycle (invent, design, make, show, patent) starts with the imagination of children and ends with ‘products’. The project has been adopted by the local and regional government (Flanders) and by various companies which have become corporate partners of ‘MyMachine’. During the entire process, children and students can collaborate online and appeal to the know-how and support of the partners, unifying the world of education and entrepreneurship with a key focus on ‘creativity and innovation’. For more information visit the website http://www.mymachine.be.
The National Broadband Map is a visual representation of New Zealand’s broadband landscape. It has been created to graphically represent broadband supplier network footprints alongside geocoded points, which indicate potential broadband demand locations. The Map takes publicly available government location data from various sources and combines it in such a way as to provide information and tools to aid in demand aggregation and infrastructure planning. The National Broadband Map also allows any citizen, business or government agency to reuse, reanalyse or visualise the demand point data in any manner, providing an environment in which extra value can be created from data which was once dispersed and inaccessible. Huge data reuse opportunities are already apparent as a result of this work, and both the public and private sectors in New Zealand are becoming aware of the value of having accurate, precise, data which is accessible to all. For more information visit the website http://www.broadbandmap.govt.nz/map.
Royal Court Affairs is an electronic evaluation system, which works by receiving, evaluating and short-listing job applications via SMS technology and a mediator programme. Applicants can apply for Royal Court of Affairs vacancies by sending an SMS with their MoMP (Ministry of Manpower) registration code (a database containing citizens’ CV details) and their chosen job code. A mediator system matches the applicant details from the MoMP with the job requirements from the RCA recruitment office. If the match is successful, the candidate is short-listed. Should the candidate fail to satisfy any of the requirements, the application is rejected and an SMS is sent with valid rejection grounds. Once the candidate satisfies all the requirements, he receives an SMS with a registration number and congratulatory message. The whole process is incredibly fast and efficient, normally taking 5-10 seconds from receipt of the SMS to response. For more information visit the website http://www.rca.gov.om.
The main aim of the BioMAP project (Monitoring and Assessing of Biodiversity of Egypt) is to create a comprehensive IT-based database of existing Egyptian biodiversity records. Linked to up-to-date data through internal and external monitoring of Egypt's Protected Areas, the project enables an analysis to be made of changes in the status of the country's biodiversity. The web-based information centre contains five operational sites. One of these is the Egypt's Biodiversity website, which was authored by Image House and includes a large number of photographs and illustrations on all topics of relevance to biodiversity, enabling users of all types to access credible information, in order to inform decision-making at all levels. For more information visit the website http://www.biomapegypt.org.
E.V.A. (Enhanced Vehicle Automation) is an innovative system for emergency vehicles. It enables control of the territory, its features being activated by operator voice commands, as well as by manual use of its touch-screen. The system can be installed on any vehicle and consists of two units: an internal heart of the system, located on the dashboard, and an external device comprising an emergency alert system (light and sound), an infra-red camera to record the surrounding environment, and a back-panel to display alert messages. A set of back-office servers completes the distributed architecture, linking to terminals such as police force databases, updated mapping information, and enabling the exchange of messages. For more information visit the website http://www.carabinieri.it.
The Catalonia Shared Medical Record is a database which seeks to maximise the quality of healthcare services by making available information on patients from Catalonian care centers. Selection and visualization of specific registers of information regarding the patient?s medical history and care is carried out by a browser that can be accessed by health professionals and patients alike. The basic principle of the initiative is to allow an information exchange among different health organizations in order to facilitate and potentiate continuity care, and to speed up diagnostic procedures by avoiding the repetition of unnecessary examinations. Citizens have access to their own clinical history via a personal digital certificate, and professionals through a federal certification system. Providing greater access to relevant information and better communication among professionals, the Shared Medical Record has the potential to save valuable time, money, and more importantly, lives. For more information visit the website http://www.gencat.cat/salut/depsalut/html/ca/dir2495/index.html.
Mamaherb.com is an internet platform, enabling users from all over the world to access and evaluate information on alternative remedies. Having become the world’s largest free Natural Health resource, its goal is to function as a paradigm-changing tool in the field of alternative - and perhaps all - health related knowledge. Users are able to research, rate, comment on, or discuss particular treatments and thus, with the help of other assessment tools, such as links to external references, be part of a huge project which aims to assess the effectiveness of natural and alternative treatments. Exploiting the universality of the internet, Mamaherb.com seeks to address two main issues: “What’s out there?” and “What actually works?” For more information visit the website http://www.mamaherb.com.
“A Journey into Time Immemorial“ is an interactive website, offering users the opportunity to see and learn about the ancient St?:lo people of Canada. The website transforms museum content into a virtual online environment, which offers visitors infinite ways to explore and enjoy animated scenes from the past. Text descriptions, visual renderings, and photos describe the St?:lo daily life, and with innovative Flash video content, users are transported three thousand years back in time. This exciting website dynamically loads sound, video characters, and educational content via a customised Flash panorama engine. The website navigation is intuitive, with linear navigation offered as an alternative. Visitors can choose their own path through the virtual St?:lo village, thereby creating a different experience with each visit. Objects of interest can be clicked on in order to learn more about ancient technologies. In addition to the Flash website, a fully accessible accompanying HTML site is available, in accordance with the strict technical specifications of the Virtual Museum of Canada. For more information visit the website http://www.sfu.museum/time/en/flash/.
Our Space aims to forge communities and explore identities through a user-generated, interactive digital media experience. This venture, of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, guides visitors through virtual and physical exhibition spaces, where they are not only able to view images submitted by the public, but can manipulate this media to create individual representations of national identity. In order to become a part of the exhibition, users join a web community and upload images or videos which are subsequently incorporated in a database. The media is then tagged to allow it to be easily accessed. Although these are well-established social media functions based on the Flickr model, Our Space is unique because of its connection to a physical on-site experience. Visitors to the actual museum are invited to manipulate the material, completing the experience through aural, tactile, and visual stimulation and interaction. By recognising and inviting media from the great plurality of perspectives on life in contemporary New Zealand society, Te Papa is creating a vital resource for exploration and learning. For more information visit the website http://ourspace.tepapa.com.
