Random Winners
Dyslexia is often regarded purely as a reading and writing difficulty. However, the under-lying problems that cause these difficulties also impact on many other life skills. Although internet-based exercises already exist to help train specific skills of dyslexia sufferers, such programmes are generally targeted at children, tending to patronise adults. E-DysGate is an interactive website which provides a highly motivating and stimulating learning environment for a range of skills known to be important for young dyslexic adults. The material has been selected according to research which suggests that it will stimulate parts of the brain that are active in many activities, including reading. Reading and writing abilities are not separate entities, but require a series of brain processes. If these key areas are stimulated, neurological links will develop and the brain will be more receptive to learning, including learning to read. The project targets the following seven areas through direct and indirect stimulation: Auditory Discrimination, Auditory Memory, Auditory Sequence, Visual Discrimination, Visual Memory, Visual Sequence, and Spatial Position. The principles behind the exercises are not specific to any given language - they will work for all individuals across Europe. For more information visit the website http://www.edysgate.org.
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.
AvaGuide is a sophisticated combination of top quality interactive video and text-to-speech technology that enables the creation of virtual characters able to hold customized conversations. In less than 10 minutes, AvaGuide can provide businesses with a perfect virtual employee who will work 24/7, serving tens of customers at a time. Record your video or choose one of the professional pre-recorded characters, add a stylish background and a dialog, and remember that you can customize it the way you want. Copy the code and paste it into your site and your AvaGuide is ready to work for you. AvaGuide gives businesses the opportunity to attract more customer attention, convert visitors into paying customers by simply making their lives easier, plus distinguish themselves from competitors still using traditional text solutions. AvaGuides can help visitors navigate though sites and find answers to their questions – instantly, in an intelligent way. No previous solutions could do that. This product guarantees the most intuitive online experience site visitors can have. For more information visit the website www.avaguide.net.
Videolectures.Net provides free and open internet access to high quality videos of lectures presented by distinguished scholars and scientists at prominent academic events in the field of Science. The portal aims to promote science, facilitate the exchange of ideas and foster knowledge sharing by providing high quality didactic content, not only for the scientific community, but also for a more general public. All lectures, accompanying documents, information and links are systematically selected and are classified during the editorial process according to user comments. For more information visit the website http://videolectures.net.Videolectures.Net provides free and open internet access to high quality videos of lectures presented by distinguished scholars and scientists at prominent academic events in the field of Science. The portal aims to promote science, facilitate the exchange of ideas and foster knowledge sharing by providing high quality didactic content, not only for the scientific community, but also for a more general public. All lectures, accompanying documents, information and links are systematically selected and are classified during the editorial process according to user comments. For more information visit the website http://videolectures.net.
With its new SanierungsCheck software, Austrian building society ‘Bausparkasse’ is providing its customers with an easy first step to improving energy efficiency in their homes. Users of the website can get a first impression of the necessary improvements to be made to their properties in just a few minutes – all from the comfort of their own homes. This unique software guides users through the many solutions available for exploiting the maximum energy-saving potential of their properties in a simple and straightforward manner. It identifies the necessary improvements, calculates a building cost estimate based on the data entered, evaluates the subsidies available in the respective federal province and calculates potential mortgage options. The software is divided into several modules to achieve optimum results that meet specific user requirements. These modules can be used on their own or in combination, according to individual needs and interests. Sanierungscheck.at features a modern and self-explanatory design to facilitate access and provide all the necessary information at a glance. For more information visit the website http://www.sanierungscheck.at.
The Government Information Center (GIC) is a single, electronic, trilingual (Sinhala, Tamil and English), online knowledge base of 1,600 services available to citizens from 77 key government organizations. The related procedures that need to be followed in order to make use of each of these services are also stored in the database. Obtaining a particular government service used to involve navigating through a thicket of organizations and making multiple personal visits and repeated telephone calls. Language was a further barrier for the 25% of Sri Lankan citizens who speak Tamil. The GIC was established as a public/private partnership to provide a single point of access to information concerning government services in an effective and friendly manner. The knowledge base, stored in an SQL database, is available through multiple channels, including a Microsoft Visual Basic interface for call center staff, a web based interface for the IT-literate general public, and, to accommodate future expansion, a web services API. For more information visit the website http://www.gic.gov.lk.
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.
Malaria kills over a million a year: a simple SMS could prevent 20% of those deaths. In order to fight the deadly consequences of the growing global counterfeit pharmaceutics market, MPedigree enables anyone in a developing country with access to a cell phone to authenticate their drugs before use. It works via a simple SMS, accessible by default on all phones, and available on all cellular networks. Akin to the very popular scratch card method for replenishing cellular talk-time, users reveal a single-use code on drugs and SMS it to a provisioned mobile shortcode, which, in turn, generates an automated verification response. There is no cost to the drug patron – genuine drug manufacturers are eager to bear the entire cost due to the entrenched benefits they stand to reap when counterfeiters are driven out of the market. Armed with a simple cell phone, users can finally rely on the quality of their medicine. For more information visit the website http://www.mpedigree.org/home.
Wreckamovie unites the Internet and the film industry by unleashing the creative potential of Internet communities, thereby changing the whole chain of filmmaking. Film-makers and amateur enthusiasts alike can collaborate online to extend their resources in order to produce professional quality audio/visual material of all genres; from music videos to full-length feature-films. Wreckamovie applies the open source software ideology to film production. It helps get films completed faster and at a considerably lower cost, through crowd-sourced work on production tasks and online resourcing of expertise and corporate funding. In addition, it facilitates the viral promotion of films throughout and beyond their production. Wreckamovie enables film makers of all backgrounds to create, produce and license quality films at a fraction of the cost, harnessing the wealth of talent that exists outside the world of blockbuster budgets. For more information visit the website http://www.wreckamovie.com.
‘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.
