IN THIS ISSUE:

• Parliamentary Copyright ‘No Role’ In Open Data Age
• Boost For Small Firms Chasing Government Tech Contracts
• Survey Reveals ‘Confusion’ Over E-Petitions
• Project looks at single online domain for government
• MPs allowed to Tweet from House of Commons
• GeoVation Challenge awards finalists announced
• PITCOM Meeting Report: UK jobs in the internet economy

NEWS: Parliamentary Copyright ‘No Role’ In Open Data Age.

The existence of Parliamentary copyright is a restrictive practice that hampers the working of democracy, a leading analyst has said....

Read full story here, Copyright and democracy...

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NEWS: Boost For Small Firms Chasing Government Tech Contracts.

Plans for reforming the procurement process to give small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) more opportunities to bid for government contracts form a key part of the UK government’s new ICT strategy, launched last week....

Read full story here, More ICT opportunities for SMEs...

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NEWS: Survey Reveals ‘Confusion’ Over E-Petitions Implementation. The development, use and promotion of web-based electronic petition facilities on English council websites is extremely low, with most available facilities as yet unused, the first comprehensive national overview of the use of local e-petitioning tools has found.... Read full story here, Underused e-petition facilities... Back to index

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NEWS IN BRIEF:

Single Domain: A project to determine the feasibility of creating a ‘single online domain’ for UK government has been launched. As part of the process, user needs are being examined using research based on search-term data. The project is being led by Chris Chant, interim executive director for digital government, and Tom Loosemore, who has directed online projects at the BBC, Channel 4 and Ofcom. However, early online discussion of the concept reveals uncertainty as to precisely what is meant by a single domain - whether it means moving more public services under the ‘direct.gov’ banner or creating a new more centralised network of sites to replace current separate, often outsourced arrangements by government department:

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Tweet House: MPs will now be allowed to send Twitter updates on debates taking place in the House of Commons, using mobile devices such as tablet computers and smartphones, providing they are silent, the Commons Procedure Committee has ruled. The use of Twitter in the Commons will take place as a one-year trial, a change of heart after deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle told MPs in January that they should refrain from using the micro-blogging service:

Quick link: Tweet House:

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GeoVation Finalists: The final shortlist for this year’s annual GeoVation Challenge awards - which aim to use digital mapping to improve transport in the UK - has been announced. It includes an open source map to help disabled people plan accessible journeys; a mobile app to report transport problems; and a plan to improve routing for emergency service vehicles by opening up council transport data. The awards are organised by Ordnance Survey, and winners - who will share £150,000 of ‘innovation funding’ as a prize - will be announced on 4 May:

Quick link: GeoVation Finalists:

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PITCOM Meeting Report: UK jobs in the internet economy. Commercial activity linked to the internet now forms a sizeable chunk of the UK’s economy, Matt Mead, Managing Director of NESTA Investments - the technology venture capital arm of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts - told the March meeting of PITCOM, the Parliamentary IT Committee. Dan Jellinek reports from the meeting on the risks and opportunities of a growing UK internet-led economy and how the UK compares internationally... Read full story here, Pros and Cons of the UK’s internet economy... Back to index