G-7 Information Society pilot projects - Global Inventory Project, 1995-1996

During the G-7 Ministerial Conference devoted to the Information Society (Brussels 25-26 February), the G-7 members along with the European Commission decided to launch 11 pilot projects which are designed to demonstrate the potential benefits of the Information Society and to stimulate its deployment.

The key objectives of the pilot projects are to:

- Support international consensus on common principles for applications, access and interoperability of networks;
- Establish groundwork for cooperation among G-7 partners to create a critical mass to address the global Information Society issue;
- Create an opportunity for information exchange leading to further development of the Information Society;
- Identify and select exemplary projects with tangible, understandable, and demonstrable social, economic, and cultural benefits;
- Identify obstacles to implementing applications related to a global Information Society;
- Help create markets for new products and services.

In this context, the primary objectives of the Global Inventory Project (GIP) are as follows:

- To act as an international reference point for the provision of information that will assist in the promotion of the Information Society;
- To establish a network for the free exchange of information about the most important national and international initiatives relating to the Information Society (The "Electronic Forum" );
- To develop, manage and analyse the database and its use to gain an understanding of the impact of the implementation of Information Society activities.

Once operational, the Global Inventory is expected to facilitate the development of Information Society applications by serving as a medium for information exchange. In the short-term, the project is to focus on the creation and implementation of a database of significant activities being planned or currently underway in the G-7 countries and in the European Union. It is anticipated that in the longer-term, the inventory will be expanded to include activities of non G-7 countries in order to create a "true and totally open planetary resource" of knowledge, ideas and possible solutions.

The Global Inventory is intended to be a decentralized tool, based upon the World Wide Web (WWW) and other technologies which are easy to use and commonly available in all G-7 countries. The participating countries will either produce their own separate national server or their data will be held in an area assigned to them on the GIP host. Each of the national inventories will be a self contained unit, with indexing and local search capabilities. These indexes will be combined on the GIP host to create a truly global index of Information Society projects. Users will access this index and be able to carry out a global search, by keyword, in the language of their choice. The results of this search include the minimum data set for the projects, which will include a brief description of the project, contact points and other important data. This minimum data set will be available in the original language and in English.

The other pilot projects which were launched at the Brussels G-7 Ministerial Meeting cover the following theme areas: Global interoperability for broadband networks; Cross-cultural education and training; Electronic libraries; Electronic museums and galleries; Environment and natural resources management; Global emergency management; Global healthcare applications; Government online; Global marketplace for SMEs; and Maritime information systems.
To create and provide an electronically accessible multimedia inventory of information regarding major national and international projects, studies and other data relevant to the promotion and the further development of the global Information Society by building upon and complementing on-going national and international initiatives.
No details are available for this section.
The Global Inventory Project (GIP) is coordinated by the European Commission's Information Society Project Office (ISPO). It is to be initially implemented by the G-7 partners, but will be extended to other countries as its functionality develops further.

The GIP is to be implemented in four phases over a two-year period:

- Phase 1: Definition of the system and user requirements (technical and content issues) and of the selection criteria;
- Phase 2: Construction of the database structure and testing;
- Phase 3: Collection and input of information on selected national projects and studies (according to criteria);
- Phase 4: Analysis of the system performance and assessment of use patterns and results.

A Steering Committee composed of G-7 Project Coordinators is responsible for monitoring the overall progress of the GIP. During the development of the Global Inventory, every effort is to be made to build upon existing activities (e.g. Commission databases containing details of Information Society-related research projects and the Japanese International Telecommunications Inventory) and to utilize available resources. In addition, the GIP is to work in association with existing or future Observatory Centres in participating G-7 countries, as well as the European Pilot Applications' Observatory. International organizations such as the ITU or OECD could also provide value-added input to the analysis and assessment of the social, economic, and cultural factors impacting on the development of the Information Society.

Each participating country can identify the projects, studies and calls which could be included in the GIP. The following guidelines have been established to provide an orientation for the entries:

- Address current Information Society issues and needs;
- Describe original, transferable solutions that add value to similar initiatives carried out by other countries and/or at various levels to promote the Information Society;
- Be of interest and of use to industry (in particular SME's) to create synergy, foster decision making, investments and partnerships;
- Illustrate innovative information technologies and best practices;
- Enhance the development of value-added services, without constituting an advertisement for any product or service;
- Be significant from an educational and training viewpoint;
- Foster R&D geared towards the advancement of the Information Society.

The Global Inventory Project is to be realized within the framework of existing financial and operational resources in the G-7 countries and the European Community and is to rely upon existing national or European Community facilities.