Kids all set to go direct to Gov
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Government of United Kingdom has established a website designed with the aim to teach schoolchildren about government and public services.
The website DirectgovKids (direct.gov.uk/kids) has a revolving globe interface at the homepage with interactive buildings through which children can investigate a city closely including a town hall, a police station, a school and so on in an attractive way. The website also has interesting online activities and games, as well as animations and slideshows. DirectgovKids also imparts useful lesson materials across the curriculum, info of citizenship/PSHE (personal, social and health education) interest. The website also has a dedicated area for parents with activities and suggested places to go and things to see.
Apart from the children, the website also caters to the interest of young citizens, as the youth can find out more about the world around them, role of government in their day-to-day lives. The site allows children to voice their views on various issues and enables children to understand clearly the differences between local and central government and fits in well with the citizenship curriculum.
Source: http://www.bassetlaw.gov.uk/services/leisure__culture/young_peoples_activities/directgovkids.aspx
Get your driving licence renewed online: Slovenia
The Government of Slovenia has implemented an online service for its drivers through which they can get their license renewal service online and for this all they have to do is provide the registration number of their license and the number of their compulsory insurance policy.
Through this new process, a certificate of registration is issued or renewed for as long as the vehicle's roadworthiness inspection and mandatory insurance is valid. With this new service drivers who are exempt from paying road tax can claim their rebate online.
Source: http://www.epractice.eu/document/4347
Dutch Defence Ministry launches exclusive USB sticks
The Dutch Defence Ministry is all set to make their work related information more secure and highly protected; by introducing two kinds of password protected secure USB sticks. Out of these USB sticks one will be used for storing highly secret information and the other will be used for storing non-secret and public information.
The ministry has asked its personnels to carry the classified or highly protected information separately from those that are non-secret and public information.
These traceable sticks are available on loan and to get these issued a user has to apply to an Information Manager or an equivalent official within the Ministry. For making the process easy and more user-friendly, the Ministry has also decided to carry out spot checks, and has recommended severe punitive actions against those found in possession of an unauthorised USB stick. Additionally, the data classified in the sticks are strictly treated very confidently.
This initiative of launching the USB sticks has come up very promising in its testing phase as they proved to be un-hackable within a reasonable period of time. It is hoped that this inventiveness from the Ministry will certainly prove very useful both for protecting sensitive information as well as defusing press stories about security breaches.
Source: http://www.igovernment.in/site/secure-usb-for-dutch-defence-personnel/
Passport going online in Hong Kong
The launch of the electronic passport system or e-Passport in Hong Kong is a paradigm shift in the sphere of ICT and its applications. The Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) Passport allows a traveller to travel any part of the world. Nonetheless, the final consent to enter the countries concerned is upto the relevant immigration authorities.
Each e-Passport is personalised with micro-lettering, composing of applicant's name in English, Hong Kong permanent identity card number and date of birth. Besides, inter alia, the printing of each and every visa page is also different. Alteration in the bio-data page of e-Passport will inevitably causes apparent damages and, with the protection of keys, it is basically impossible to illegally change the data stored in the e-Passport chip.
The HKSAR e-Passport System sets an exemplary step in advanced technology and is undoubtedly a highly secure travel document which not only benefits the passport holders but also enhances international security and deters human trafficking.
Source: http://event.stockholmchallenge.se/project/2008/Public-Administration/Electronic-Passport-System