West Midlands local authorities: new KM tool
Added: (Mon Oct 11 2004)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
West Midlands local authorities combine efforts
to develop region-wide knowledge management tool
270,000 public sector staff to benefit from £650k project
“A road map for other local authorities”
A new information management system, and the first online public sector knowledge-sharing infrastructure of such a scale in Europe, is going live on 12 November 2004.
38 local authorities in the West Midlands have collaborated to develop the new system, known as ‘the Knowledge Engine’ or ‘KEN’. The web-based tool and one-stop information portal will allow 270,000 local government staff across the region to share their knowledge and experiences.
The development was funded with £400,000 awarded to The West Midlands Telematics Group[1] from the ODPM’s[2] Local Government Online Modernisation Fund[3]. A further £250,000 was allocated to the West Midlands Local Government Association (WMLGA) from the European Regional Development Fund’s (ERDF) Innovative Actions campaign, administered by the Regional Development Agency[4]. This means there will be no subscription or technical cost to local authorities.
In the spirit of partnership and innovative smart working, the West Midlands Telematics Group and WMLGA combined their work, with project leader Pete Kendal introducing KEN to the 38 local authorities.
Pete comments, “Local authorities across the UK already work extremely hard, but are now required to take on more work with limited resources, as the public and government demand more from public services. KEN is a tool which will help local authority employees work more efficiently by identifying more effective ideas, as well as sharing experiences to promote the best practices and values. KEN is the leading authority on local authorities.”
Paul Tilsley, Birmingham City Councillor and regional e-champion for the West Midlands LGA says: “KEN demonstrates that the West Midlands is leading the UK as far as knowledge management and knowledge sharing are concerned. We hope this development will act as a road map for other local authorities across the country.”
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
Technical Details
KEN includes a suite of web-based collaboration tools from Lotus – Sametime and Quickplace - to create virtual meeting places for up to 16,000 people simultaneously. These include structured instant discussion facilities, online whiteboards and document sharing workspaces. Any collaboration within the spaces is automatically minuted for immediate download and can then be indexed and archived. This reduces unnecessary administration and makes it easier for local authority colleagues across the region to benefit from others’ experiences and creativity – without the time and cost of travel.
A fully searchable regional knowledge base includes automatic document harvesting and an intelligent regional search engine. Authorities decide which documents they wish to include in KEN and the software retrieves, indexes and archives them automatically.
Searching for ‘smartcard’, for example, would automatically also retrieve documents containing the words ‘identity card’. This could give officers information and case studies on local smartcard schemes, proposed uses or cost models. The search element is powered by Fretwell-Downing Informatics (FDI), the founding technology partner for the seamlessUK citizens’ information portal.
Demo disk
A KEN demo disk is available on request from p.kendal@smartregion.org.uk or 0121 245 0190.
Conference and KEN ‘go live’ date
KEN will go live at the ‘Governance Partnership in the West Midlands’ conference on 12 November in Birmingham. This event includes speakers from ODPM and West Midlands in Europe and showcases regional ‘e’ collaboration and smart-working programmes from local authorities across the region. For more details or to book your place contact: email: p.kendal@smartregion.org.uk, ring 0121 245 0190 or book online at http://www.askken.org.uk/conference. Refreshments are provided and there is no charge to attend but places are limited, so book soon.
About the Knowledge Engine (KEN)
Funded by ODPM and the European Regional Development Fund, KEN was conceived in December 2002 and will go live on 12 November 2004 to enable all local government employees in the West Midlands to work together online in the delivery of more efficient services.
38 authorities in the West Midlands will be able to use KEN:
- Metropolitan Authorities: Birmingham City, Coventry City, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton City.
- County Councils: Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire.
- Unitary Authorities: Herefordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford & Wrekin.
- District & Borough Councils: Bridgnorth, Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Malvern Hills, Newcastle under Lyme, North Shropshire, North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Owestry, Redditch, Rugby, Shrewsbury & Atcham, South Shropshire, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Stratford-on-Avon, Tamworth, Warwick, Worcester City, Wychavon, Wyre Forest
www.askken.org.uk
About Fretwell-Downing Informatics (FDI)
FDI has a long history of supplying leading-edge information management solutions to over 200 organisations worldwide. FDI’s experience has resulted in a suite of well-designed solutions including information portals, library management, resource sharing, document delivery and data integration.
www.fdisolutions.com
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[1][1] The West Midlands Telematics Group is made up of seven Metropolitan Authorities in the West Midlands
[2][2] Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)
[3][3] For the capital element: hardware/software and infrastructure
[4][4] For people skills and expertise
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