Taiwan's geographic information system is moving to integrate the resources of government, the private sector and the general public, Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (
Yu was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2003 National Geographic Information System (NGIS) conference and exhibition at the Taipei International Conference Center.
The two-day conference and three-day exhibition features booths showcasing the work of 88 government agencies and 24 private and academic organizations.
Geographic information systems on show include a climate database managed by the Central Weather Bureau, a rescue dispatch system operated by the National Fire Administration and a patrol and management system used in Yangmingshan National Park.
Examples of systems on display demonstrate how computer hardware, software, satellite images and Web sites link together, allowing data to be quickly processed and shared between organizations and even the general public via the Internet.
Chunghwa Telecom featured its online "yellow pages" system at the exhibition.
"Our `hiPage' search engine was developed over several years and finally launched last year. This system allows the public to look up phone numbers and find maps for business addresses quickly," said Chao Chia-hui (趙家慧), a researcher for Chunghwa Telecom's Electronic Map Application Project.
"NGIS infrastructure planning has been promoted in developed countries such as the UK, France, Germany, the US, Japan and Australia, while the interior ministry also established an NGIS unit in 1980 to encourage its development in Taiwan," said Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎), an administrative vice interior minister.
According to Chien, the Executive Yuan approved the development plan for NGIS infrastructure in 1997 and the six-year plan has been in force since July 1998.
"This year marks the sixth and last year of the first stage of the plan, and so far we have implemented 32 sub-plans, set up basic infrastructure using information databases shared by central and local governments and private groups," said Chien.
Chien added that because the NGIS strategy is proceeding in tandem with the Challenge 2008 National Development Program, the second stage of the plan will aim to sharpen Taiwan's competitive edge in the international community.
"By utilizing advances in information technology to effectively promote digital content service for industry, the NGIS will increase operational efficiency of government agencies, as well as benefiting the public with quick and accurate information," said Chien.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
Firefighters are working to put out a fire on Taipei’s Yangmingshan (陽明山) reported earlier this morning. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Taipei Fire Department said it received a report of a fire at Xiaoyoukeng (小油坑) at 11:17am, dispatching four command vehicles, 16 firetrucks, one ambulance and 72 personnel. The fire is still burning on about 250m² of land, according to initial estimates, as eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke rising from the mountain. The Yangmingshan National Park Headquarters on Facebook said the Qixingshan (七星山) hiking trail starting from Xiaoyoukeng and the Xiaoyoukeng parking lot are closed as firefighters work to put
RSS