Winners

MAPLight.org is a groundbreaking public website. It puts the spotlight on the connection between money and politics in the United States of America. Two public databases are combined: a date base of all known campaign contributions to any legislator, and a database on how legislators voted on specific bills and resolutions. Bringing the data on money and voting together provides unprecedented insight into the legislative processes in the US. The website is a treasure for journalists, NGOs, and bloggers. It helps, citizens to hold legislators accountable. MAPLight.org, findings makes complex research publically available in an instant and shows that public scrutiny can be also visually appealing, easy-to-use, and customizable.

Democracy demands transparency. The principal website of the German Bundestag is a world class show case on how to make it easy for citizens to follow parliamentary proceedings. More than 60.000 HTML-Pages, 80.000 PDF-files, 6.000 hours of video are augmented by interactive features such as online-petition procedures, discussion groups, online reservation for visits. In depth analysis of current topics and sophisticated search functionality add democratic value. About 100 editors keep background information about members, structure and organization, committees, lobby groups, same-day minutes and proceedings up-to-date. A history section offers a virtual tour through the famous Reichstag building. Sub-sites for youth address the future.

With the launch of Denmark’s shared public citizen portal, borger.dk, Danes have gotten a single online entrance to the public sector. The portal provides easy access to all public information and digital self-services. It functions as a looking glass, thus gathering and presenting all digital services known in the public sector, and introducing them as a coherent whole to Danish citizens. The portal is the result of the largest digital cross-sector project ever seen in the Danish public administration. Borger.dk includes also media articles, interactive services and transactions concerning 18 overall topics including family and children, disabilities and residence and buildings.

Only an informed citizen can be an active citizen. citizensinformation.ie covers in an exemplary fashion subjects on Ireland ranging from employment rights, to buying a home, moving abroad, putting kids into school and much more. The information is divided into 14 categories so that users can readily access the topic relevant to them. Straightforward, accurate, and comprehensive the information is sourced from a wide variety of service providers, including Government Departments and agencies. Each category addresses a series of frequently asked questions on the topic and is supported with a wealth of in depth information, case studies, supporting documents and downloadable forms.

It’s the dream of all citizens plagued by unresponsive bureaucracies. The Express Government ATMs are advanced automatic teller machines and offer 59 fully automated services to the common citizen. The 22 modules are distributed over 16 cities in the state of Chiapas and are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year allowing one to pay taxes, obtain Birth Certificates, Driver’s Licenses and Vehicle Plates. It is government service within minutes. Thus operating costs were reduced, productivity increased, and public access improved. Finally, it is clean public administration as the ATM Express Government cannot be corrupted.

Science needs collaboration. The Cuban Science Network offers information contents and services and is devised as a space for collaboration and interaction with institutions, scientists and professionals in Cuba and Spanish speaking countries. The site contains content on natural and social sciences topics and from many sources such as the Cuban Academy of Sciences, the Cuban Observatory of Science and Technology and Research Centers. The Cuban Science Network functions a laboratory for the introduction of new technologies and new sources of new knowledge. The information is personalized by user's profiles and it is a space for co-operation and interaction. The Cuban Science Network spreads scientific technical results to education and training forming a culture of innovation.

Archeology is brought to life by e-Content. The Metopes of Selinunte CDROM allows virtual visitors today to enjoy a live experience of the Greek colony of Selinunte two thousand years ago. An exceptional graphic design makes the visit a memorable fact. It offers also an inside view on the complex process of scientific virtual reconstruction of archaeological relicts. A documentary video, interviews with the exponents of this work and interactive windows with the virtualized sculptures are fundamental to this rich-media cultural product. Renderings and 3D models created from reality, scientific articles, and text cover all facets. Spatial information provides an effective understanding of the site of the three Metopes of Temple C of Selinunte.

Peaceful science needs understanding. The Virtual Atomic Museum is part of a larger educational initiative in Russia that provides information regarding peaceful uses of atomic energy to audiences of all ages. The museum gathered a huge amount of original material regarding the history, the people, and the science behind "the peaceful atom". The website impresses in the depth and breadth of its content. In a world where "nuclear" is seen as a necessary evil, this museum shows also the benefits brought to the world by peaceful uses of atomic energy, as well as the memories and personalities of this branch of science. It also includes information about the moral and spiritual aspects of the technology and present developments in nuclear power engineering in Russia and worldwide.

Impressive science! The China Digital Science and Technology Museum website integrates highest quality educational resources of an impressive range. It exhibits the development of science and technology by exceptional virtual reality and multimedia contents. Eight Virtual Museums and two Interactive Experience Zones engage users to learn through interactive technologies. A resources bank contains materials for educators and allows interested users to create their own digital contents including cartoon works and audio and video files. Six Science Popularization Columns present essential concepts in Science and Technology in a most effective form. The site is continuously updated and contains currently 1 terabyte of data.

Science profits from e-Content. The platform independent, Java-based, web-enabled application Geneious Pro enables scientists to swiftly search, organize and analyze genomic information in a collaborative environment. Complex data such as entire bacterial genomes or human chromosomes can be stored, visualized and analyzed on a single desktop application. Geneious brings advanced computational biology within the reach of any professional researcher. It includes unique features, such as patented data mining algorithms with connections to the world’s most important scientific databases, secure collaboration features, and tools like interactive teaching tutorials and plug-ins developed by leading international scientists.

The Telecenters of Information and Business Website - TIN - is entirely focused to the inclusion and digital education of small Brazilian businesses and people who run and own them. TIN promotes entrepreneurship and the creation of telecenters which then are able to provide news, information, services, courses and training on subjects that interest micro and small-sized Brazilian companies. Users can find several tools on the website: basic internet and computing courses, management courses, courses on IT tools. It also offers links to relevant government services as well as links to the main sources of commercial, economical and technological information. TIN also acts as 'Meeting Places' for community members.

Multimedia for sustainability. Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a site on the world wide web and in Uganda where solar powered, high speed wireless Internet access produces income for gorilla monitoring as well as a human health project. The Telecentre serves important educational purposes and provides health and environmental awareness through multimedia. People trained in the use of ICT at the Telecentre include 40% women. The project encourages ecotourism and catalyzes economic activities and spin-offs. It provides employment opportunities to the community and is a good example of effective e-inclusion built on an innovative ICT and e-Content initiative.

Civic responsibility can be based on e-Content. The Infoblago web-site links charity organizations in Russia to those willing to help or in need of help. It fills an information gap and is meant to counteract an “information blockade” of the social and charity themes and subjects in the mainstream mass media. It provides daily updated information on events, legislation and other topics relevant to charity in Russia. The wbe site also contains an active forum and allows to perform on-line searches to find both organisations which provide help in a specific field or persons who are looking for helping hands themselves. www.infoblago.ru sets a good example of e-inclusion through multimedia.

Ibsar is a powerful Screen Reader that converts the output of the screen into high quality human voice so that the blind users can professionally use most of the software programs both in Arabic and in English. It also enables users to write texts in the two language and allows saving and printing these texts in Braille format. This integrated solution enables blind users to have full access the Internet and read Arabic and English Web sites using a friendly easy-to-use method designed for visually impaired and blind people. Moreover, Ibsar empowers users to send, receive, write, read, and manage E-mail messages, helping users reach out for a wider world.

Educational divides run through many societies. The Online application for the Higher Education Admission Center in Oman was designed to help thousands of students to apply for college and universities no matter where they live in the country. The system has unified all admission procedures for higher education into one application. This portal includes all needed information, checks the requirements and allows online applications for all matters including financial support without travelling long distances or insider know-how. The system allocates places to students according to their exam results and their program preferences, and does so with great accuracy, equality and transparency.

Culture needs remembrance. "The End of Silence" is a unique multimedia documentary of the Auschwitz Trials in Frankfurt 1963-1965 which ended eighteen-years of silence on the crimes in the concentration camps. The web site gives a comprehensive overview about a behaviour common in Germany after the war when people wanted to forget the holocaust. It shows how a man picks up the topic and makes it an issue. The use of exceptional interactive video content without a melancholic overtone has an impact on young and old. The project guides the audience through four chapters revealing the concentration camp atrocities, the events during the trials, witness accounts and present-day commemoration activities. Original film footage and exclusive artwork from camp survivors bring history to life.

Culture can be preserved. The Te Puia galleries in Rotorua, New Zealand are two large, predominantly multimedia galleries that introduce visitors to the landscape of Whakarewarewa geothermal valley and Te Arawa culture. They represent the latest convergence of digital and tactile interaction design for indigenous cultural tourism. These galleries engage visitors with Maori culture. They provide an immersive space with 3D game technology and large, tactile, multimedia interactives. The Te Puia galleries are a cross media application that preserves the history of the valley in a form that is engaging and accessible. They are It is designed to be a tool for guides rather than an independent experience, as the local Maori guiding economy is a crucial lifeblood for the region.

History lives. The City of David encapsulates the Biblical City of Jerusalem where King David himself roamed over 3,000 years ago. This outstanding website brings remote visitors face to face with the protagonists and locations of the living Bible. Its fabulous visuals and the rich descriptions of the site in English, Spanish, Hebrew, French and Russian bring to life the only place on earth where the only guidebook actually needed is the Bible itself. The City of David is produced by a non-political and nonreligious organization located in the heart of the Old City in Jerusalem. Guided tours, a 3D movie, and a panoramic outlook of the town invite you to visit the City of David. See you soon!

Participation preserves culture. The Participatory 3D Geographic Information System from Fiji is a collaborative resource used for the planning and preservation of intangible cultural heritage on the island. Participatory learning and action methods are combined with Geographic Information Technologies and Systems to compose and record peoples’ spatial knowledge in the forms of virtual or physical, 2 or 3 dimensional maps. These maps are used as interactive means for discussion, information exchange, and analyses and as support in advocacy, decision making and action taking in the communities. Mapping cultural assets help to protect them and to develop resource management and preservation plans for those communities in Fiji.

Culture needs presentation. “Guatemala Interactive” is a compilation of digital contents for a virtual and interactive exposition on the country. It allows users to experience and learn about the history, the current situations and projects and to travel to a near future of a Guatemala reaching to interact with the global market and to contribute to it. The DVD aims to create a platform in which Guatemala?s best features can be presented and showcased. Multimedia technology is used to simplify the experience and to interest the user in to exploring the country. Examples of projects included are traditional ones such as “Exploring the past” or “Mirador” or current innovative projects such as Pluricultural Mathematics and the Centre for Art and Technology.

Publishing is personal. Xplus is a most powerful digital publishing and content distribution platform from China, with an average monthly readership of 8.7 million people. Xplus utilizes its own developed data mining tools to analyze readers’ preferences and provide subscribers contents that fit to their tastes. The platform features user friendly and powerful tools to enable individuals, SMEs and large scale traditional media companies to develop original, creative and interactive digital contents online. Content owners can leverage their own content with branded contents, advertising partners, rich-media presentations and online delivery services to reach more audiences and be successful in their own media business online.

e-Content is rebellious. Desert Rebel is the first from a series of documentaries on cultures of resistance across the world. Entitled “Culture & Resistance” the concept is the brainchild of French film director Fran?ois Bergeron who aims at meeting artists to overturn history and free political stereotypes and national amnesias. The website is the start of the development of a multimedia platform for the diffusion of crossover cultural programs allowing users to listen to Desert Rebel music and watch videos from Niger. Desert Rebel is a beautiful multimedia website with outstanding music, a forum for worldwide citizen engagement and community building tools, benefiting durable development of schools in Niger and the collaboration of artists from Europe, Africa and South America.

A computer is content. Binar-e-World is the world?s first Information Technology theme park that has made it possible for everyone to travel inside physically a computer. The giant Computer is an impressive building located in the city of Valencia, Venezuela. It has a giant 740 inch computer monitor, a qwerty keyboard of 16m length, a CPU 10m high and a mouse the size of a compact car. Its a one-of-a-kind edutainment destination that combines a walkthrough with rides similar to those at famous amusement parks, full of animatronics and special effects. Binar-e-World explains in a fun way the past, present and applications of Information technology thus making it friendlier, attractive and accessible to everyone, no matter which age, sex or economic status.

e-Content is amazing. “Boys and Girls” is an Arabic online interactive edutainment site from Qatar dedicated to kids worldwide. The site includes different types of edutainment materials aimed towards establishing good manners and ethics in the life of kids in addition to providing scientific and historical information with a special focus on topics related to the Arab world and Islamic culture. The site is being updated on weekly basis by adding new movies and applications. “Boys and Girls” conveys its message and information with the help of interactive games, competitions, songs and movies covering nine different subjects.

Publishing goes broadband. Indigo is an independent multimedia application published weekly by digital publishing group whose products seek to provide entertainment and understanding rather than mere information. The user experience is provided by interactive tools, videos, animations, and audio in a variety of forms including electronic broadcasting, streaming, and on-demand delivery. Indigo combines in an excellent and seamless fashion publishing and multimedia design. The result is a media experience in which users read, see, hear, touch, and feel each article through the most up-to-date, cutting-edge technology. Every Friday, readers can enjoy the Indigo experience free of charge on topics such as politics, economics, culture, society, sports, and many more.

NAFIN?s website has developed a strong set of resources to help small and medium businesses overcome the long term credit terms of the big enterprises by an online system for Factoring. It fosters the development of Mexican SMEs by providing otherwise scarce and expensive credit and reducing costs and eliminating red tape through online services. Credit worth over US $40 billion has been already provided. NAFIN uses the internet to bring factoring, financing, training, technical assistance and real time valuable business information to small and medium businesses (SMEs). Other services include: eLearning, an on line B2B SMEs marketplace and selling opportunities to the Government. Everything works transparent making this site a must for all businesses in Mexico.

Kiva.org is a non-profit web site revolutionizing the fight against global poverty by enabling socially-conscious internet users to connect with and make personal loans to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world. An exceptional social software solution, Kiva acts as the world’s first person-to-person lending marketplace for the poor. Anyone can make a direct loan of as little as $25 to someone in a developing country. This affordable capital helps low income entrepreneurs start or expand their small businesses, creating a path towards economic self sufficiency. Specifically, Kiva.org has developed also a program that will accelerate the growth of microfinance institutions through the use of accounting software.

In response to fierce competition from lower-priced cotton and increasingly technical synthetic fabrics the Australian Wool Innovation uses a web portal to help sell more of Australia’s world-leading often undervalued merino wool. Merinoinnovation.com was created as the key element in a strategy to rejuvenate the fortunes of this iconic Australian product and the sheep farm industry of the country. The web site demonstrates the versatility of Merino wool in many engaging interactive formats. It takes users on a sensual journey from inspiration to implementation. It addresses different audiences from designers to consumers and has been successful in positively shifting perceptions and gaining a number of large international clients for Merino wool producers.

i-kimono’s creates an on-line market for used kimonos and spreads the culture of the kimono internationally. The site services are intended to serve commercial and cultural interests: kimonos stored by older generations with loving care can be passed to younger generations and brought to use in today’s culture and societies. The site features a Kimono Appraisal System in order to find out the fair price for an old garment thus creating a market for the precious antique kimono so that every one can enjoy freely kimonos for various uses. The unique i-kimono charity auction system supports Japanese non profit organisations by creating proceeds from internet auctions from members and supporters.

Aiming at preserving creativity and realizing the profitability of creativity in the digital economy, Copyright.hk is a one-stop trusted e-biz marketplace. It offers a centralized clearance solution to connect digital content owners and consumers. It assists owners in selling contents in a self-service mode and also flexibly setting business rules for their contents. Copyright.hk serves as a trusted source for consumers to buy copyrighted contents. In this way, contents are distributed in a controllable manner and thus unlawful replication and distribution of contents can be greatly deterred. This project is also a massive educational exercise concerning legitimate content downloads addressing especially students and youngsters intending to download and upload creative works.

Games makes Math Teaching successful. Numer?polis is a web site teaching math to children between third and sixth grade in Venezuela. Numer?polis is a city made of numbers where only one person, Don Mill?n, owns all of the fun places. He does not charge for entrance, but proposes math challenges to those who want to have fun in the city. The basic sections of Numer?polis are games that practice the most important math subjects in elementary school in Venezuela. In Don Mill?n’s library teachers and parents can find e-books on teaching math to the children and sets of self-evaluations. The site’s records a child’s progress through the games and the record can be used as feed-back by the child, teacher or parent.

Everybody online can learn music. The Italian Web Application Musicbus is an online learning aid which employs personal computer multimedia tools to cover the typical contents of a music education syllabus in a most effective way. Musicbus introduces interactive music e-learning objects, self-assessments, and games to engage and facilitate each student's learning process in three sections: singing, playing games, and three instrumental panels: guitar, keyboard and recorder. An elegant interface visualizes the changing of notes or chords, and the correct position of hands and fingers on instruments are demonstrated. A karaoke function helps develop rhythmical precision, test memorization, and vocal practice.

Eureka is a CD delivered LAN system of learning to supplement rural education in India. Entire text books are converted into colourful 3D animated movies with interactive games and puzzles, bringing a visually beautiful and engaging learning experience to children. ,The students’ learning and retention capabilities are significantly improved. The software can run on reconditioned solar-powered PCs. Eureka assists rural students to compete for seats in Technical Institutions by delivering national examination science concepts first in local vernacular and then in English for exam preparation. Students can do scientific experiments virtually although the real laboratory equipment might be missing.

Religion requires learning. With the DVD Hafss from Egypt a religious Muslim can learn the correct pronunciation of the Holy Book Koran. The learner listens to the ideal recitation of the electronic Sheikh of Kuttab and is asked to imitate it as close as he/she can. Hafss analyzes the learner's pronunciation and evaluates it according to the rules of Tajweed, it detects types and positions of errors in the input utterance and prepares an appropriate corrective feedback. The program presents the rules of AL- Tajweed science that improves the recital of the Koran. The application also presents an electronic book with an easily understandable format divided into lessons each covering a rule.

Learning mathematics can be adventurous. The CD-Rom “Geometry “has been created based on the Romanian curricula for grade VI and VII Mathematics teaching and represents an excellent support for students in all schools of the country. The CD sets include an intuitive “virtual geometry toolkit” where one can draw freely and with great with ease and precision, solve geometric problems and be instantly evaluated and corrected by the application. Geometry turns math into an adventure and captivating animated films bring geometrical concepts into an everyday context. In an innovative use of Artificial intelligence, avatars guide learners step by step through the entire field of Geometry and adapt to the knowledge level of users.

AIDS is a global curse. The National HIV/AIDS website from Guyana provides HIV/AIDS related information to various targeted groups including medical professionals, programme staff, media professionals and general users. It is the primary storage site for HIV/AIDS information and related documents for the country and a tool for organizing, managing and sharing information among partner and donor organizations involved in HIV/AIDS programmes. Excellent features include a community building forum, a virtual library, an events calendar, a photo-gallery, a directory of implementing organisations, sections for ads and campaign materials, news articles, presentations, training materials, service listings and fact sheets. Let’s fight AIDS!

Have you ever been unhappy with a hospital? If yes, you will love Rate My Hospital! The web site is a rolling online survey of patient satisfaction with the Irish health system. In line with the best of social software sites, it provides a single, clear platform for feedback on hospital treatments and services. To date close to 10.000 people have completed a comprehensive 23-part online questionnaire on their experiences in Hospitals. The site aims to provide patient-centred transparency in the Irish Hospital system leading to improvements in the entire Health infrastructure.

Got a problem with your body weight? Based on medical and scientific nourishment insight the Kilogram Coach enables you to lead a healthy life style. You can develop online a personal nutrition and exercise program based on a food and exercise data base of more than 13,000 records. You can calculate your personal daily calorie values based on your desired weight loss and accounting for differences in age, sex, size, and state of health. The Kilo Coach focuses on autonomy and motivation of the participants. It aims to enhance self consciousness, motivation for exercise and flexible control of calorie intake. Community tools, individual support by nutrition and sport experts, medical advice and psychological support complete a most needed e-health application.

Medication can make one sick, if it is combined in the wrong way. Medicinkombination.dk helps multiple drug users to find out about how different drugs interact with each other. Users who take several kinds of drugs, herbal medicines, strong vitamins or mineral supplements can search on the website and quickly examine the consequences of their drug consumption and healthier combinations. The information on Medicinkombination.dk comes from the National Drug Interaction Database in Denmark which used by health professionals based on scientific articles and independent expert views. The user does not need to have any medical knowledge to use the service and a simple and straight forward interface makes the content service a perfect example for other countries.

e-Contents can heal. The Arabic Video Phonetics software is the first of its kind as an Arabic augmentative speech therapy. It can be used by all ages to help Arabic speakers cope with phonological disorders to improve their speech. A main screen displays a table consisting of all Arabic phonemes divided into rows and columns depending on the place of the articulation. Users can select any of the Arabic phonemes to be displayed. This can be used with teachers or for individual practice. A user-friendly interface and videos representing Arabic phonemes make for clear and helpful innovation application.