‘Semantic’ – easy for you to say!
Jinfo Blog

22nd March 2010

By Joanna Ptolomey

Item

The UK government and PM Gordon Brown are following on from the digital economy bill (see post http://www.vivavip.com/go/e28208) with some more surprise announcements. Can you tell we are in election year? Today, 22nd March 2010 and in the week of the budget, the PM announced the founding of the Institute of Web Science (http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page22897). It will be focused on ‘cutting edge’ web technologies. Was I the only person who gasped when Gordon Brown used the term ‘semantic web’? In fact Mr Brown had much to say about the ‘semantic web’ – the next generation web is a ‘simple concept’, a web of linked data. It also fits quite neatly with the government’s content and delivery of public services planned for the future – all those data sets uploaded and primed just ready to be accessed and used. The UK government have promised to fund £30million for the establishment of the research institute, with some funding coming from the public but the bulk from the private sector. With the promise from the government of superfast broadband to all UK homes by 2012, how will the market forces work to produce such a wish list as Digital Britain? All ISP’s are all working on developing faster broadband speeds. Thinkbroadband, an independent broadband information and news portal (http://www.thinkbroadband.com/), believes that although the PM didn’t mention broadband size it would probably correlate with the 100meg broadband in line with the US for 2020. They also announced that Virgin Media have developed a 200meg which is currently being showcased at the UK Ideal Home Show (20th March -5th April) - ooh ultrafast. So we have the fast broadband (the band are here) and the public services rolled out digitally (the buffet has arrived) but what if people and businesses can’t join the party? Pricewaterhousecoopers estimate that the UK government would save £900million a year just by bringing access to the Internet for people/businesses not currently using online transactions. This is the rub - it brings us back to inclusion. So a developer can have access to data, design an app in 5 days and then be selling it i-Tunes. But you are unemployed and have been offered a JobCentre Plus widget for your smartphone (that you don’t/can’t afford to have) and you have no idea what is contained online, and you have never used this technology – oh dear what to do now? As far as the Institute of Web Science goes we will use the ‘wait and see’ approach. But whatever happens at the general election the digital economy (with bill) and faster broadband is a reality. The question is around market forces and what will win through at the end of the day……will we all get invited to the party?

« Blog