Annex C - Technology Assessment Capsules

A.  BIOMETRICS

B.  CADD – COMPUTER-AIDED DRAFTING AND DESIGN

C.  DATA WAREHOUSING / DATA MINING / DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS / EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEM

D.  DISTRIBUTED DATABASES

E.  ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

F.   ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT

G.  GIS – GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS

H.  INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES

includes INTRANETS / EXTRANETS / VPN / INTERNET TELEPHONY / VIDEOCONFERENCING OVER IP)

I.    ONLINE LEARNING

J.   REMOTE SENSING

K.  TOKEN TYPE AUTHENTICATION SYSTEMS

L.   VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKS (VPN)

M.  WIRELESS / MOBILE COMPUTING

A.  BIOMETRICS

Description

Biometrics is an automated method of recognizing a person based on physiological or behavioral characteristics such as fingerprints, speech (voice), face, retina, iris, handwritten signature, hand geometry, and wrist veins.  Biometrics address the need for authentication, the process of identifying an individual, replacing or augmenting verification based on a username and password.

Biometrics can be used in identification mode wherein it identifies a person from the entire enrolled population by searching a database for a match. It can also be used in verification mode wherein it authenticates a person's claimed identity from his/her previously enrolled pattern. Biometrics offers some unique advantages because identification is based on a person's intrinsic part. Tokens, such as smart cards, magnetic stripe cards, physical keys may be lost, stolen, duplicated, or left at home. Passwords may be forgotten, shared, or observed. 

Applications

In the Philippines, biometrics would most likely find first application in providing verification and authentication for financial transactions (bank loans and social security claims) and limiting access to high-security areas like military establishments and sensitive government buildings. The United States – the US government in particular – currently uses or has proposed to use biometrics in the following ways at the Federal, State, local, and foreign office levels.

§         Electronic and Physical Access Control. One use is to provide robust authentication for access to computer systems that hold sensitive information used by the military services, intelligence agencies, and other security-critical Federal organizations. Physical access control to restricted areas is another key application. There are many law enforcement applications, mostly for fingerprint recognition, at the Federal, State, and local levels. Other law enforcement applications include home incarceration and physical access control in jails and prisons.

§         Fraud Prevention and Detection. One of the most extensive applications of biometrics in the U.S. is for entitlements. Fraud in entitlement programs is estimated by the General Accounting Office at over $10 billion per year. Pilot programs in several States have demonstrated dramatic savings by requiring biometric authentication for applicants for entitlement benefits.

§         Commercial. There are also significant commercial applications of biometrics, principally in financial transactions like use of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), credit or debit cards, banking by phone and through the Internet, and buying and selling securities by phone or through the Internet. Biometrics is also being considered to reduce or prevent fraud in the use of cellular telephones, which is estimated to have reached over $1 billion a year, and phone credit cards. There are also commercial applications for computer access control, access to web site servers, access through firewalls, and physical access control to protect sensitive information.

Current Applications

The following are some specific applications of biometrics in other countries:

Several Federal, State, and local government agencies have purchased biometric systems.  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Public Safety, Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Reserve Bank, Hill Air Force Base, the Pentagon, and the US Mint have approximately 250 biometric devices with 13,000 enrolled users for access control applications.

The following are some planned applications of biometrics in the US:

Considerations

The system is expensive. It is not only the initial cost of the sensor or the matching software that is involved. Often, the life-cycle support cost of providing system administration support and an enrollment operator add a lot to the initial cost of the hardware.

Prognosis

Biometrics technology has not attained enough maturity to merit definite inclusion in the GISP. According to the Biometrics Consortium, the only available information on biometric devices is often just a sales brochure. The performance claims in the sales brochure may not hold true for a given device in a given application. For example, a device that measured 0.3% equal-error rate in a lab was found in the field to have a false-rejection rate of approximately 25% (at an unknown false-acceptance rate). While a change in this device's threshold between the lab and field tests might explain the difference, it is more likely that the 0.3% equal-error rate was measured under unrealistic conditions.  Establishment of an independent evaluation center to test the maturity, reliability and repeatability of a biometric device was expected by the end of 1996.

While the reliability of biometrics as a means of authentication is increasing as the technology matures, its price remains prohibitive. Substantial investments are required to set up, operate, and maintain the necessary technological infrastructure. Most, if not all, components would have to be sourced abroad. Expectedly, the major cost after initial investment would be in maintenance and technical support from other countries, particularly the US.

However, given the rapid development in information technology, it is not inconceivable that within the 5 year timeframe of the GISP, sufficient progress in biometric technology could occur to make it a viable option for implementing say a national crime information system, or even an election system.

B.  CADD – COMPUTER-AIDED DRAFTING AND DESIGN

Definition

CADD refers to the use of a computer graphics system to create, modify, manipulate, and display drawings and diagrams. CADD assists engineers, architects, and designers in the same way word processors assist secretaries and the general population. Drawings, designs and diagrams stored as CADD files are more easily accessed and modified compared to paper blueprints. When used for mapping, CADD systems treat map sheets or drawings as separate entities with little or no continuity across map sheets.  While some CADD systems may contain limited database management capabilities, they seldom have map registration or map projection transformation capabilities.

Applications

CADD has promising applications in the following areas of government:

§         Public Works and Utilities (DPWH)

§         Urban Planning and Zoning  (LGUs)

§         Storage and Retrieval of Architectural Plans  (LGUs)

§         Industrial and Product Designs  (Design Center)

§         Storage and Retrieval of Engineering Plans and Drawings (IPO)

Considerations

The use of CADD technology for the storage and retrieval of plans, drawings, and designs will entail modernization of the equipment and staff skills of the agencies or local government units to be affected. This will require capital expenditure without any immediate tangible benefits, as it will take a while before a sufficient inventory of drawings in electronic form becomes available.

Prognosis

The technology is proven and mature, but the lack of immediate tangible benefits does not make this a high priority for government. Nonetheless, it may be considered an investment for the future. 

C.           DATA WAREHOUSING / DATA MINING / DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS / EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Description

These technologies collectively provide automated tools for data analysis in support of decision making.   They include technologies and IT facilities to store and gather data from individual transaction databases into massive databases and systems to extract, analyze and present data into forms that are meaningful to decision makers.

Data warehouses are large data repositories purposely designed and organized to allow analytical processing directly performed by users.  They allow more "data-based" decision making through the use of analytical models based on historical data. The use of data warehousing as decision support systems or executive information systems, has been receiving a lot of attention because it avoids the need to unite all systems into one processing system in order to get a consolidated enterprise-wide picture. Instead, the data warehousing concept precisely is built on the collection of data from multiple processing systems, organized through metadata which include data summaries that are easier to index and search.

Data mining goes beyond changing or enhancing data presentation for decision making.   Its main purpose is to discover previously unknown relationships among data items such as  possible cause-and-effect relationships.  It uses automated tools to look for hidden patterns among data sets.  Statistical techniques have long been developed precisely to look for correlations and dependencies from datasets.  Conceptually, however, data mining technology is different in that it is designed to have access to massive electronic databases and data warehouses.  Several data mining applications are now commercially available.  However, this field can still considered a complicated, diverse technology in its infancy.

The value of these data warehouses is greatly enhanced by integrating them with the Internet so they can be easily accessed from any location, at any time. This way, government workers out in the field or assigned to regional offices can use their browsers to access the data warehouse through their agency’s intranet.

Applications

Generically, data warehouses have been used in the automated prediction of trends and behaviors, and the automated discovery of previously unknown patterns. Given this, data warehousing and EIS/DSS can be employed in the following areas in government:

§         Economic modeling and analysis

§         Financial / Fiscal modeling and analysis

§         Agricultural sector modeling and analysis

§         Domestic and International Trade modeling and analysis

§         Employment data analysis

and practically any area of governance where analysis of massive historical data is applicable.

Considerations

Among the major considerations in the applicability of this technology are the following:

§         Cost. Data Warehouses require huge data storage – at least in the hundreds of gigabytes, and over time, in terabytes. The hardware resources needed to store and process this amount of data can be considerable. For example, a 1.2 terabyte disk storage system costs almost $ 1 Million each.

§         Sharing of data. Data warehouses will require collection of related data from different sources within government. It will certainly put to test the ability and willingness of agencies to share data with each other.

§         Long-term implementation. Because of the need for sufficient data to have accumulated before a data warehouse becomes useful, there will necessarily be a long “gestation” period – counted in years - before any benefits can be derived. If the project is to become successful, there must be a firm commitment to see the data warehouse project through its lengthy implementation.

§         Choice of subject/topic. Because of these three considerations, there is a need to choose the subject or topic of the data warehouse to be implemented very carefully. It must be focused on a critical function of government to make it worth the investment cost and long-term effort.

Prognosis

The cost and high chances of failure may indicate that data warehousing should be given a relatively low priority. However, the clear lack of information-based decision making in government suggests that, at the very least, one or two pilot warehouses addressing key areas should be set up. Government cannot afford to keep postponing this, as the long implementation requirement means that it will take five to ten years before any benefits accrue.

D. DISTRIBUTED DATABASES

Description

Relational database technology now makes it possible to build applications where the database tables may physically reside in different hardware. Stored procedures and ODBC allow programs running on one machine to access a database that resides in another machine. Two-phase commit mechanisms with automatic transaction rollback provide support for online mirroring of databases, i.e. simultaneously maintaining two identical copies of the database while ensuring integrity. Most database management systems also support database updates from transaction logs, a feature that can be used to automate offline mirroring of databases.

Applications

Distributed databases allow greater flexibility in designing and building integrated applications that cross geographical and bureaucratic boundaries. For example, access to remote databases via ODBC and/or stored procedures can be employed to allow consolidation of information that comes from servers of different agencies. Similarly, mirroring techniques can be employed to support centralized repositories of consolidated data from the field, even as local subsets of the data exist on field computers to support distributed transaction processing.

Considerations

Practically all the major commercially available database management systems support distributed processing techniques. And systems have actually been built and operated successfully employing this technology. Building distributed database applications in government would entail:

§         More powerful, and therefore more expensive, database management system software;

§         Special expertise to design the database, and build more sophisticated applications;

§         Planning and coordination to ensure the availability and integrity of the data;  and

§         Increased networking among government offices to allow sharing of databases.

Prognosis

Given the devolved, decentralized nature of operations government, distributed database technology is a must in building efficient integrated information systems. The only major obstacles are the higher cost (due to more expensive software and increased networking) and limited manpower (for the expertise in planning, building and in coordination). These can be solved with careful resource allocation and private sector involvement.

E.   ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

Description 

Electronic Commerce is the use of computers and telecommunications networks to facilitate business transactions like the buying and selling of products, services, and information. E-commerce can be generally classified into two types: business-to-consumer and business-to-business. While e-commerce has existed since the early 1970's through technologies like EDI and data encryption, it caught wide public attention only recently as several e-commerce sites sprung up in the Web.  E-commerce over the Internet allows the promotion, buying, and selling of goods and information that cut through geographical and/or political boundaries. Perhaps the best example of successful e-commerce over the Internet is the popular Amazon.com, which allows users to search for and order books, gifts, CDs, and videos online.

Applications

E-commerce technology can improve governance through its application in at least the following areas:

§         Government procurement/divestment. The whole process of procurement -- from pre-qualification of suppliers, to consolidation of requests from agencies, to bidding and monitoring of status and delivery -- lends itself well to the application of e-commerce. Similarly, auctions and bids such as those for privatization of government assets and confiscated smuggled goods have a lot of successful precedents on the Web.

§         Government Securities Auction and Trading. The Philippine Bureau of Treasury has pioneered in the use of e-commerce in the Philippines through its electronic auction and electronic trading facilities for government securities. These facilities employ the proprietary networks of Bridge and Reuters. The BTr recently introduced an Internet-based facility for the public to buy Treasury Bills through its Small Investor Program agents. Together with the DOF it is looking into the establishment of an Internet-based bond exchange.

§         Document/form submission. One way to improve the efficiency of government transactions with the public is through electronic submission of required forms and documents. A pilot project at the Bureau of Customs showed how processes can be improved and the delays minimized through the electronic submission of import declarations. With the growing number of Philippine companies connected to the Internet, there are many government services that can benefit from the application of this technology. 

Considerations

Growth of e-commerce in the Philippines would depend on two things:

§         Security and authentication. Because e-commerce involves transfer of money, goods and/or services, security of transactions and authentication of transacting parties are essential. One way of achieving this in a "closed system" (i.e. where there is a limited, identified set of participants) is to set up a Virtual Private Network with encryption among the transacting parties. This approach may be resorted to in doing e-commerce with, for example, registered brokers/dealers, top taxpayers, and banks. It will not apply, however, to an "open system" where the general public is involved. It would be prudent for government to limit its e-commerce applications to closed systems in the meantime.

§         Lack of legal infrastructure. To protect transacting parties, and ensure compliance with rules and collection of appropriate taxes, the existing legal infrastructure would have to be revised. In the US, for example, there are laws (e.g. the Mail/Telephone Order Rule, and the Fair Credit Billing Act) which effectively safeguard the rights of transacting parties in e-commerce. Similar laws and the appropriate mechanisms for implementing them would have to be introduced here.

Prognosis

Security and authentication problems and lack of legal infrastructure make it difficult to pursue e-commerce for the general public. However, there are local precedents for the successful implementations of limited e-commerce (e.g. closed system) such as the auction and trading of government securities, where the parties involved may come up with their own contracts and operating covenants to ensure the enforceability and legality of their transactions. Given these, the government should look into more of these opportunities, not only for improving efficiency in at least some aspects of its operations, but as a way of "testing the waters" for more ambitious e-commerce applications in the future when the security and legal issues shall have been resolved.

F.  ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT

Description

With the spectacular growth of the web and other IT trends, re-purposing of already published materials will be a sunshine industry. “Re-purposing" is a catch-all term for conversion of a broad range of different publishing types and components:

§         Printed Documents. Electronic documents make up the smallest fraction of the total mass of published materials today. Converting these into electronic files will take either of two forms:

Ø      Scanning to a bitmap image for indexing, or

Ø      Capturing the content via optical character readers (OCR) and converting it into a format that can be selected using cut-and-paste or cut-and-copy features available in most software applications.

§         Digital Documents. Files that are already in electronic form can be converted to other formats in a number of ways. Many are already being taken apart and recomposed in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) for uploading to the Web. Many others are being converted to PDF (Adobe) format because it retains the integrity of the source document much better, with all elements including fonts, typography, layout, and vector graphics intact.

§         Photos and other Bitmap Graphics. Bitmap graphics that are large in storage size and saved in a broad range of file types are being compressed and converted to more universal formats - .tif, .gif, and .jpg - primarily for accessing in HTML documents. PDF conversion of documents incorporating bitmap images offers very dramatic compression ratios of 50:1 (or even considerably smaller).

§         Vector Graphics. Maps, logos, and fonts are normally vector graphics that are small in size and perfectly scalable for viewing and printing. Since HTML cannot handle vector graphics, they need to be converted to bitmaps before conversion to .gif or .jpg formats.  Documents in such format as PDF are also available for viewing on the Web and with vector graphics compressed to about 4:1 ratio.

Two standards have emerged for cross-platform document file formats: HTML and PDF:

§         HTML. Documents marked up in the simple page description HTML can display in a variety of computer environments such as Unix, DOS, Windows, NT, and Macintosh. Yet balanced against the broad compatibility of this format are two factors: 1) the cost -- in time and money -- of converting documents from other document formats into HTML; and 2) the author’s lack of fine control over character fonts and page layout.

A new software category, called portable document applications, attempts to provide the best balance of all factors. It combines the compatibility of HTML with the page layout quality of desktop publishing applications, font quality of the Postscript language, compact file size of compressed image formats, and a simple interface designed for typical, non-programmer computer operators. The leading application in this category is the Acrobat suite of tools from Adobe Systems Inc.

§         PDF. Short for Portable Document Format, a file format developed by Adobe Systems. PDF captures formatting information from a variety of desktop publishing applications, making it possible to send formatted documents and have them appear on the recipient's monitor or printer as they appear on paper.   To view a file in PDF format, the Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed.  It is a free application distributed by Adobe Systems.

There are two Acrobat components to consider: the proprietary PDF file format and the suite of software tools (for browsing and editing to manipulate documents) stored in this file format. The two are used interchangeably but in fact they are distinct; PDF is the name of the file format and Acrobat is the suite of software tools. The Acrobat PDF file format is based on the Postscript language, also developed by Adobe. Like Postscript, Acrobat is vector rather than bitmap based. Vector file formats describe fonts, images and other page elements as a series of mathematical descriptions and relations. Character fonts are encoded as mathematical descriptions of lines, shapes and distances between sets of points. As an oversimplified example, the character “V” is fundamentally three points: the top left, top right, and bottom middle where the two lines intersect.

Applications

Government can find use for this technology in two ways. First, a central repository of official documents in electronic form can be set up to store and provide access to all future government public documents. Since practically all government offices already use PCs to generate their memos, orders, rulings and other documents, a central document repository can be achieved prospectively. All that is needed would be to set up a large server, perhaps at the National Archives, to where all government agencies would be required to submit electronic copies of all their official documents.

Second, the government should consider converting all existing documents into electronic form to save on storage space, make them easily accessible, and preserve their integrity. This is a much more complex and costly exercise because of the volume of documents for conversion.

Considerations

Creating, storing, and disseminating documents in digital form offer substantial advantages over traditional print publishing for a variety of reasons:

§         Capability to communicate beyond the printed word. Digital publishing allows addition of motion, sound, forms, interactivity and linking to a document.

§         Distribution Costs.  Printing documents first from a central source then distributing them on paper requires careful anticipation of demand with costly consequences.  Distributing documents electronically offers the recipient the option to print it as needed and secures access to documents with passwords and digital signatures. A CD-ROM, for example, can hold text for up to the equivalent of 1700 lbs. of paper. If the cost of printing, postage, of storage and preservation are added, the savings would be immense.

§         Search and Retrieval. Paper files can only be filed by one index field. Access requires training, and re-filing is prone to errors. Statistics show that 7.5% of paper documents get lost completely. In contrast, digital documents can have any number of keywords attached and access is controllable through password protection. Hyperlinking between documents speeds up access to related information. If sufficient processing power is available, “brute force” searching through voluminous text is also possible.

      On the other hand, there are negative factors to consider such as:

§         Cost. Prospectively, the cost is minimal, mainly covering central document repository and end-user license for the software tools (HTML or Internet browsers and the Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing PDFs are free and downloadable from the World Wide Web).  This pales against the potential cost savings from reduced demand for paper documents, document transport, and handling charges. However, converting old documents to electronic would be quite expensive, and government may very well limit its scope.

§         Security and "Turf". Some agencies treat their data and information as proprietary secrets and do not look favorably on sharing of information. This mindset will have to be changed to one of transparency and service-orientation.

Prognosis

Converting the same document into other information products from essentially the same source material means less publishing and document-related cost.  From a cost/benefit standpoint, re-purposing or electronically converting and disseminating existing documents means that agencies can reuse existing information resources to accomplish newly defined communication objectives. New distribution channels can be exploited.  Budgets can be spread over a broad range of applications. For instance, the production costs of promotional CD-ROMs can be amortized to include the cost of and uploading the same materials to the Internet and producing brochures and internal IEC (information, education, and communication) materials.

G.  GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS)

Description 

A Geographical Information System (GIS) Is an information technology application for the conversion, integration, management manipulation and analysis, query, deployment, and use of geographically referenced information.  What differentiates a GIS from an MIS application is the use of maps with related attributes describing features on the map.  It is a very powerful visualization and analysis tool that helps uncover spatial relationships not possible in the traditional sorts and other manipulation of databases (i.e. attributes of map features). In the new paradigm.  GIS is really part of the MIS of an organization, which handles all sorts of information, including spatial information.

The other spatial technologies provides information inputs (content) to the GIS.  In addtion, transaction based information gathering can be integrated to the GIS provided each record is geographically referenced.

The strength of the GIS for government information systems is its geographic integration capability.  Thorough GIS, it is possible to immediately link and visualize most government databases, that could not be linked before, through geography or location.

Applications

National and local governments worldwide, including a few in the Philippines, have utilized GIS technology for productive uses in the following applications.

·        BaseMapping and Thematic Mapping

·        Integrated Land Information Systems

·        Environment Monitoring and Resource Management

·        Precision Agriculture

·        Population and other Censuses

·        Elections Management and Monitoring/Reporting

·        Epidemiological/Health Studies

·        Facilities Management

·        Infrastructure Planning, Construction Management and Monitoring

·        Disaster Preparedness Planning and Damage Assessment

·        Public Safety/Public Order/Defense Applications

·        Transportation and Traffic Management

·        Land Use Planning and Zoning Administration

·        Tourism Planning and Tourism Services Information Systems

·        Promotion of Economic Development

·        Environmental Impact Analysis

·        Real Property Estate Valuation. Tax Assessment, and Marketing

·        Teaching Geography and other applications

Consideration

·        Infrastructure – Most systems run on PCs and/or Unix Servers.  System peripherals like digitizers, plotters, scanners, printers are widely available.  There are many commercially available software (GIS, Image Processing, Digital Photogrammetry and cartography, the price ranges from free to desktop systems to the expensive high end professional systems.  The Philippines is the only country among the original ASEAM without ground receiving station fro remote sensing data, thus it currently depends on acquisition services of remote sensing data service providers.

·        Data – Local implementation of GIS is hampered by the lack of or poor quality of digital basemaps or cartographic database. The development of this database is a priority element in the full development of GIS applications in the country. Data standards are not in place. This is necessary for the sharing of geographic information among agencies and the local government units. Many agencies of government have started to build their digital spatial databases that have turned out to be of poor quality. There must be a policy on investments in the build up of digital databases to ensure that these investments do not go to waste.

·        Data Sources – The national government is the largest producer, collector of geographic information. To date much of these information are on paper. They are spread out in the bureaucracy and some of these data sets have in fact been digitized more than once by several groups. It is necessary to pinpoint to owner of the data who will be responsible for their conversion to digital forms. Data is the most expensive component of GIS and its integrated development must be planned well.

·        Orthophotos and OrthoImageries – More modern implementations of GIS now use orthophotos and orthoimages. The advantage of using orthophotos/orthoimages is that the utilization of GIS is decentralized and really put in the hands of users. Feature extraction, for instance, can be now in the hands of, say, the land use planner, the forester, the assessor, the road planner, etc. instead of the GIS specialist or GIS data analyst.  Orthophotos and orthoimages are geographically rectified photos and imageries with known accuracies throughout the orthophoto/imagery dataset.

·        Implementation – The process of setting up a GIS requires careful planning and implementation, including:

Ø      Identification of users and their functional and information requirements

Ø      Assessment of existing systems and examination of data and data sources

Ø      Definition of spatial data sets and database design

Ø      Determination of software and hardware requirements

Ø      System pilot study to finalize estimates and system specifications

Ø      Collection of necessary data for input

Ø      Acquisition, installation and testing oF hardware and software

Ø      Application System Development

Ø      Staff Training

Ø      System Implementation

Ø      Data Conversion

Prognosis:

GIS and other spatial technologies are proven, mature and cost-effective technologies that has yielded benefits to users worldwide. These technologies are continually evolving, becoming more user friendly and easier to use than before. All GIS technologies will be Internet enabled, enabling producers to supply GIS Maps/Information to users via the WWW.

It is not simply a matter of government adopting the spatial technologies. Successful GIS implementations in national government involved careful planning and the adoption of necessary policies on data standards, data sharing, manpower development that may be organization wide in approach.

H.  INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES

(include INTRANETS /  EXTRANETS / VPN / INTERNET TELEPHONY / VIDEO-CONFERENCING OVER IP)

Description 

Started in 1969 as the US Department of Defense network, the Internet has grown into a global network of hundreds of thousands of computers and has spawned a number of widely successful technologies that government can harness. In addition to the use of the TCP/IP standard to allow interconnection of a wide variety of computers, the growth of the Internet, particularly in this decade, has resulted in the emergence of:

§         WWW. The World Wide Web (WWW) is a vast collection of interconnected pages of information stored in Internet-connected computers. It allows quick access to various information (text, pictures, video, sound clips, electronic files, etc.) through browser software like Netscape or Internet Explorer. Web pages typically contain links to other web pages located in remote servers. It is this interconnection of pages that gave rise to the term WWW. 

§         Intranets, Extranets.  Intranets are corporate networks that use Internet protocols and technologies -- notably electronic mail, file transfers, the WWW, and browsers -- to improve information distribution, communication, and productivity within the organization. Extranets are secure networks employing WWW technology to allow communication among transacting companies. Extranets are normally implemented by providing limited secure access to the intranets of participating corporations. Java, a new programming language, has emerged as the language of choice for intranets and extranets.

§         Virtual Private Networks (VPN) over Internet.  VPN technology refers to hardware and software employing a tunneling protocol such as TP2, which allows corporate networks that would normally require private WAN links, to use the Internet to securely transmit data to remote offices. Use of VPN substantially reduces corporate communications costs as leased lines and long distance calls are effectively replaced by relatively cheaper local Internet connections.  

§         VOIP and Videoconferencing over IP. The convergence of the telecommunications and computer technologies has resulted in the ability to transmit data, voice, sound, images, and video simultaneously over the same physical infrastructure. In practice, this has made available products that allow telephony and videoconferencing via existing connections to the Internet. While the use of these technologies normally requires bandwidths (128 Kbps minimum) higher than presently available in most government agencies, the possibility of employing them in the near future to improve communication between field and central offices of government agencies and between government units deserves serious consideration.

Applications

These Internet-based technologies have countless possible applications in government. Among the more obvious ones are:

§         E-mail. Electronic mail, the most commonly used application on the Internet, has proved to be a great productivity tool, enabling fast, low-cost communication among people. Companies that have adopted e-mail in the "corporate culture" have substantially lowered telephone and facsimile costs. The facility is particularly useful for overseas or field staff. Reports, in the form of electronic documents and spreadsheets, can be submitted faster and more efficiently by simply sending them as e-mail attachments.

§         Electronic Publishing through Government web pages. Pursuant to the objectives of the RPWeb initiative, government institutions should set up homepages on the web that will help promote information dissemination and transparency. In some cases, such as the CCPAP bulletin of projects, homepages are more efficient and practical than printed materials. They could also be used for recruitment by including employment opportunities in the agency.

§         Agency intranets/extranets. Instead of merely providing static information for public consumption, agency homepages could be set up as intranets or extranets or both, providing informational and transactional support for mobile workers, field staff, and clients of the agency.

§         Government VPN.  The absence or inadequacy of communication links between field offices and central offices, among different government agencies, and between LGUs and national government agencies can be immediately addressed through the RPWeb and the use of VPN technology. All agencies connected to the Internet would automatically be connected with all other agencies and field offices similarly connected. In some cases, this facility can even replace existing leased line connections for cost-reduction purposes.

§         Regional videoconferencing centers. The money government spends each year on local travel could be reduced with videoconferencing. Strategically located videoconferencing centers could lessen travel expenses and improve coordination with field personnel as the frequency of interaction between central and field office personnel can be increased.

§         Information Kiosks.  Government can harness electronic publishing to set up information kiosks that could serve as extensions of the web pages of certain agencies. Strategically located web-based Information Kiosks will be helpful in disseminating a wide variety of information to the public, among them tourism attractions, customs duties and taxation, business registration.

Considerations

In employing Internet technologies in re-engineering government, the following should be taken into account:

§         Cost. Some of the applications described above, particularly videoconferencing centers and distance education facility, require substantial capital and recurring expenditure. For example, a videoconferencing center would need about P5 million in equipment and at least P60,000 per month for its connection. Setting it up in all 14 regions would need an initial capital outlay of P 70 million and a yearly connection cost of P10 million on top  of administrative expenses like staff salaries and office space.

§         Security & authentication. An inherent factor in the use of the Internet for business and official transactions is the susceptibility of systems to hackers. Improperly secured systems are prone to unauthorized access and possible data tampering. Appropriate use of encryption, firewalls, password controls and aging, user authentication, and other security standards is a must. 

§         Manpower. Government may find it difficult to recruit and retain the IT personnel needed to set up, maintain and operate these proposed Internet-based systems. Contracting them to private operators appears to be a better option.

§         Training and change management.  Even the setting up, operation, and maintenance of Internet-based applications are outsourced, there will still be need for a massive training and change management exercise to ensure that government workers actually make productive use of the available technology and infrastructure. 

Prognosis

The proposed systems will definitely improve governance in a variety of ways like lower costs, enhanced communication and coordination within government, and better information dissemination. Not only is Internet technology widely available. It is becoming more and more affordable. What government lacks in technical manpower, local IT companies can readily provide through outsourcing schemes. And there are viable technological solutions to security and authentication [problems.

The real obstacles are lack of funds and the need for massive re-training and change management of the bureaucracy. The former is partially addressed by the RPWeb initiative which aims to require each government agency to set aside funds to connect to the Internet, and by inviting the private sector to set up some of the needed infrastructure on a BOO scheme. The latter would require appropriate policies and sustained implementation over several years.

 I.   ONLINE LEARNING

Description

Over the years, various systems and technologies have been employed to facilitate learning. The computer, in particular, has been used to automate and improve some aspects of the learning process through drill-and-test programs, computer-based testing, multimedia modules and other CAI/CAL applications. Correspondence, radio, and television allow the delivery of instruction and course materials over long distances. Today, the Internet provides new opportunities for pursuing the same objectives primarily because of its wide geographic coverage and multimedia capabilities.

Online learning refers to the use of information technology in the delivery of instruction. Online learning may be asynchronous – where the recipient of instruction is able to access and go through the materials at any time and at his own pace – or interactive – where there is scheduled two-way interaction between teacher and student. Web-based courses and CAI modules on CD-ROM are the best examples of asynchronous online learning, while web-based courses with two-way videoconferencing for scheduled classes is the common form of interactive online learning.

Applications

Worldwide, online learning technologies have been primary used in corporate training. Considering government’s perennial need for training and retraining, and its involvement in tertiary and technical education through the SUCs and TESDA, online learning can be employed in at least two areas:

§         Distance education. Internet-based technologies can be used to provide the infrastructure for massive training via distance education, whether it is purely asynchronous delivery of materials via web pages, or combined asynchronous delivery and two-way teacher-student interaction via videoconferencing. This can reduce the cost of nationwide training, as participants need not travel to attend training or education programs but can stay in their places of work provided Internet access is available. Regional and provincial government offices, and elementary and high school teachers in the provinces would benefit from distance education infrastructure.

§         CAL modules. The production of CAL modules in selected areas will improve training and education for Filipinos. In addition to CAL modules in mathematics and the sciences to raise the quality of basic education, training modules may also be produced for use of government workers in the promotion of tourism, agriculture, and livelihood.

Considerations

In determining whether or not government should vigorously pursue online learning technologies, the following should be considered:

§         Cost. The infrastructure needed to implement online learning can be very costly if a two-way interaction is to be supported. While the Internet has brought down capital costs from what they were in the past, there will still be need for high-bandwidth links and videoconferencing equipment, potentially running into the millions of pesos per site. There will also be a need to set up some kind of “production facility” for the course materials. Finally, PCs would have to be made available in all schools and connected to the Internet.

§         Courseware development. The appropriate courseware – course materials that will be practical and effective in the new medium – will have to be produced. This in itself will be a huge undertaking, and the success of the project will depend largely on the success of the courseware development.

§         "Culture." A shift in values and “culture” will have to be managed. Many government workers consider being sent to Manila for training as a “reward.” Similarly, those in central offices see travelling to the field offices to conduct training as one of the “perks” of public office. Another “cultural” issue is the perception that most Filipinos prefer structured classroom-style approach in training and may not benefit as much from unstructured training delivered through computer-based modules or the Internet.

Prognosis

Online learning technologies offer a unique opportunity not just to address government’s need for massive training and retraining, but to improve productivity and efficiency. It can reduce travel costs and staff time spent away from work, maximize use of available expertise, and help ensure standardized delivery of instruction.

But it is imperative that people in government truly appreciate that online learning is a long-term investment where no immediate benefits may arise until a “critical mass” is reached. Government should probably either consider this together with videoconferencing centers as joint projects (to spread the capital expenditure and recurring costs), or leave the setting up of the infrastructure to the private sector.

J.  REMOTE SENSING

Definition

Remote sensing is the technique of obtaining information about objects through the analysis of data collected by special instruments that are not in physical contact with the objects of investigation. As such, remote sensing can be regarded as "reconnaissance from a distance," "teledetection," or a form of the common adage "look but don't touch." Remote sensing thus differs from in situ sensing, where the instruments are immersed in, or physically touch, the objects being measured. A common example of an in situ instrument is the soil thermometer.

Traditionally, the energy collected and measured in remote sensing has been electromagnetic radiation, including visible light and invisible thermal infrared (heat) energy, which is reflected or emitted in varying degrees by all natural and synthetic objects. The scope of remote sensing has been recently broadened to include acoustical or sound energy, which is propagated under water. With the inclusion of these two different forms of energy, the human eye and ear are examples of remote sensing data collection devices.

Applications

Remote sensing technologies have been used by other governments in the following areas of application:

§         Environmental monitoring and control

§         Agriculture

§         Disaster Planning and Recovery

Considerations

The use of remote sensing is extremely expensive and requires high-tech infrastructure, that the Philippines do not yet possess. However, there have been a number of limited applications using lasers for pollution monitoring started locally.

Prognosis

Remote sensing is a technology that will be very important for the Philippines in the future. The government should continue to support projects in this area to develop local expertise and infrastructure in this technology.

K. TOKEN TYPE AUTHENTICATION SYSTEMS

Description

Token-based -- as opposed to biometric -- authentication measures, use objects distinct from the person-holder or bearer such as smart cards, magnetic stripe cards or physical keys and locks for identification and verification.

§         Smart Card.  A small electronic device about the size of a credit card that contains electronic memory and possibly an embedded integrated circuit. Smart cards containing an IC are sometimes called Integrated Circuit Cards (ICCs) and can be used to store personal records and digital cash, or generate network Ids.

§         Token.  In security systems, a small device the size of a credit card that displays a constantly changing ID code.  A user first enters a password and then the card displays an ID that can be used to log into a network. Typically, the IDs change every five minutes or so, thereby preventing hackers from cracking the system.

Applications

This technology has been employed by countries like Spain to provide a secure and tamper-proof Social Security identification card. It can also be employed in a “closed” e-commerce system to authenticate eligible users.

Consideration

Use of this technology is likely to encounter political opposition as it relates to the adoption of a national ID system – which is what this technology is good for.

Prognosis

Smart card technology is definitely mature, available, and affordable. Credit card companies are, in fact, already using it. It should find use in a National ID System once government is able to overcome opposition. On a limited scale, the government can consider using electronic tokens in securing any e-commerce application it may pursue.

L. VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKS (VPN)

Description

VPN is networking technology that uses public or shared telecom facilities to connect nodes.  VPN appears as if users are connected directly to their private network, but it actually uses a public network infrastructure to make the connection.

Traditional VPNs are provided in the form of broadband packet switched services such as Frame Relay or X.25.  With the Internet increasingly becoming a viable (reliable and cost-effective) network service infrastructure, it is possible to run VPN services over the Internet. While traditional VPNs are proven technologies for linking LANs, they do not easily accommodate individual users whose only access to the outside world is through their PC, a modem, and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Dial or Internet-based VPNs are more easily accessed by these users. 

For Internet-based VPNs, securing data communications is particularly important. Several systems that use the Internet as the medium for transporting data employ data encryption and other data security mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can access the network and that the data cannot be intercepted and viewed in its original readable form.

Remote access to VPNs is one of the fastest growing areas of the networking industry. Driven by the boom in inexpensive Internet access and by the increasing use of remote access to corporate networks, dial-up access to corporate networks over the public IP-based infrastructure makes access to network resources less expensive, more efficient, and more secure for organizations.  As switching solutions are introduced to alleviate Internet backbone congestion, the Internet is becoming more viable as a low-cost medium for remote network access.

Three important technologies may be considered in using VPNs for providing remote access via Internet: tunneling, network security, and network management.

§            Tunneling - Tunneling technology enables one network to send its data via another network's connection. Tunneling works by encapsulating a network protocol within packets carried by the second network. For example, Microsoft's PPTP technology enables organizations to use the Internet to transmit data across a VPN by embedding its own network protocol within the TCP/IP packets carried by the Internet. 

§         Security - Network security allows remote dial-up connectivity while protecting corporate information from inadvertent or unauthorized access or eavesdropping. For most VPN services implemented with Layer 2 tunneling, the tunnel is terminated at the customer premise. This presents potential security issues for customers by having their computer systems within reach of both unauthorized users and viruses via their Internet connection.

In some network designs, tunnels are terminated behind customer firewalls. Certain types of IP tunneling require customers to connect directly to the Internet, which could pose a security risk to the customer. To protect their networks from unauthorized users, many corporate customers erect firewalls behind their Internet routers. This restricts access from the Internet to resources such as the corporate Web server. When using IP tunneling, the device terminating the tunnels either needs to be in front of the firewall, allowing access from the Internet to a device that has access to secure, corporate resources, or behind the firewall. If the device is behind the firewall, the firewall must be open to allow tunneled packets through to the devices that will unwrap them. There are ways around this, however they make the process of configuring the firewall complex. Also, not all firewalls can effectively handle traffic that isn't terminated in the firewall.

§         Network Management and Administration  - Two key needs in managing a Dial VPN are Network Layer Address Management (NLAM) and tunnel management. Tunnel management refers to the external software application used to setup tunnels to maintain subscriber information, and to perform subscriber-level billing and accounting. All implementations are expected to have the usual network management functionality such as performance monitoring.

Applications

Service providers offer VPN or intranet service for agencies that prefer to outsource remote access service. An intranet uses Web-based technology to connect an organization's distributed LANs, field offices, mobile users, and telecommuters to essentially the same services or applications found in a typical network such as:

§         Internal e-mail

§         Company-provided (and controlled) Web access

§         Internal database access

§         Intranet Web serving and publishing

For agencies looking to provide remote access to internal users over a wide geographical area, providers can offer "external" VPN or extranet service. This adds controlled, secure connections between the agency’s users and its field offices within and/or outside the country, institutional partners, other government agencies and the private sector for:

§         Electronic commerce

§         Sharing of proprietary or confidential data

§         Institutional support or

§          

Considerations

Many of the standards that VPN services will be based on are still under development. This is important, since focusing on a complete, standards-based solution will ensure that investments in outsourced networking services meet the availability, security, performance, and cost requirements of agency-clients.  It is expected that the service provider who delivers a complete, standards-based solution will ultimately dominate. The following is an initial list of desirable features that could be used to evaluate VPN services from a user perspective:

§         Supports both Layer 2 and Layer 3 tunneling.

§         Is scalable, specifically with equipment and network management, as well as network architecture.

§         Prevents breaches, either directly or indirectly, through its accommodation of external security devices.

§         Subscribers, typically corporations and ISPs, and individual users are authenticated to the network.

§         Authenticated users are authorized to use the various services of the VPN.

§         Provides system level security to its subscribers.

§         The configuration of network elements (e.g. remote access concentrators, gateways, switches, routers) is as simple and straightforward to use as possible.

§         Provides the full suite of functionality necessary for managing a network: network design, network simulation and validation, network visualization, and network operations tools.

§         Requires no modifications or upgrades to subscriber customer premise equipment, or to remote client software.

§         No addressing changes are needed. Non-globally unique or overlapping IP addresses are allowed.

§         The ISP is locally interconnected to other ISPs and has points of presence in most of the localities in which the agency maintains offices.

Cost will depend on what components of the VPN are outsourced and what are maintained in-house.  As more networks are outsourced to an ISP, the nature of the cost changes from capital outlay in the initial acquisition of facilities to a user fee-type charging that are more financially manageable.

Per site, the cost of an appropriately configured VPN access router could run to P80,000 minimum for initial equipment, plus a leased line connection to an ISP  at P40,000 per month. Field workers can use dial-up access to a local ISP (estimated at P1,000 per month). Additional cost considerations include firewall equipment and software and possible LAN restructuring.

Prognosis

Dial VPN is a service that is beginning to be an industry of its own but is still in its infancy.  Because of the anticipated demand due to the savings in the cost of corporate communication, carriers and service providers are expected to come up with the necessary infrastructure and develop innovative service packages that give an organization the option to replace an existing in-house data communication system.

Price differentiation among the service providers would be mainly due to variations in service quality, specifically regarding the guaranteed service level (speed and reliability of access and minimized downtime). However, VPN over Internet definitely offers the possibility of reducing costs over traditional private WANs as local connections to local ISPs are definitely cheaper than long-distance leased lines or dial-up access.

In further discussing the viability of VPN, it is important to note a few of the trends, some of which are already taking place:

§         Whole Network Outsourcing. Agencies, particularly those with little or no existing network infrastructure, could seriously consider outsourcing their remote access infrastructure. In the future, some agencies might even choose to outsource their entire network to integrators and service providers with demonstrated expertise in full support of network infrastructures. In this model, the customer owns its data and its hosts. The network facilities are managed completely by the service provider. In the United States, integrators such as Perot Systems already provide this type of service.

§         Alternative VPN Access Types. Most Dial VPN systems offered today are based on switched connectivity to the Dial VPN.  While most connections to corporate intranets or the Internet are initiated via the PSTN with ISDN or analog modem calls, other means of access including cable modems and xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line) present intriguing possibilities and new challenges for service providers.

·        New Protocols  - Today, special tunneling protocols such as Mobile IP or L2TP are required for VPN functionality. Emerging standards like IPSEC and IP Version 6 enable secure, encrypted encapsulation and tunneling for user data. Since agencies are expected to be extremely sensitive about the privacy of their data over the public network, more highly integrated VPN techniques will, no doubt, be popular.

M.  WIRELESS / MOBILE COMPUTING

Description

Wireless networking increases the access of users to computing and communication services, which at present is largely provided through wired networks. Wireless communication technology will serve as the impetus for pervasive computing. Wireless devices come in four categories: smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), e-mail only devices, and set-top boxes:

§         Smart Phones. Smart phones are perceived to be the solution for gadget clutter that results in the ever-growing need for communicating in many ways.  Smart phones come in two basic types: corded desk phones and wireless devices. Both provide standard voice communications and connect to the Internet to send and receive e-mail and browse the Web.  Some have built-in personal information managers.  There are at least 12 products on the market, made by Nokia, Alcatel, and Samsung, among others.

§         PDAs. Short for personal digital assistant, a PDA is handheld device that combines computing, telephone/fax, and networking features.  Typically a PDA is a cellular phone, fax transmitter, and personal information organizer rolled into one. Unlike portable computers, most PDAs are pen-based, using a stylus rather than a keyboard for input. This requires the incorporation of handwriting recognition technology. Some PDAs can also react to voice input by using voice recognition technologies.

§         Email-Only Devices. E-mail only devices allow users to write, send, and check e-mail without using a desktop computer.  The general process is simple: turn the device on, type the e-mail message, plug the unit into a phone jack and an internal modem automatically connects to a local ISP.

§         Set-top Boxes. Television and entertainment service providers are beginning to build and integrate Internet applications into their products. Software developers are responding by developing applications that synchronize standard television programming and related Web-based data.  There are at least 11 products available, among them, WebTV from Philips and WebTV Plus from Sony Electronics.

Applications

The benefits of wireless computing to private individuals and corporations also apply to government in enhancing and enabling cost-effective person-to-person, intra-agency, and inter-agency communication. Government executives who need to travel frequently and field staff will certainly benefit from the communication facilities that wireless computing offers.

Considerations

§         Standardization. The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is the de-facto world standard for the presentation and delivery of wireless information and telephony services on mobile phones and other wireless terminals. Handset manufacturers representing 90 percent of the world market across all technologies have committed to shipping WAP-enabled devices. Carriers representing more than 100 million subscribers worldwide have joined WAP Forum. This commitment will provide tens of millions of WAP browser-enabled products to consumers by the end of 2000. WAP allows carriers to strengthen their service offerings by providing subscribers with the information they want and need while on the move. Infrastructure vendors will deliver the supporting network equipment. Application developers and content providers delivering the value-added services are contributing to the WAP specification.

The WAP specification addresses these issues by using the best of existing standards, and developing new extensions where needed. It enables industry participants to develop solutions that are interface independent, device independent, and fully interoperable. One of WAP’s basic principles is to leverage on the standards of the existing Internet computing and communications model.  As such, it is expected to make extensive use and enhancement of essentially the same Internet infrastructure.  Enhancements could come in the form of installation of computers assuming the role of WAP gateways between web servers and the client.  The basic model, however, remains the same as the existing WWW model.

§         Value-Added Services. While WAP promises a solid, backward-compatible framework for the development and growth of wireless computing, it has thus far provided a forum for establishing wireless standards for basic telephony and web-based services like browsing Web content and e-mail, which are essentially for individual users.  The next logical step is to address providing value-added data and communication services such as remote network management, broadcast services, multimedia capabilities, and corporate database access

Prognosis

With the network infrastructure largely provided by the private sector, government is seen essentially as a major user of wireless computing services. Under this scenario, government communication costs would come mainly in the form of service subscriptions, contracts, and license fees that agencies will pay for the flow of information and applications, like annuity-based or pay-per-use type of fees similar to the current phone-use or Internet access payment schemes.

However, the high cost of these novel equipment makes it impractical at this time to implement wireless or mobile computing in government on a wide scale.