APPLICATIONS
16.3.2005
THREE PEOPLE-CENTRED WWW PROJECTS IN TAMPERE WIN SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS
The continuing development opportunities offered by the World Wide Web were highlighted today by Tim Berners-Lee, winner of the first-ever Millennium Technology Prize in 2004, at a ceremony organised in the City of Tampere by the Millennium Prize Foundation. The world-wide search for nominations for the 2006 Millennium Technology Prize was also launched.
Three people-centred WWW projects in Tampere win Special Recognition Awards
The continuing development opportunities offered by the World Wide Web were highlighted today by Tim Berners-Lee, winner of the first-ever Millennium Technology Prize in 2004, at a ceremony organised in the City of Tampere by the Millennium Prize Foundation. The world-wide search for nominations for the 2006 Millennium Technology Prize was also launched.
To celebrate the ways in which innovative Millennium Technology Prize-winning technology is benefiting Finland, Special Recognition Awards were presented at today’s event to three people-centred applications which exploit World Wide Web and Internet technology. The award winners are: www.laboratorio.fi (an Internet-based system for making appointments at healthcare laboratories); www.paivola.fi (the mathematics programme at the Päivölä Adult Education Institute); and www.tampere.fi/kirjasto/nettinysse (the NettiNysse project within eTampere).
The first-ever Millennium Technology Prize was awarded in June 2004 to Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. Special Recognition Awards are presented to Finnish projects which have exploited Millennium Technology Prize-winning technology in improving people’s quality of life.
The Special Recognition Awards presented today are being given jointly by the Millennium Prize Foundation, the City of Tampere, and the City of Tampere Chamber of Commerce. The award-winning projects were selected in cooperation with Tampere University of Technology, Finland’s National Technology Agency Tekes, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
To receive a Special Recognition Award, a project must be innovative, be of adequate scale, must target the common good, and its influence must be directed towards people’s everyday lives. Jaakko Ihamuotila, Chairman of the Millennium Prize Foundation, said “Projects receiving Special Recognition Awards have all been particularly successful in exploiting the WWW and the Internet in a humane and innovative way. We hope these projects will work as good examples of technology that can be used to improve quality of life.”
Established in 2002, the Millennium Prize Foundation is an independent entity whose objective is to promote technology that improves people’s quality of life. The foundation is supported and funded by Finland’s private and public sectors in partnership. The biannual Millennium Technology Prize of one million euros is the world’s biggest technology prize.
Special Recognition Awards: Tampere Region
www.laboratorio.fi Making healthcare laboratory appointments via the Internet
The Laboratory Centre is responsible for providing the laboratory services required by healthcare operations at more than 40 locations in Pirkanmaa. With the help of an Internet-based user interface, reports on the results of diagnostic tests can be entered into the Laboratory Centre’s database directly by people working at health centres and in hospitals. Clients can therefore be offered the services they require at any laboratory. As soon as test results have been obtained, they can, with the patient’s permission, be made available to their doctor and to personnel working in health centres and hospitals. www.laboratorio.fi incorporates an Internet-based appointment reservation system which patients can use to arrange their own appointments at laboratories. The appointment reservation system can also be used by health centres and outpatient departments at hospitals.
www.laboratorio.fi is the first system of its kind in Finland and has received a remarkable amount of positive feedback from people using the laboratory services it covers. The system is an excellent example to others working in the healthcare sector.
www.paivola.fi Mathematics programme at the Päivölä Adult Education Institute
The Päivölä Adult Education Institute offers young people who have completed their comprehensive education a customised package in which mathematics, information technology and a mathematical approach to studying natural sciences is combined with working experience in a technological environment. From the very first step, studies are scaled to prepare for the demands of advanced university courses and the requirements of working life. The Internet is used as the source of information for mathematics courses, as a communication channel and a study highway. The project effectively combines the strong elements in classroom instruction with searching for and obtaining external knowledge and services.
www.tampere.fi/kirjasto/nettinysse A project within eTampere
NettiNysse is a bright-yellow articulated bus belonging to the Tampere City Library and used to teach computer and Internet skills. The aim is to provide people with guidance and encouragement on the journey towards the information society. Basic instruction is free to private individuals and associations domiciled in Tampere. NettiNysse also produces study material which provides basic instruction concerning computers and the Internet. Networking partners include voluntary organisations, associations, educational institutions and companies.
