Archive for March, 2010

Digital Birmingham is leading thinking on how the city might exploit digital technologies in the Birmingham Total Place.  

Total Place is a government initiative encouraging local areas to identify how public service organisations can work together to avoid duplication and deliver services that are more joined up, holistic and customer-focussed. The main driver is the need to do more for less. Birmingham is one of 13 Total Place pilots.

Digital and technological connectivity is a key enabler of the radical, transformational change needed in the Total Place. But put technology and the re-design of public services together and it is often assumed that the benefits will come in the form of large databases to share information between organisations. While this may be an important application of technology in the Total Place context, this is only part of the picture.

Technology isn’t just about record keeping; it’s part of the way people live, work and learn, and how public organisations can work smarter.The Chief Executive of Kent has for example underlined that Total Place must understand that Web 2.0 is part of the Total Place transformational agenda. 

Digital Birmingham is engaging Total Place stakeholders in discussions about what some of the other possibilities could be, including a study visit to the iHouse in Sandwell which showcases a range of assistive and green home technologies. 

Over the coming months, Digital Birmingham will be identifying case study examples to further demonstrate how digital technologies can support more effective, integrated services and the associated cost-benefits so that this can continue to influence Total Place thinking in the city.

For the past week a sizeable contingent of people from the West Midlands have been in Austin, Texas for South by South West (SXSW), a large festival/trade show for all things interactive.  Reports back indicate that the region was punching well above its weight in terms of its presence at the event.

And there’s a fantastic little site popped up to pull together all the content that has been produced while people are over there.  Head over to Heart of Austin to see what has been going on

Our news feeds can be subscribed to by clicking on this link. We not only provide information about our own work, but also link to other website and news items from across the city, region and country.

If you want us to pick up on a digital news story of your own, please contact us on digital@birmingham.gov.uk and put NEWS in the subject title.

Recent news stories include:

National Digital Inclusion Champion in Birmingham
Majestic SEO secures investment partner
New rail hub exterior designed

The link to our news site is http://www.digitalbirmingham.co.uk/news. Happy reading!

Following on from the Martha Lane Fox visit to Birmingham last week, I have attached the discussion notes from the parallel workshop that took place and findings shared with Martha Lane Fox. Any thoughts, please let us know and we can feed these in.

I have also included a short video clip where Martha Lane Fox talks about her role as Champion for Digital Inclusion.
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Viddler video.

Digital Birmingham are going to have a busy autumn with a real focus on digital technologies. As part of Birmingham’s Digital week of events 18 – 22 October, we are organising and bringing together linked events that will include the Eurocities Knowledge Society Forum, Beyond 2010, Birmingham City Council’s Local Government Day ‘Sharing Experiences and Shaping Public Service’, the Hello Digital business conference, and the Say Hello public programme.

These are all part of a wider Hello Digital programme of events and activities that is enabling the widest possible audience to engage with technologies and explore new opportunities and innovations.

We are currently scouting around for speakers and we thought it would be interesting to canvas suggestions from the public. If you’re reading this, then that’s you.  So, have you seen somebody speak who made you walk away buzzing with ideas? Is there somebody that you think would be ideal for any of the events that we are holding?

More – Crowdsourcing a conference

As part of the Martha Lane Fox visit to Birmingham, we ran a workshop to engage people working in digital inclusion with those in economic development and regeneration; staff promoting jobs and skills with those advising businesses and helping communities. The aim of the workshop was to examine the importance of the digital inclusion of citizens and businesses (i.e. their access, confidence and competence in using digital technologies) to enable economic recovery.

Catherine Marshall, Member of the Digital Inclusion Task Force who attended the workshop has kindly provided us with her reflections on the workshop:

As a member of Martha Lane Fox’s Digital Inclusion Task Force, I was delighted to be invited to attend the event hosted by Digital Birmingham Yesterday
Supported by an impressive turn out of delegates from Birmingham City Council and the surrounding Boroughs the event gave an invaluable opportunity to discuss some of the barriers that prevent those who are most socially excluded accessing digital technology, and explore what intervention or strategies need to be applied to overcome these difficulties.

As always, there is no one size fits all, and as Digital Inclusion is inextricably linked to Social Inclusion, understanding the complexities of the task at hand is as intricate as the solutions need to be.

All recognised the solutions needs to be applied at grass route level; and being provided with snap shots of on the ground work that is taking place, is always a constant confirmation of this, proving how being digitally connected dramatically improves peoples life chances and opportunities.

The event was incredibly positive, acknowledging that getting people on line is a matter of urgency, and the need to make an impact, by promoting social responsibility and the common goal, with the need to encourage pledges from all areas including the private sectors, to get on board and work together to close the digital divide.

As Martha concluded, “working together, there is an opportunity to achieve something really special”

It is clear that Digital Birmingham has the determination to make a real difference and achieve the ‘really special’ results it is looking for.
Catherine Marshall
Member of the Digital Inclusion Task Force

We’re pleased to be welcoming Martha Lane Fox, Champion for Digital Inclusion and some of her Digital Inclusion Task Force to Birmingham today. We have a full morning planned with visits to meet families who have benefited from the award-winning Aston Pride Computers in the Home project; and residents of an Erdington tower block (Windsor House) who have been provided with computers and broadband connectivity in a six month trial to promote broadband uptake in social housing.

In addition to meeting the city’s residents, Martha Lane Fox will also be holding talks with community representatives, regional policy makers and business heads to discuss key priorities for the Race Online 2012 strategy and the city’s drive to address digital inclusion in achieving economic recovery. She will be meeting with Deputy Leader, Cllr Paul Tilsley where Martha’s ‘Ask’ to Birmingham will be to look at ways in which we could act more as a corporate citizen by engaging our workforce in helping to reduce the digital divide.

The full day’s programme is here for more information and we’ll let you know more about the day as it unfolds.