Features ICT4D Project Directory Advanced Search Digital Review of Asia-Pacific 2002-03-03 An annual publication on the state-of-play of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the diffusion, adoption and application of these technologies in 27 Asia-Pacific countries and ... Digital Review to Address Governance and Economic Issues 2004-03-15 Internet governance, digital inequalities, and economics of the services sector will be the focus of the 2005/2006 edition of the Digital Review of Asia Pacific.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As of 2001, Asia has become the largest Internet user group in the world. This milestone is even more significant given the limited proportion of its population that has access to the Internet. Accessing the Internet is restricted for many based on gender, financial status, language barriers, class level, and illiteracy. Information and communication technology (ICT) uptake, equitable access, applications, content development, and policy considerations are quickly becoming pressing issues in the region. Policy-makers in Asia and the Pacific are faced with many critical decisions. However, they often lack access to the information necessary for them to ensure their decisions are well informed, due to intellectual property rights or lack of resources. Until now, a published holistic overview of the state of ICTs in the region, aimed at policy makers, was non-existent.

 

The Digital Review of Asia Pacific (DirAP) is a bi-ennial publication that acts as a comprehensive regional reference on the development of ICTs in the Asia-Pacific region. Two editions are being produced during this phase. The first was published in 2003 and launched at World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Phase I in Geneva, and the second was published in 2005 and was launched in November 2005 at the second phase of the WSIS in Tunis. The publications draw on the knowledge and expertise of local authors to provide an overview of the use of ICTs for socioeconomic development in 29 different economies in the region. DirAP has been published in three versions: an electronic online database, an electronic publication on CD-ROM, and a printed monograph. The online database (www.digital-review.org) is available now and includes monthly updates. The information contributes to the Digital Divide Index (DDI), which has the goal of measuring the impact of ICTs in bridging the digital divide worldwide.

 

To provide an overview of how ICTs are being deployed across Asia and the Pacific to facilitate socioeconomic development. More specifically, the project aims to:

The Digital Review of Asia-Pacific 2003/2004 was presented at the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2003. The authors involved have benefited from working with more experienced colleagues and from sharing their experiences with enabling technologies, policies, and business models with one another. A strong knowledge-sharing network has been established that will likely continue to grow in the future. Hundreds of copies of the publication have been distributed complimentarily, and many others have been sold.

 

The project’s website displays monthly project updates and information on purchasing the publication. Online and CD-ROM versions of DirAP ensure broader and cheaper access to the publication, and allow more timely concerns to be addressed between the bi-ennial publication cycle.

 

DirAP is also of significant value to policy-makers, communications specialists, and NGOs that deal with ICTs. Increased knowledge of the issues surrounding ICTs and their use for development in the Asia Pacific region has helped policy makers and program designers to tap into the vast human capital within the region by providing more equitable access to ICTs. DirAP empowers its readers by allowing them to formulate their own model for ICT development based on the documented experiences of other people within their region.

 

 

http://www.digital-review.org Parts of the publication are available here now for download, as well as monthly updates.

 

Yoon, Chin Saik, (ed.). (2003). Digital Review of Asia Pacific. Montreal: ORBICOM, IDRC, UNDP-APDIP.

 

Electronic publication on CD-ROM.

* All terms are drawn from the OECD Macrothesaurus 1998.