Outreach -> Community & Economic Development -> Information Technology Information Technology - Links Rural Information Technology Planning Project Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs http://www.iira.org/ Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs home page. The Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs is designed to improve the quality of life in rural areas by developing public-private partnerships with local agencies on small business development and community development projects in rural areas. The Institute works on projects including rural economic and community development (including value-added agriculture), health care, education, public transportation, public management policies, housing, and technology. Rural IT Planning Project overview This is a link to an overview about our project. Project Application This is a link for communities who want to apply to be a part of our project. VISTA Component Click on this link to find out more about our VISTA project. Recent Workshops Breakthrough Solutions for a Connected Economy: Transforming your Community into an e-Community Workshop The Rural Information Technology Planning Project and the MAPPING the Future of Your Community Program co-hosted a one-day workshop in which rural community leaders met with experts in the field of information technology and community development to learn how to harness the potential of information technology for their communities. The Breakthrough Solutions for a Connected Economy, Transforming Your Community into an e-Community workshop presented practical strategies for transforming rural communities into e-communities. Dr. Mark Peterson, Ph.D. Extension Specialist in Community Development with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and Maureen Rose, M.A., Communication Consultant, presented the workshop. Topics discussed included the major threats and opportunities of the Knowledge Economy for rural communities, the "Five Digital Divides," and "Killer Application Concepts" related to information technology and the development of e-communities. Workshop participants also had the opportunity to work in groups and develop sample technology plans based on various community scenarios. The e-community workshop was sponsored by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), USDA-Rural Development, and the Verizon Foundation. The workshop presentation materials can be downloaded (in Adobe Acrobat format) from the following links: E-Community Workshop Presentation E-Community Workshop Exercises Technology Infrastructure in West Central Illinois http://www.iira.org/pubsnew/publications/IIRA_Reports_552.pdf This report is a snapshot of the technology infrastructure in the west central region of Illinois, a nine county region comprised of Adams, Brown, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, McDonough, Pike, Schuyler, and Warren Counties. Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs Resources http://www.iira.org/portal This is a link to the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs rural resource page. Publications A Study of Internet Use Patterns and Broadband Availability Among Rural Illinois Households and Small Businesses by Sharon Schumacher http://www.iira.org/pubsnew/publications/IIRA_RRR_570.pdf This report seeks to inform the reader of various approaches to encouraging deployment in underserved areas of rural Illinois by providing a current picture of rural consumer use of Internet applications and technologies. Becoming a New Age Rural Community: Building by Example by Greg Smith http://www.iira.org/pubsnew/publications/IIRA_RRR_572.pdf Creating a New Age rural community with advanced telecommunications and technology may help rural communities experience an economic resurgence while also proving a safe haven for both organizations and citizens seeking to escape from urban pressures. The foundation needed for this New Age rural community is identified here through the efforts of one Kansas community. The steps the community took to achieve its goal are also discussed. Rising to Meet the Digital Challenge in Rural Communities: A Growing Divide? by Christian Tscheschlok http://www.iira.org/pubsnew/publications/IIRA_RRR_143.pdf While rural households with access to the Internet are closing behind the national average there are still major discrepancies that need to be discussed. The quality of the Internet connections within rural communities is assessed. Case studies from North Carolina, Georgia, Wyoming and North Dakota, and Michigan are examined to determine ways in which they have provided higher quality connections to the Internet. This report also examines actions by the State of Illinois to link rural communities and to aggregate the demand for broadband connectivity. Starting a Telecommunications Plan in Your Community? by Tom Bonnett http://www.iira.org/pubsnew/publications/IIRA_RRR_193.pdf This report emphasizes the importance of planning efforts in developing a sound telecommunications infrastructure within a rural environment. Bonnett offers suggestions on how to aggregate community demand for telecommunications in rural areas. Several options discussed to increase the demand include building public-private partnerships, leveraging public resources to expand services, and linking rural communities. Also offered is an eleven-step community planning approach to adding a telecommunications structure within a rural community. Telecommunications and Rural Teleconomic Development by James R. Beatty http://www.iira.org/pubsnew/publications/IIRA_RRR_141.pdf According to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), "low income families, minorities, and those who live in rural areas regardless of income, have less access to the tools of the information age-such as computers and Internet access-than the majority of our society." This report explains why it is imperative to emphasize a solid telecommunications infrastructure within rural communities. Effective governmental leadership and community initiatives can help rural communities reach a position that allows them to participate in local economic development efforts based on telecommunications. Assessments CSPP's Readiness Guide for Living in the Networked World http://cspp.org/projects/readiness/ A self-assessment tool designed to help you and your community determine how prepared you are to participate in the Networked World. It facilitates the first step of understanding where you are and provides a vision of where you need to be to reap the benefits of being connected in a Networked World. Most importantly, it prepares you to take actions that will enable your community, government, businesses, schools, community groups, and citizens, to benefit from being as connected as possible. Telecommunications Infrastructure Readiness Index http://www.communitydevelopment.uiuc.edu/commtele/telecommindex.htm An inventory and evaluation diagnostic of the telecommunications Infrastructure within your community. There are three components: Part A, the telecommunications Quotient helps analyze individual affinity for using telecommunications technology; Part B, the Infrastructure Index, helps the community document local Internet access and evaluate the community presence on the World Wide Web; Part C, includes an assessment of telecommunications providers in your community. Lonestar Broadband Toolkit http://www.lonestarbroadband.org/tif_doc.pdf A toolkit for rural leaders and official interested in securing high-speed tele-communication services. The "toolkit" was developed by a Policy Research Project at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Included in the "toolkit" is a Community network development tool which is a planning aid that lays out the steps and requirements for planning and implementing a community-based computer network: Various assessment tools: http://www.lonestarbroadband.org/howtoguide/assesstools.htm Broadband Checklist: http://www.lonestarbroadband.org/howtoguide/checklist.htm Wiring Rural Vermont http://crs.uvm.edu/vcrd/ A toolkit for rural community telecommunication planning was developed as a joint project by the Center for Rural Studies and the Vermont Council on Rural Development Telecommunications Committee. Developed to address the need for a program to help rural communities plan comprehensively for the build-out of telecommunications infrastructure that can both preserve and enhance the village or town center. Smart Communities Implementation Guide www.smartcommunities.org/ This tool was developed by The World Federation for Smart Communities International Center for Communications, San Diego State University and the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS). Smart Communities are defined as communities that use technology to transform the way they conduct business. The Smart Community implementation guide is a planning guide for communities that want to start the process of using information technology as a catalyst for transforming themselves to meet the challenges of the new economy. The guide considers four key dimensions necessary for the transformation of a community; Key Leaders and Individuals, Tools, Technical Infrastructure and Institutional infrastructure. The guide looks at community as a system and provides detailed criteria that should be considered when assessing community readiness to become a "smart community". Nebraska Community Information Technology Toolkit http://nitc.nol.org/toolkit/ An extensive initiative led by the University of Nebraska Corporative Extension to help educate and support communities across Nebraska in their consideration of future use of Information Technologies. The toolkit offers advice in; Community Leadership/IT planning, Intellectual Infrastructure, Telecommunications Infrastructure, and Applications. The toolkit includes the Building Information Communities (BIC) assessment instrument which was developed by the Nebraska Information Technology Commission (NITC), and the NITC's Community Council, BIC as a simple tool to help communities document how information technology is currently utilized within their community. BIC focuses on 15 key technology sectors providing a "community-wide" inventory of information technology infrastructure, information technology businesses, and information technology positions. The assessment instrument was modeled after the "Report Card for the Information Age" developed by the Docking Institute of Public Policy at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. Although the Docking Institute addresses several initiatives, Nebraska's focus was the public sector and local government in particular." The BIC assessment and much more can be found at: E-Commerce Readiness Guide - Minnesota http://www.dted.state.mn.us/searchframe.asp?url=ecom-rd-gd.asp This Electronic Commerce Readiness Guide is a resource to determine how ready a community is for electronic commerce. The questions in the guide will be used to document the stages of readiness for E-commerce in cities across Minnesota. High Performance Communities (HPC) http://www.annapolisinstitute.net/whatwedo/hpc.html CEO Praxis, a community and enterprise development company and the Center for the New West, a Denver based think tank dedicated to solving economic problems, formed a strategic partnership and have developed a community readiness index called High Performance Communities, to assess a communities readiness for the new economy. The vision of a High Performance Community is to mobilize community leadership to promote, create and cultivate an environment conducive to entrepreneurship and innovation, where local government is responsive to citizen direction. Community Technology Advisors Corp. (CTAC) www.communitytechnologyadvisors.com/ CTAC services are oriented around creating business development opportunities with telecommunication service providers. CTAC is vendor and technology neutral, and acts as a mediator for the community when dealing with telecommunication companies. CTAC collects information from service providers that can help communities understand what levels of existing telecommunication services are available to area businesses, organizations and residents. CTAC also uses a very brief survey directed at community businesses to find out how they are currently using technology and how it compares to their competitors, what their future plans for technology deployment are, and what are the barriers to this deployment. The end-user survey gives CTAC a feel for the technological sophistication of the community and how individual organizations can leverage their planned technology investments to benefit the community. CTAC services are designed to allow community members to participate, learn and move forward in the Information Economy. Best Practices American Planning Association http://www.planning.org/ The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, officials, and citizens involved with urban and rural planning issues. Sixty-five percent of APA's members work for state and local government agencies. These members are involved, on a day-to-day basis, in formulating planning policies and preparing land-use regulations. APA's objective is to encourage planning that will meet the needs of people and society more effectively. International City/County Management Association http://www.icma.org/ The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) is the professional and educational organization representing appointed managers and administrators in local governments throughout the world National Association of Development Organizations http://www.nado.org/index.html The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) provides training, information and representation for regional development organizations in small metropolitan and rural America. The association, a public interest group founded in 1967, is the largest and leading advocate for a regional approach to community, economic and rural development and provides a network for its members to share ideas and innovations E-Commerce The Rural E-Commerce Extension Initiative http://srdc.msstate.edu/ecommerce/index.html Recently, the Southern Rural Development Center began a federally-funded Rural E-Commerce Extension Demonstration Project, and its new coordinator, Kathy Ibendahl, is working to make some important strides forward. The project's website is up and running and will soon become a searchable library of e-commerce, e-government and e-community resources. Visit the site to learn more about this project and how the center plans to increase the value and availability of outstanding educational materials for use with rural small businesses, governments and communities. Economic Development Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs http://www.iira.org/ Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs home page. The Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs is designed to improve the quality of life in rural areas by developing public-private partnerships with local agencies on community development projects in rural areas. Intelligent Community Forum http://www.intelligentcommunity.org/ The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) is a special interest group within the World Teleport Association that focuses on the uses of broadband technology for economic development by communities large and small in both the developed and developing world. Because real estate is a critical part of urban development, ICF also addresses the development of intelligent buildings, Internet hosting centers and similar facilities. ICF conducts research, creates conference content, publishes newsletters and presents annual Awards for Intelligent Community and Intelligent Building developers. Intelligent Community Conference & Awards New York City, June 10-11, 2004 Produced by the Intelligent Community Forum in association with the New York City Economic Development Corporation http://www.intelligentcommunity.org/html/ICCA2004.html The Intelligent Community Conference & Awards 2004 is an annual, two-day event that explores the strategies and tactics needed to transform cities and towns into "Intelligent Communities" ready to prosper and grow in the Digital Age, based on broadband and information technology. Who Should Attend? With its power-packed line-up of speakers, workshops and special events, ICCA 2004 is a must-attend event for the public and private-sector players who are building the infrastructure, introducing the programs and preparing local communities to prosper in the Digital Age. What Will It Cover? ICCA 2004 addresses the topics that drive economic development, technology deployment and private-public investment today, including: e-Government The Digital Divide Commercial and public-sector broadband networks Sustainable development How the public sector buys products and services Education for the 21st Century How government can stimulate business innovation Knowledge-based workforce development Effective economic development marketing National Rural Development Partnership http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/nrdp/ The National Rural Development Partnership (NRDP) works to strengthen rural America through collaborative partnerships. The NRDP brings together partners from local, state, tribal, and federal governments, as well as from the for-profit and nonprofit private sector. Rural Information Center http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ The Rural Information Center provides information and referral services for rural communities, officials, organizations and citizens. For more information or assistance, call 1-800-633-7701, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, EST. Rural Information Resources http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ruralres/resource.htm Rural Information Center links to a wide variety of resources. Education Digital Divide Network http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org/content/sections/index.cfm?key=1 There has always been a gap between those people and communities who can make effective use of information technology and those who cannot. Now, more than ever, unequal adoption of technology excludes many from reaping the fruits of the economy. The term "digital divide" refers to this gap between those who can effectively use new information and communication tools, such as the Internet, and those who cannot. While a consensus does not exist on the extent of the divide (and whether the divide is growing or narrowing), researchers are nearly unanimous in acknowledging that some sort of divide exists at this point in time. At this website, you'll have the resources at your fingertips to learn about the digital divide, as well as links to many IT issues. ELearning Illinois http://elearning.illinois.net/ Link to on-line education in the State of Illinois Illinois Century Network (ICN) http://www.linc2icn.net/about/default.htm The Illinois Century Network (ICN) is a telecommunications backbone providing high speed access to data, video, and audio communication in schools and libraries, at colleges and universities, to public libraries and museums, and for local government and state agencies. http://elearning.illinois.net/pdf/icn-info.pdf PDF that describes the Illinois Century Network Illinois Virtual High School http://www.ivhs.org/ Illinois Virtual High School link. Their mission is to use new and emerging technologies that expand the boundaries of space and time to provide Illinois students and their teachers with increased equity and access to the highest quality educational opportunities. The IVHS intends to deliver high-quality courses aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards. Government Resources American Planning Association http://www.planning.org/ The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, officials, and citizens involved with urban and rural planning issues. Sixty-five percent of APA's members work for state and local government agencies. These members are involved, on a day-to-day basis, in formulating planning policies and preparing land-use regulations. APA's objective is to encourage planning that will meet the needs of people and society more effectively. FirstGov http://www.firstgov.gov The U.S. government's official web portal. A substantial body of online information, services and resources. FirstGov-Business Gateway http://www.firstgov.gov/Business/Business_Gateway.shtml Easy access to government services for U.S. businesses from business law to subcontracting opportunities. FirstGov-Citizen Gateway http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Citizen_Gateway.shtml Government resources for citizens, one click at a time, contains resources from government jobs to birth and marriage licenses. FirstGov-Government Gateway http://www.firstgov.gov/Government/Government_Gateway.shtml Government resources for federal, state, local and tribal government employees. FirstGov-Reference Shelf http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf.shtml Reference Shelf contains links to information on national libraries, U.S. laws, bills in Congress, regulations, statistical information, government publications and more. International City/County Management Association http://www.icma.org/ The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) is the professional and educational organization representing appointed managers and administrators in local governments throughout the world THOMAS http://thomas.loc.gov/ Legislative information on the Internet accessible through an extensive searchable database. IT Public Policy and Management Computer Systems Policy Project http://cspp.org/index.asp CSPP is the information technology industry' s leading advocacy organization comprised exclusively of CEOs. Michael Dell, of Dell Computers is chairman of the coalition, which has worked to develop and advocate the IT industry's public policy positions on the technology and trade issues. Currently, the CEOs of CSPP are focused on export controls, digital rights management, international trade and Networked World infrastructure, including spectrum allocation and broadband deployment. Center for Technology in Government http://www.ctg.albany.edu/ The Center for Technology in Government (CTG) works with government to develop information strategies that foster innovation and enhance the quality and coordination of public services. They conduct applied research and partnership projects on the policy, management, and technology issues surrounding information use in the public sector. Digital Divide Network http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org/content/sections/index.cfm?key=1 There has always been a gap between those people and communities who can make effective use of information technology and those who cannot. Now, more than ever, unequal adoption of technology excludes many from reaping the fruits of the economy. The term "digital divide" refers to this gap between those who can effectively use new information and communication tools, such as the Internet, and those who cannot. While a consensus does not exist on the extent of the divide (and whether the divide is growing or narrowing), researchers are nearly unanimous in acknowledging that some sort of divide exists at this point in time. At this website, you'll have the resources at your fingertips to learn about the digital divide, as well as links to many IT issues. Illinois Telecommunications Association http://www.il-ita.com/ The mission of the Illinois Telecommunications Association is to create a forum for its members to identify and to examine issues of importance; to foster collaboration among its members; and to present on behalf of the telecommunications industry a unified position on matters of importance before the regulatory and legislative bodies of Illinois The List of ISPs http://thelist.internet.com/ A resource to locate an Internet service provider. Public Sector Research Cutting Fat, Adding Muscle: The Power of Information Technology in Addressing Budget Shortfalls A Deloitte Research Public Sector Study http://www.dc.com/Insights/research/public/cutting_fat.asp Today, many government policymakers face a conundrum. On one hand, they understand that information technology has great potential as a tool for cutting costs, improving government services, and transforming government. On the other hand, in the wake of tight budgets across all levels of government - and historic budget shortfalls at the state level in the US - there is precious little money available for making the upfront investment required to digitize services and operations. The lack of money to fund productivity-enhancing IT initiatives not only removes one of the best means policymakers have at their disposal for taking the cost out of government, but it could also slow - or even derail - the fledgling effort to build digital government. What are the best opportunities for using technology to reduce operational costs? How do you squeeze savings from current IT budgets? Where are the greatest savings likely to come from? These are just a few of the important questions that are address is in this study, which is the first of a two-part series on IT value in the Public Sector. Citizen Advantage: Enhancing Economic Competitiveness Through e-Government A Deloitte Research Public Sector Study http://www.dc.com/Insights/research/public/cutting_fat.asp E-government isn't usually the first thing that comes to politician's minds when they're debating what government can do to enhance constituent value, make compliance with government rules and regulations easier, or create a favorable business climate. However, by minimizing the amount of time and effort it takes to comply with government red tape and complete government transactions, e-government can have a positive impact on both business productivity and people's quality of life. This study introduces a new model of Return on Investment (ROI), which we call Citizen Advantage. By measuring the benefits to businesses and citizens - as well as those to government - it provides decision makers with a fuller picture of the costs and benefits associated with IT investments. Resources and Grants TechFoundation http://www.techfoundation.org/ TechFoundation is an innovative charitable organization that is bridging the gap between nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and their technology needs. TechFoundation is dedicated to a world where the resources that today's businesses use to create wealth - Capital, Expertise and Technology - are accessible for NPOs to better serve humanity. TechFoundation has created four programs to help alleviate the Nonprofit Digital Divide: TechMarketplace™: A business-to-nonprofit distribution channel that provides discounted and donated technology to NPOs and those that serve their technology needs; Geeks for America™: A technology fellowship placing recent college graduates in NPOs to provide technology expertise; TechConnect™: Networking and educational seminars that provide expertise for nonprofit IT leaders, senior managers, and funders; TechGrants™: A newsletter and a grant program that provide NPOs with access to capital to help fulfill their technology needs. Technology Glossary Computer Systems Policy Project Glossary http://cspp.org/projects/readiness/glossary.htm One page glossary of key IT terms I S P G L O S S A R Y http://isp.webopedia.com/ Good source for the most up-to-date terms, definitions, and acronyms for and about internet service providers. From this page are a multitude of other links. Team Tech Training/Resource Guide http://www.ncccsf.org/teamtech/training/training.html Team Tech Training/Resource Guide-a primer to introduce basic computer technologies. Toolkits GETTING ONLINE: A Guide to the Internet for Small Town Leaders http://www.smallcommunities.org/ncsc/Pubs/Getting%20Online/getting_online.htm A publication of the National Center for Small Communities http://www.smallcommunities.org/ncsc/ The GETTING ONLINE guide covers the following topics: getting on the Internet, exploring the Web, putting local government online, encouraging public access and use, attracting high-speed telecommunications services, and Web sites of interest. The Community Connector A project of the Community Networking Initiative at the University of Michigan School of Information http://databases.si.umich.edu/cfdocs/community/index.cfm This site provides a wealth of information, including articles, reports, guides, development and assessment tools, Web links, funding sources and other resources to people and organizations that are using technology to improve their local communities. It covers the following topics: how technology impacts communities, connecting with others working in community technology, tools and ideas to help run a community information center, education and research tools, and funding information. Benton Foundation Best Practices Toolkit http://www.pewtrusts.com/pdf/extranet_benchmarks.pdf Benchmarks for Building Extranets and Online Communities, by Jillaine Smith. Whether trying to organize a group of grantees, a set of volunteers or some other collection of constituents, building an online community is not always easy. With support from the Trusts, the Benton Foundation has developed guidelines to help foundations and nonprofits plan, build and sustain online communities. http://www.benton.org/publibrary/practice/ta/commkitpage5.html This toolkit offers guidance to nonprofit organizations wanting to develop effective communication technology strategies. Although it is geared to nonprofits, most of the information is generally useful to any community looking to enhance its capacity in this area. Two of the toolkit components that rural communities exploring their broadband options might find helpful are: Community Building, which provides resources on building online communities http://www.benton.org/publibrary/practice/toolkit/community.html Partnerships, which offers information on how to successfully collaborate with others http://www.benton.org/publibrary/practice/toolkit/partnerships.html The Association for Community Networks (AFCN) http://www.afcn.org/resources/ AFCN is an education nonprofit dedicated to fostering and supporting community networking (community-based creation and provision of technology services). The Resources section of AFCN's Web site offers links to information about and examples of community networks, community networking and development toolkits, books, directories, grants, assessment or "mapping" tools, hardware and software information, training materials, accessibility aids, translators, educational guides, and more. Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs Western Illinois University 518 Stipes Hall • 1 University Circle Macomb, IL 61455 E-mail: iira@wiu.edu • Phone: 309/298-2237 • Toll Free: 800/526-9943 • Fax: 309/298-2142