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Informatization
is one of the most vital urban development strategies of Beijing
in its march into the 21st century and an information society. A
key task for the capital in its informatization drive is to drive
industrialization through informatization, propel modernization
through informatization, develop a knowledge-based economy and thus
improve the urban competitiveness as well as the living standard
of the population. "Digital Beijing" as a strategic slogan
and objective in the capital's informatization drive has been widely
accepted by the public, and is being transformed into a massive
social productive force.
Next
are some details on the "Digital Beijing" and "Digital
Olympics" campaigns.
1 "Digital Beijing" and Capital Informatization
In
January 31, 1998, the concept of "Digital Earth" was first
put forward by the United States, which is basically meant to collect
the information scattered in all corners of the earth for the establishment
of a complete information model that is based on the geographical
coordinates of the entire earth. It is a multi-resolution, three-dimensional
digital description of the earth by making use of a universe of
mass space data, encompassing the information on resources, environmental,
economic and social aspects of each and every point. In short, it
is digital, network-based, intelligent and visualized.
In June 10, 1998 in his reception of academicians of two national
academies, Preisident Jiang Zemin drew particular attention to the
concept. He stated that: a few years ago there was the concept of
"Information Superhighway", then there came "Knowledge-based
Economy". Now Vice President Gore of the U.S. is advocating
"Digital Earth". What a dazzling change it is！ Before
long, President Jiang Zemin cautioned: in the world nowadays, scientific
and technological progress marked by the information technology
is taking an accelerated pace. Hi-tech results are expediting their
transformation into the actual productive force. The increasingly
popular concept of knowledge-based economy is heralding a new and
tremendous change in people's economic and social life. All countries
n the world are pressing forward in gearing development strategies
to the new century, while vying with each other in the race to control
the stronghold in science, technology, industry and economy. Against
such a backdrop, we must strive to get ourselves adapted to the
current trend and take advantage of the opportunities before us
for the best.
In 2001, the Beijing municipal government publicized the "Capital
Informatization Development Plan during the 10th Five-Year-Plan",
bringing the construction of the digital Beijing project into a
new stage.
Based
on the urban informatization characteristics and in light of the
six elements in China's national informatization and two clues in
the informatization of principal parts, we have raised the tiered
matrix framework for the capital information work.
￠
Horizontally, five tiers are classified, which include: information
technology, information industry, information networks, application
of information technologies, development and application of information
resources;
￠
Vertically, nine aspects are identified, which include: informatization
organization system, informatization financing and investment environment,
informatization action mechanism, informatization policy, informatization
legislation, informatization standardization system, information
security system, informatization publicity and informatization human
resources.
We
believe that such a framework model serves to reflect the characteristics
and internal links of the urban informatization process.
Our informatization objective in the 10th "Five-Year-Plan"
is as follows: to realize the informatization of the national economy
and social development in its initial shape and set up a basic framework
for the Digital Beijing drive, with the overall informatization
level keeping a lead nationwide and bringing Beijing into the rank
of first-rate international informatized cities.
In
the 10th "Five-Year-Plan" period, our established guidelines
are as follows: in the spirit of the "Suggestions by the CPC
Central Committee on the 10th Five-Year-Plan of the National Economic
and Social Development", according to the strategic arrangement
of the municipal party committee and the municipal government, focusing
on the overall situation and urgent needs in the capital's modernization
drive and based on the application of network systems, with the
development and utilization of information resources at the core
and the soft informatization environment as the guarantee, we are
to forcefully promote the application of the information technology
in all spheres of the national economic and social development,
boost the economic development of the capital and improve people's
living standard so as to contribute to Beijing's efforts at taking
a lead in realizing modernization.
During
the 10th "Five-Year-Plan" period, Beijing will mainly
conduct its work by focusing on eight tasks.
￠
Firstly, continue to propel the urban application of network systems,
make use of all kinds of network resources and visualize a broadband
and high-speed urban network environment.
￠
Secondly, carry out an in-depth development and comprehensive utilization
of various urban information resources.
￠
Thirdly, promote informatization in government affairs to bring
E-government into its initial shape.
￠
Fourthly, promote the informatization of the national economy and
enterprises to initially realize E-commerce.
￠
Fifthly, promote the informatization of social and public services
to improve people's living standard.
￠
Sixthly, enhance research and development of the information technology
and construct an innovative information technology system.
￠
Seventhly, go all out to develop the information industry, maintain
and intensify the status of information industry as the No.1 pillar
industry.
￠
Eighthly, to wrap up the informatization of the High-tech Park in
the Zhongguancun area at a high standard.
In the 10th "Five-Year-Plan" period, Beijing will implement
21 Key Informatization Projects, or the "48216" Project,
which are specifically as follows:
￠
Four information network projects, namely, basic communications
pipeline project, metro broadband network project, capital public
information platform project and dedicated government network project.
￠
Eight application projects, namely, E-government project, E-commerce
project, corporate informatization project, science education information
network project, social guarantee information system project, community
informatization project, market order guarantee project as well
as social and public security guarantee project.
￠
Two information resource development and utilization projects, namely,
space information project and information resource network project.
￠
One regional informatization model project, namely, the informatization
project for the High-tech Park in the Zhongguancun area.
￠
Six information industrial bases, namely, the northern microelectronic
industrial base, Beijing software industrial base, electronic and
communications product base in Jiuxianqiao and Yizhuang areas, computer
and network product base, digital HDTV industrial base and the LCD
technology industrial base.
During
the 10th "Five-Year-Plan" period, we will also strengthen
our efforts at creating a soft informatization environment, which
mainly include nine aspects: strengthening construction of an informatization
organizational system; strengthening construction of an informatization
financing and investment environment; reinforcing the market operation
mechanism; strengthening construction of the policy system; strengthening
construction of the legal system; strengthening construction of
a standardization system; strengthening construction of an information
security guarantee system; strengthening the informatization publicity
and human capacity building work.
2 The 2008 Olympic Games will bring vital opportunities and
challenges for the Digital Beijing drive.
While
making every effort to promote the urban informatization and build
a "Digital Beijing", we must give priority to the implementation
of the "Digital Olympics" plan.
The
concept of "Digital Olympics" refers to building all sorts
of information and communications basic infrastructures and systems
in relation to the Olympic Games, creating a favorable informatization
environment and providing quality information services. By 2008,
we are to basically realize the accessing of affordable, rich, language-friendly
and personalized information services by anybody via any means at
anytime and at any Olympic-related site in a secure, convenient,
fast and highly efficient way. This would serve to ensure an excellent
job of Beijing as the host city and demonstrate to the world China's
informatization level and achievements to a full extent.
"Digital
Olympics" will greatly expedite the implementation of the "Digital
Beijing" project and showcase China's informatization level
and achievements on an extensive basis. The positioning of "Digital
Olympics" is as follows:
-
"Digital Olympics" is a strategic combination of Beijing's
"Olympic Strategy" and "Digital Beijing" drive.
-
"Digital Olympics" is a bright point of the 2008 Olympic
Games, an era mark of the "Tech Olympics", an approach
to fostering the "Human Olympics" as well as a foundation
underpinning the "Green Olympics".
-
"Digital Olympics" is an accelerator of the "Digital
Beijing" project, representing the most practical demand, the
most vital opportunity, the most valuable brand and the most direct
driving force in the high-speed informatization process of the capital
city.
The
Overall Framework of "Digital Olympics" In conformity
with the requirements of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
and considerations for urban development, three parts have been
identified, including specified content, optional content and supporting
environment. The relationship between them is shown in the following
diagram. Contents are contained in a progressive way in three parts.
The
Overall Framework of "Digital Olympics"
The specified content mainly includes three parts, i.e., communications
services, television broadcasting and information systems as required
by the IOC, which are also dubbed as the "Old Three" of
the Games.
The
optional content mainly refers to informatization efforts beyond
what is required by the IOC, including Beijing's commitments in
its Olympic bid report and various value-added information services,
such as those people-focused personalized information services.
The
supporting environment refers to all kinds of urban information
infrastructures and soft informatization environment that are necessary
for a smooth implementation of both specified and optional contents.
In the urban informatization process, it is seen as a part with
very close links to the Olympic Games and thus a key task in the
"Digital Beijing" drive.
3 The "Digital Olympics" Plan
Next
is a brief introduction to the "Digital Olympics" plan
from 14 perspectives.
1．Planning
and building an integrated and visualized Digital Olympic Information
Steering Center
According
to our commitments in the bid report, requirements of "Digital
Olympics" and the trend of centralized development of the information
technology, landmark Olympic information buildings are to be planned
and built to assume multifunctional application for the Games, which
are to include Olympic facilities like the Technical Steering Center,
the Data Resource Center, the Network Management Center and the
Virtual Olympic Museum, etc.
2．Planning
and building basic communications pipelines for overall management
and rational usage
Olympic-related
basic communications pipelines are to be planned and built in a
unified manner, with physical transmission paths being rationally
leveraged and shared communications pipelines laid, for a combined
usage by telecom, broadcasting and computer networks as a whole,
and by the power network where possible.
3．Enhancing
radio management to ensure the supply of frequency resource and
the normal usage of varied radio communications equipment
Radio
frequencies are to be carefully planned for the Games. Efforts must
be made to accelerate the establishment of a radio management technology
system in Beijing, to improve the overall capability of spectrum
management, radio signal monitoring, interference analysis and radio
equipment testing. Meanwhile, purification of the electromagnetic
environment must be brought under comprehensive control to ensure
a reliable running and usage of all radio communications equipment.
4．Building
leading-edge communications facilities and providing quality service
commensurate to the world level
Key
facilities must be well prepared, including the Olympic fiber network,
the Olympic telecom office, mobile communications system, digital
trunking network, submarine cables, satellite communications system,
wireless network, Internet, etc.
5．Realizing
the analog-to-digital conversion of the broadcasting system to provide
digital TV and related value-added services
Steps
must be taken to set up digital cable TV network, digital live satellite
TV system, digital terrestrial TV system and digital broadcasting
system, in a bid to realize the analog-to-digital conversion of
the broadcasting system to provide digital TV and related value-added
services.
6．Developing
all sorts of information systems as required by the Olympic Games
Hardware
and software equipment up to the IOC standard and of world leading-edge
must be offered to fit in with the information systems, timing and
scoring system and result handling system required by the Olympic
Games and the Disabled Olympic Games. Priority must be given to
develop the Olympic Organizing Committee Management System, Games
Management System (GMS), Olympic Games Information Retrieval System
(INFO2008), Games Result Information System, Public Information
Service System, Computer Network and Security System, etc.
7．Building
and improving the E-commerce supporting environment to fully satisfy
business needs of the Games and refine the service standard
E-commerce
services tailed to the Games may include ticketing, travel, souvenir,
shopping, project bidding and procurement to improve the economic
returns out of the Olympiad.
8．Providing
stadium facilities compliant with the Olympic standard and improving
the intelligent level
Importance
must be attached to guarantee full vegetation of stadiums and three-dimensional
designs of buildings, equipment, structures as well as acoustic,
lighting, electrical and heating environments. The intelligence
level of stadium facilities must be improved. For example, intelligence
may be introduced in the management of security system as well as
acoustic, lighting, electrical and heating systems. A comprehensive
stadium surveillance system must be developed to conduct centralized,
visualized and coordinated control of key stadium facilities. According
to usage requirements of various Olympic contest venues, targeted
standards must be prepared to specify the intelligence content of
different stadium facilities, and be applied to guide the bidding
and acceptance of construction and operation projects related to
stadium facilities.
9．Developing
project management information systems to improve the management
level of Olympic projects
Unified
and coordinated project control must be strengthened by making use
of modern information technology and management know-hows. Information
regarding the progress, quality, expense, cost and emergency case
of projects must be collected, understood and handled in real time.
Decision supporting information and monitoring methods must be offered
in a timely manner and implemented into each and every executing
unit.
10．Setting
up a multilingual intelligent network and breaking the "language
bottleneck" of the Games
The
"language bottleneck" must be broken with every effort
by taking advantage of technologies like "Natural Language
Understanding" in the discipline of artificial intelligence
to help Olympic participants communicate with each other, add to
people's mutual understanding and friendship and better reflect
the "human Olympics" tenet.
11．Making
an overall plan to promote the application of smart cards and credit
cards in the Games
The
"2008 Beijing Olympic Card" is a smart tool aimed at offering
safe, reliable, convenient and unified personalized services for
related staff in Games registration, security identification, payment
and entertainment. Backed by specifically developed policies, a
payment network, all sorts of terminals and relevant information
application systems must be set up to cover the entire city and
adapt to international standards and future development needs. A
healthy credit card payment environment must come into shape.
12．Seting
up an Olympic information security system to guarantee the security
of Olympic networks and information and provide information and
technology support for the overall security of the Games
An
Olympic information security system must be established to guarantee
the network and information security of the Games, guard against
cyber crimes such as hacking and ensure the stable operation of
all kinds of information systems. Information and technology support
must be delivered to the overall Olympic security system. Databases
must be developed to give information backing in emergency cases,
anti-terror campaign and public security efforts. Information facilities
for Olympic use must be integrated in their usage to realize the
interconnection and information sharing between all kinds of information
systems and provide real-time and visualized support guarantee for
all sorts of steering and decision-making activities. Efforts must
also be made to provide information technology support for opening
and closing ceremonies.
13．Expediting
the construction of urban information infrastructure to create a
favorable supportive environment for the upcoming Games
The
urban informatization process must be expedited to create a favorable
supportive environment for the Games. In light of the three themes
of the 2008 Olympic Games, priority must be given to urban informatization
infrastructure construction projects of key areas and sectors closely
related to the Olympiad, which mainly cover the general area (e.g.,
E-government and broadband access network projects), the environment
area, the planning and construction area as well as the human and
economic area.
14．Realizing
breakthroughs in key information technologies closely related to
the Games and nurturing a sports information industry of a certain
scale
Brain
and industrial resources must be pooled together to bring breakthroughs
in key information technologies such as high-performance computer
technology, mass data storage and processing technology, highly
efficient information retrieval technology, system integration technology
and information security technology, with due concerns being given
to the study and application of mature and leading key technologies
and the construction of basic projects with respect to key technologies,
so as to guarantee the construction and operation of the Olympic
information system. Efforts must be maid to turn out horde of cutting-edge
digital sports equipment and introduce a certain proportion of them
into the range of IOC-designated products. In addition, initiatives
must be taken to propel the industrialization of large sports information
systems, sports games, digitized sports equipment, digital media
equipment, video phones, wireless terminals, smart cards and related
equipment, digitized training equipment and systems.
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Biography:
Hua
Ping-lan, Professor, Chairman of Beijing Software Industry Association,
Managing Director of China Computer Society, part-time professor
of Beijing Polytechnic University. He was once Director of the Informatization
Office of Beijing Municipal Government, in charge of the planning
of Beijing's Informatization as well as the implementing of the
key information projects, and was once the Chief Engineer of both
Beijing Municipal Electronic Industry Administration and Beijing
Municipal
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