[WSIS CS-Plenary] About the UN document system, and lessons for information diffusion

[Rik Panganiban]

Thanks everyone for your detailed feedback on the ODS system.  I am in 
touch with some United Nations folks about this, who are also concerned 
about the non-compatibility of the code.  Indeed it would be strange if 
the UN did not comply with internationally-accepted standards.

Rik Panganiban

On Jan 6, 2005, at 5:14 AM, Hervé Le Crosnier wrote:

> Georg C. F. Greve a écrit :
>>  rp> The ODS can be accessed at http://documents.un.org.
>
>> I just tried this and had problems actually getting to the documents,
>> others have reported similar problems with non-IE browsers on Windows
>> and Macintosh. It appears the site is running on Microsoft and is
>> using Microsoft-only functions for Javascript.
>> Could someone else please confirm whether this effect also exists for
>> them or whether this is some odd freak-incident that I have been
>> seeing?
>
>
> 	Hello,
>
> 	I've also try the UN doc system.
>
> 	To me it don't work either...
>
> 	This answer is not a technical one
> 	(though i give technical advice), but rather
> 	a short insight on the way we have to deal
> 	with information in the information society.
>
>
> 	The UN site seems intersting... but what a poor realisation.
> 	Ugly style... and more : it don't work.
>
> 	Why ?
>
> 	Why do they use such a complicated system only to
> 	return back the id of the document we need ?
> 	At the end of this mail is the javascript code they use...
> 	it's not useful, but i think it will work with my Mozilla
> 	on Linux... So the problem is not that one.
>
> 	Where's the problem... that's a good question. Not only
> 	a geek one. What are the criterions such a rich and
> 	powerful body as UN use to assess an information system ?
>
> 	It works on the developer computer, so it have to work
> 	for everyone ?
>
> 	So many times international recognized standards are not in
> 	use... and more, standard of practice and programming skills
> 	are not used by developpers of international and wide-world
> 	information systems.
>
> 	It's a long way to have head of administrative
> 	structures to survey their own systems, and to be sure
> 	they work for anyone (from the visually-impaired to the users
> 	of others systems). They don't have the skills... OK,
> 	that's not their job. But they have to hire good analysts,
> 	to provide system-control check lists, have independant
> 	watchers (never ask the developper to test his own system...).
>
> 	That's really "information society". As we go to give more and
> 	more power to system wide coders, we have to define new
> 	skills and practices for assessing those systems. And that's a
> 	new kind of "governance", and may be of "government".
>
> 	Free software, as it give the ability to learn and share
> 	skills, and the capacity for any nation to develop it's
> 	own computer science economy, are a good tool for this
> 	new conception of responsability of public providers of
> 	information to ensure that any users can get access and
> 	have satisfaction with the systems they propose to the public.
>
> Hervé Le Crosnier
>
> PS : here is the javascript code... the problem is not there, but
> 	merely in the retunr asp programm...
>
> 	My two cents technical advice :
> 	Give away Front page, use any front-end
> 	to the UN database, publish the API to
> 	access the database (or any other data
> 	collected system to use)... and in a minute
> 	tens of programmers will add access to the
> 	UN documents in their own systems !!!
>
> 	Freeing the public national or international
> 	documents is not a question of publishing them,
> 	but of organising the acccess for any "publisher"
> 	(private or cooperative, or even other national
> 	or international bodies) to integrate those documents
> 	in their services.
>
> 	Look at the way commercial systems as Amazon
> 	offer that kind of API, and the massive use
> 	all over very different kind of web prducers.
>
> 	Look at the success of RSS,...
>
> 	Yes building information societies is also a
> 	problem of opening access to digital documents.
> 	And we need to teach those who are in charge of
> 	deciding that it's not a "technical" problem they
> 	have to give to a technical staff, but it's also
> 	a political problem they have to deal with.
>
> 	"Code is Law" as say Larry Lessig.
>
> --------------------------------------
> <script language="javascript">
> function Perform(action_name) {
> 	var form = document.forms[0];
> 	form.lastevent.value=action_name;
> 	form.submit();
> 	return true;
> }
>
> function ViewDoc(index) {
> 	var form = document.forms[0];
> 	form.doc2view.value=index;
> 	form.submit();
> 	return Perform("results.view");
> }
>
> function Perform1(language){
> 	var form = document.forms[0];
> 	form.langchoice.value=language;
> 	form.submit();
> 	return Perform('results.lang');
> }
> </script>
>
>
>
===============================================
RIK PANGANIBAN       Communications Coordinator
Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations 
(CONGO)
web: http://www.ngocongo.org
email: rik.panganiban at ngocongo.org
mobile: (+1) 917-710-5524

** Please note CONGO's new mailing address: CP 50, 1211 Genéve 20, 
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