Information Highway creates the virtual staff-room

Information Highway creates the virtual staff-room More companies focusing on knowledge management Knowledge management has become a key success factor for companies and organisations; Information Highway is Sweden's only company to develop Web services for advanced knowledge management and personalised information using products from Autonomy. The latest project is www.kollegiet.com, which will be a knowledge bank and virtual staff-room for the nation's teachers and head teachers. The KK Foundation (The Foundation for Knowledge and Competence) is investing SEK 90 m over three years in collaboration with the National Agency for Education and the Government's Delegation for IT in Schools to disseminate experience from the Foundation's schools initiative and provide skills development programmes for teachers and head teachers. Together with National Agency for Education, the KK Foundation has appointed Information Highway to create an Internet knowledge bank and virtual staff-room. The database will collate experiences of the KK Foundation's SEK 1.5 bn schools initiative, which began in 1995. More than 500 schools have participated in the initiative via a range of projects. "Together with the KK Foundation, we are creating a teacher portal that serves as an Internet meeting point, an interactive discussion forum and an leading- edge information source," reports Anna-Karin Plantin, Information Highway's Project Manager and knowledge management specialist. Personalised information The software (Autonomy) utilises sophisticated pattern recognition technology, which enables computers to identify contexts in information and determine what is most significant. Autonomy automatically creates precise profiles for each user, matching them with the information required. This means that people with similar interest are able to meet and that hidden knowledge can be transformed into useful information. Information Highway is Sweden's only player to develop Web solutions using this software. LocusMedicus.net LocusMedicus.net- a medical Internet portal- is another high-profile project. With the aid of intelligent agents, virtually all the world's scientific medical publications are monitored on an ongoing basis, presenting the most relevant articles to members on the basis of an automatically updated personal profile. Unique tourist service Information Highway is developing a unique Internet-based tourist information service on assignment from the Swedish Travel and Tourism Council. All tourist information available on the Internet is automatically collated and packaged on the basis of each visitor's unique interests and requirements. "What's unique about this service is that the Travel and Tourism Council will be able to provide personalised information, while no time is wasted on updating the site- the software does that automatically," said Fredric Landqvist, Information Highway's Project Manager. The new service, which will be available at www.visit-sweden.com later this autumn, is a step in the Travel and Tourism Council's initiatives aimed at improving service to visitors to Sweden. Next year, WAP technology will also make it possible to subscribe for Swedish tourist information directly to mobile phones. This implies that, for example, a person on a driving holiday in Sweden will be able to locate, say, good fishing spots at the next motorway exit, or find accommodation nearby. (See attached graphic at www.infohwy.se/press/bildarkiv.) Visitor behaviour creates new products Information Highway has also been assigned to develop an internal project on behalf of the Travel and Tourism Council regarding the collation of information on tourist preferences by monitoring what kind of information is sought at visit-sweden.com. The idea is to create tourist packages corresponding to what tourists really want. At present, package tours are "the thing" in the tourist industry, and there is a desire to satisfy demand with attractive offers. Knowledge management- a competitive factor Information volumes in our society have avalanched; it is becoming increasingly difficult for individuals to gain an overview and make the right selection. At one time or another, most individuals have experienced stress from the possibility that they have missed a salient point. The knowledge management service Information Highway provides can also be implemented on intranets, and assists companies in handling and integrating external and internal information. Each individual is able to tailor make his or her personal profile, and need not spend valuable working hours searching for information. This is also apparent from the growing demand for Web services for leading- edge information processing and customised monitoring of the surrounding world. Information Highway has recently won three new assignments, and more are in the pipeline. Applications range from public services and portals to intranets and virtual sector forums. Autonomy- some facts Autonomy creates a personalised information profile for individual users. The system delivers relevant information as well as suggestions for related information. All new information is monitored in real time, with the user being informed when new and relevant information is created, which occurs via e-post, fax, pager, Web browser or any selected push method. Information Highway is an Autonomy Value Added Reseller and so far, is the only company in Sweden to date to have developed a service with the software. For further information, please contact: Anna-Karin Plantin, Information Highway's Project Manager and knowledge management specialist, tel: + 46 (0)708 77 5933 Ulf Karnell, VP, Corp. Comm., Information Highway, tel: + 46 (0)60 17 65 11 or + 46 (0)70 514 17 39. Information Highway assists companies to exploit the business opportunities presented by the new network economy. We consolidate our clients' competitiveness, making them successful in the digital arena by providing Internet-based solutions characterised by business expertise, creativity and specialist technology skills. Information Highway was founded in 1994 and currently employs over 330 people in its Business, Interactive and Technology Consulting business areas in nine locations in Sweden, as well as in Norway, Denmark and the UK. The company is quoted on the Stockholm Stock Exchange's O-list. Göran Wågström is the group CEO. Information Highway has a client base of about 200 businesses, and provides solutions for ABB, Ericsson, Telia, ATG, Fondex, SAS, Stadium, SMHI and Locus Medicus. [More information available at http://www.infohwy.se] ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/11/17/19991117BIT00120/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/11/17/19991117BIT00120/bit0002.pdf