|
Information kiosks allowing the general public to access a range of Irish government and local authority services have been launched.
Irish company ICE Tech has developed the kiosks, the first of which are being used by the Meath County Council, to allow public access to resources like the citizens information database, Revenue On-line Services and the FAS job bank.
"We are now providing what people have been talking about for years -- easy access to valuable government information via a user friendly public services information kiosk," said Ivan O'Connor, managing director of ICE Tech.
The touch-screen kiosks will let users search for information for free, although there will be a nominal charge, as yet undecided, for printing.
O'Connor said ICE Tech had invested heavily in developing the specialised kiosks. He said they were particularly suitable for people wanting to check on planning applications allowing them to see and print out plans.
O'Connor also said that ICE Tech's software has an inbuilt copyright protection facility which would prevent users from printing out copyrighted material such as maps.
The establishment of public access points to the Internet for people without access to a PC is an integral part of the state's e-government strategy and the company is looking to secure deals with all Irish county councils and corporations for the custom-made kiosks. According to O'Connor, the company was expecting good uptake of the kiosks among local authorities.
ICE Tech was founded 1998 and raised IEP200,000 last year in funding under the Business Expansion Scheme. The company's client list includes ITG Payphones, Dunnes Stores, Tesco, Superquinn, Galway University Hospital and also Tallaght, Beaumont and St James Hospitals, Meath County Council, Newgrange Visitors Centre and EP Mooney.
The company has developed its own proprietary software and is selling it internationally with its main clients in the UK, according to O'Connor. ICE Tech's other products include information kiosks, pay per use Internet terminals, Web phones and multimedia display kiosks.
ICE Tech is at http://www.icetech.ie
|