Memorandum by eCity Technologies Limited
(eCT)
The following is a summary document outlining
the efforts of eCity Technologies to establish a first complete
electronic environment in the City of Londonderry in Northern
Ireland and in so doing evolve a model of best practice for other
cities, towns and regions to follow.
Most recently the "eCity Project"
has been selected by the "Digital Economy Project" through
ERNACT to deliver their foresight study vision to the region of
the North West of Ireland. It is hoped that this can be a model
for the other eight ERNACT regions of Europe to follow.
eCT Mission Statement
eCT intends to become a market leader in delivering
complete electronic environments to towns, cities and regions.
While eCT will market eCityPlanTM initially to cities and towns
in the global community, it will also target large and medium-sized
corporations requiring specialist e-business solutions. eCT will
take full advantage of the unique opportunities presented by electronic
commerce, and increase market share in the larger arena of Information
and Communications Technology.
eCT will use proprietary technology together
with the support, applications, technology and expertise of its
Strategic Partner companies, who are world leaders in their fields.
eCityPlanTM will include a set of integrated products and services
supplied by many renowned high tech companies, but tailored to
fit the requirements of business, government and municipal authorities.
THE COMPANY
Headquartered in Londonderry, Northern Ireland,
eCity Technologies Limited ("eCT") was founded in May
1998 by Brian Doherty, Dr Bernard Toal and Elaine Doherty, to
meet the growing demand for new e-infrastructure design and innovative
electronic services and applications for today's e-environment.
eCT engages in the research and development of specialist e-business
software, e-based solutions, application services and infrastructure
design.
eCT is not a dot.com company but one that engages
in electronic infrastructure design whilst researching and developing
e-business software applications to provide high quality content
for delivery over high speed broadband e-infrastructure.
Collectively the founders have over 40 years
experience in Information Technology, Business Management, Organisational
Development and e-Commerce.
THE PRODUCT—"ECITYPLANTM"
To meet the pressing needs of cities, towns
and local businesses to transition from traditional economic platforms
to e-business environments, eCT has developed an interactive Multiple-Application
Modular Software Programme, eCityPlanTM. Providing a complete
solution for the implementation of an e-infrastructure as the
base for a new ebusiness environment in any location, eCityPlanTM
consists of a structured methodology, and interactive multi-level
software applications, to enable any municipal authority, business
or public institution to deploy ebusiness technology and fully
implement an electronic environment.
eCityPlanTM enables any town, city or region
to successfully deploy e-based solutions to transform traditional
economic and social structures at all levels of community life
to an e-based environment. eCityPlanTM provides clients with a
content-rich, user-friendly electronic environment and multiple
applications for the benefit of local citizens and businesses
of any given community.
eCityPlanTM will lead the way for adoption of
ebusiness technology globally in the 21st century. eCityPlanTM
will become the reference model of best practice for others to
follow by establishing the seamless integration of both the virtual
and physical city such that they appear as but one.
ECT—STRATEGIC
OBJECTIVES
eCT aims at becoming a market leader in the
delivery of Turn-Key E-Infrastructure Design Solutions to towns,
cities and regions wishing to create electronic environments.
eCityPlanTM will be marketed to towns and cities worldwide, and
will also target small and medium-sized corporations requiring
specialiste-business solutions. eCT will exploit the unique opportunities
presented by electronic commerce, and increase market share in
the larger arena of Information and Communications Technology.
Unlike most other e-business service providers,
eCT will use proprietary technology, combined with the support,
applications, technology and expertise of Strategic Technology
Partners, who are industry leaders in their fields. eCityPlanTM
will include a set of integrated products and services tailored
to fit the requirements of local business, government and municipal
authorities.
MARKET
As time passes ever more quickly in today's
high tech world, many businesses will lose competitive edge or
fail completely because they have failed or been slow to adopt
e-business technology. City authorities are therefore increasingly
seeking to encourage their local business communities to adopt
e-business Wh
solutions, in order to remain competitive and increase
prosperity.
The profile of any city can be enhanced significantly
depending upon the success of those enterprises located there.
Presenting cities and towns with the ability to deliver a fast
track approach to an electronic environment and generate revenues
and profit in the process will encourage cities around the world
to adopt the eCity approach.
The key target markets for the eCityPlanTM are
municipal authorities, communities, local businesses, public service
organisations and households.
The Case for Developing an Electronic Environment
In today's electronic age being "online"
is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. The desire to do anything,
anytime, anywhere, is driving technological change. More and more
communities are seeking to improve the image and quality of life
in such a way as to encourage inward investment and increase the
prosperity of their citizens.
Many municipal authorities are seeking to grow
their town or city by attracting high tech investment. They do
this in many ways but more often by presenting the image of a
progressive city with a well-planned economic development strategy.
Furthermore they encourage take-up of e-business solutions amongst
local enterprises. However, the influence for change is primarily
external, since nearly all change is governed by developments
taking place elsewhere in the world. This is due to the fact that
electronic business solution providers are developing products
for specific markets, often with little regard as to how these
solutions will integrate with or complement other solutions.
As time passes ever more quickly in today's
high tech world, many businesses will be left behind because they
have failed or been slow to adopt e-business technology. City
authorities are therefore increasingly seeking to encourage their
local business communities to adopt e-business solutions, in order
to remain competitive and increase prosperity. The profile of
any city can be enhanced significantly depending upon the success
of those enterprises located there.
Many factors contribute to economic prosperity.
In creating a critical mass of high technology companies, cities
will always highlight local education standards, the availability
of a well-educated and highly skilled available workforce, and
the standard of Information and Communications Technology infrastructure
as key factors in attracting inward investment.
It is no doubt the dream of every city and town
to have all of the above in abundance. However, cities have little
or no control over the manner in which local enterprises, public
institutions, and indeed citizens, increase their involvement
with electronic commerce. This is by and large controlled by the
sales and marketing efforts of private enterprises delivering
essentially similar products and services in a variety of ways.
To date no outside product or service exists
to enable municipal authorities to influence or indeed control
the degree to which all entities within a city or town environment
participate in e-business. With this specific market niche in
mind, eCT has developed eCityPlanTM as a fast track solution for
cities and towns to create a complete electronic environment in
their own communities.
Encouraging the municipal authorities of cities
and towns throughout Europe to adopt the eCity approach can be
made much easier by demonstrating the fact that not only will
such a project implementation dramatically improve the profile
and prosperity of the urban environment but also inject substantial
funds into the municipal authority's coffers.
With the development of a broadband private
city network, most business enterprises, educational institutions,
Government Departments and other organisations, private and community
based, will seek to locate their web presence within the broadband
structure. Since the city network will provide much faster online
access than the Internet and contain quality local content, citizens
will be more likely to adopt it as the online gateway of choice.
The network will be owned and controlled by
the city authorities and operated with the single purpose of increasing
prosperity within the city. The ability to offer local businesses
a fast route to local consumers will encourage rapid take-up of
the concept. The populace will always seek to source goods and
services locally first and only extend the search for items to
the WWW after having attempted to source them from their own community.
In providing local enterprises with an on-line virtual business
park and shopping mall the municipal authority helps to retain
wealth and offer its citizens a direct route to facilities such
as price optimisation and quality service. Local enterprises in
turn enjoy repeat business and customer loyalty.
eCityPlanTM can demonstrate to a city or town
how they can not only fast track to an electronic community but
make significant profit in so doing.
A European Network of eCities
The establishment of a European network of eCities
linked by high speed fibre optics and satellite technology can
provide enormous benefits both economically and culturally.
Experiences can be shared together with knowledge
and expertise.
The novel appeal and concept of a global satellite
network of high tech towns should serve to encourage cities across
Europe to become the first eCity in their respective countries.
As each new eCity is established the first in each country becomes
the hub that is uplinked to the global satellite eCity network.
19 June 2000
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