Government agencies are upgrading their Web sites to integrate online social networking sites such as Plurk, Facebook and Twitter to enhance communication with the online community and facilitate information distribution.
Officials from the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday unveiled a new information site (epa.gov.tw/edw) that has consolidated environmental information, databases and statistics from central and local government Web sites.
“The information was previously spread across a lot of places, making it hard to find,” said Chu Yu-chi (朱雨其), director-general of the Environmental Monitoring and Information Management unit. “By consolidating and presenting it in a more user-friendly interface, users can learn more easily about their surrounding environment.”
Chu said the information in the Web site was integrated with social networking sites to enable users to easily share the information.
This is on top of a Plurk site set up last month by the Department of Health to gather public opinion and quell concerns about the government’s easing of the ban on imports of US bone-in beef.
However, the site became the target of a series of online protests after reports that user suggestions had been deleted. DOH officials said they were deleted only after the suggestions had been recorded.
Chu said the public forums in the EPA Web site were not subject to censure, and users can feel free to talk about environmental subjects which officials would take note of and record.
Research, Development and Evaluation Commission officials responsible for maintaining gov.tw — the government’s Internet portal — said there was no consolidated approach or funding to upgrading government Web sites; instead, decisions were made by individual agencies.
However, most agencies regularly update their sites to ensure easier access for users, they said.
Chu said other agencies — including the Central Weather Bureau — may soon follow suit.
Last year US-based Brown University ranked Taiwan second in its annual e-government survey, next to the South Korean government. The study praised government Web sites for offering comprehensive online publications and policies and for including foreign language options.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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