Latest News
BRACKNELL FOREST ANNOUNCED AS FINALIST IN NATIONAL AWARDS - 09 Nov 2009
Bracknell Forest Council have been announced as one of the finalists in this year’s e-Government National Awards. The highly sought-after awards recognise excellence across eleven categories, highlighting the UK’s top public sector innovators in the use of technology, enabling businesses and citizens to better communicate with councils, central government, NHS and other public sector organisations.
Bracknell Forest is one of 6 finalists in Category 8: Local e-Government excellence: Take-up & usage growth; ensuring high & growing take-up of an e-enabled service through effective service delivery & marketing. Their entry, entitled "Leading the smart card revolution in Local Authorities" described how local authorities all over the UK have benefited by licencing the SmartConnect Card Management System and other related services through Bracknell Forest Council.
A judging panel including experts from both the public and private sectors selected 72 finalists from hundreds of nominations. The winners will be announced at an award ceremony and Ministerial dinner on 20 January 2010, chaired by UK Government CIO John Suffolk. This event will be held at the magnificent City of London's Guildhall.
Finalists will be judged on their e-Government and technology-driven service delivery and how far their innovation has positively transformed the lives of citizens, local communities, businesses and stakeholders.
To read Bracknell Forest's entry in full, click here.
Related websites:
e-Government National Awards website
Bracknell Forest Council Smartcard website
SMARTCITIZEN LTD SELECTED AS TECHNICAL BUSINESS PARTNERS ON INNOVATIVE BARKING & DAGENHAM YOUTH CARD SCHEME - 09 Nov 2009
SmartCitizen have been selected to assist the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham as they implement their innovative Streetbase Connect Youth Card scheme.
The card, being launched by Barking and Dagenham Council and NHS Barking and Dagenham, will give users access to health, leisure, youth and library services across the area and will also be used to access school meals.
The London Borough have been able to save themselves a costly procurement exercise by availing themselves of Bracknell Forest Council's new SmartConnect software support contract which allowed them to contract for implementing the SmartConnect Card Management System as well as technical support and consultancy from suppliers SmartCitizen Ltd.
Related websites:
Barking & Dagenham Council website
Barking & Dagenham press release
SMARTCITIZEN DEVELOP LOCAL AUTHORITY DESFIRE SPECIFICATION - 02 Jul 2009
News Item taken from the Smart Card Networking Forum's "From the Chair" Blog
Local Authorities issuing smartcards for transport (eg concessionary fares) are seeking guidance on which type of card to use and how to encode for multiple applications when they can no longer issue Mifare cards (ie after 31st Dec 2009).
Several SCNF Members and Sponsors support the Local Authority Smartcard Standards e-Organisation which is responsible for and maintains the specifications for encoding Local Authority smartcards. The current Mifare 4K specification is published on the SCNF website www.scnf.org.uk/nscp.html and has been adopted by the majority of concessionary fares schemes in England and many of the multi-application resident cards.
As concessionary schemes stop issuing Mifare cards, as required by ITSO, LASSeO is preparing an equivalent specification for the alternative DESfire card type. The specification is being prepared by SmartCitizen and sponsored by Bracknell Forest Council. This specification is undergoing final review before being published for use by Local Authorities and their suppliers.
The SCNF Core Group has set up a working group to plan how to disseminate guidance to Local Authority members and other smartcard issuers. The new LASSeO DESfire specification will be published on our website and a meeting is being planned for September to discuss the implications and opportunities for Local Authority schemes.
You can view the SCNF "From the Chair" Blog by following this link:
http://scnfchairman.blogspot.com/2009/06/lasseo-desfire-specification.html
Related websites:
Smart Card Networking Forum website
HILLINGDON LONDON BOROUGH LAUNCH MULTI-APPLICATION SMARTCARD SCHEME - 16 Jun 2009
SmartCitizen are delighted to announce the launch of a new smartcard card scheme in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The Hillingdon First card is a residents' privilege card offering local residents access to services at discounted rates. SmartCitizen Ltd have implemented the SmartConnect Card Management System for Hillingdon, who were able to save themselves a costly CMS procurement exercise by availing themselves of Bracknell Forest Council's new SmartConnect software support contract.
150,000 smartcards will be issued to Hillingdon residents to be used for library membership and to obtain preferential rates when parking in the borough. SmartCitizen Ltd were one of a number of companies partnering with Hillingdon to deliver the project, and in addition to supplying the Card Management System, assisted with many other aspects of the scheme design including technical advice, integration with 3rd party systems, smartcard security key management and testing, hotlists and action lists, and supply of card readers and smartcard reading software to the borough's libraries.
Cllr Douglas Mills, Cabinet Member for Improvement, said: “The council has introduced the HillingdonFirst card as part of our commitment to putting residents at the heart of everything we do. I hope the residents of Hillingdon will make use of their HillingdonFirst card to get the full privileges that are being offered by the council and local businesses.”
Pictured from left to right: Michael Catchick of Metric Parking, Kevin Farquaharson of SmarTran, Darryl Wallace of Hillingdon London Borough, Owen McLaughlin of SmartCitizen, Laurence Faulkner of Burall InfoSmart
For further information, contact:
Darryl Wallace, Hillingdon First Project Manager on 01895 277906 or email dwallace@hillingdon.gov.uk
Related websites:
London Borough of Hillingdon website
SMARTCITIZEN MOVE TO NEW PREMISES - 17 Mar 2009
SmartCitizen have completed a move to new premises at Green Court, Truro Business Park, Cornwall. Technical director Simon Bennetts said 'Our new premises are far more suited to the needs of our quickly expanding company which had outgrown our original site'.
The vast majority of the move was conducted out of hours so that customers would not be inconvenienced by any system down-time whilst equipment was relocated.
For further information, contact:
Simon Bennetts, Technical Director on 01872 250161 or email simon.bennetts@smartcitizen.net