On 23 April, the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) announced the launch of a new digital platform ITU iLibrary.
This ITU-OECD
knowledge partnership and the launch of ITU iLibrary digital platform seek to
expand global access to key ICT data and reporting.
The digital platform allows users across the globe to access
key global ICT data and reports from a single platform, so as to support the
expanded sharing of knowledge and the increased development of ICT capacities
worldwide.
The ITU iLibrary
digital platform serves 4 major purposes:
(1)
Streamlined content discovery features
supplemented by advanced search functionality
(2)
Ability to create a personalised profile, which
allows users to save content and read it later
(3)
Access to the 2017 world telecommunication/ICT
indicators database containing almost 200 telecommunications/ICT statistics and
more than 230 economies worldwide
(4)
Inclusion of all ITU publications and indicators
dating back to 1975
"Policy makers, academics, companies and other ICT
stakeholders around the globe will greatly benefit from the new ITU iLibrary
digital platform, as it provides them with access to the widest breadth and
depth of ICT related data and reporting – through a single source," said
ITU Secretary-General Mr Houlin Zhao.
"This new tool is a very valuable resource to those
within the ICT sector whether they are interested in policy, standards, trends
or other key aspects of the sector,” he added.
The ITU iLibrary covers the full range of ICT sector topics,
including: Accessibility, Artificial Intelligence, Climate Change and
e-Waste, Cloud Computing, Consumer Information and Protection, Cybersecurity,
Digital Inclusion, eHealth, Emergency Communications, Human Exposure to
Electromagnetic Fields, ICT Infrastructure and Technologies, Innovation,
Internet of Things, Regulatory and Market Environments, Smart Cities and
Societies, Space Research and Satellite Communication.
Some of the most trusted global ICT sector data sources
available on the ITU iLibrary digital platform include:
(1) Annual Global
Cybersecurity Index (GCI), a multi-stakeholder initiative to measure
the commitment of countries to cybersecurity. Each country’s level of development
is analysed within five categories: Legal
Measures, Technical Measures, Organizational
Measures, Capacity Building and Co-operation.
(2) Yearbook
of Statistics which features data collected and processed by ITU through
questionnaires sent to telecommunication/ICT ministries, telecommunication
regulatory authorities and national statistics offices.
(3) High-Frequency
Broadcasting Schedule is issued at the end of each month with the exception
of June. They contain the combined scheduled notified to the ITU by the
Administrations or other broadcasting organisations for the corresponding
season. Schedules are generally posted two weeks after the end date for
submission.
(4) Annual Measuring
the Information Society Report and accompanying ICT Development Index
(IDI). Since 2009, the ITU annual report features key ICT data and IDI, a
benchmarking tool to measure the information society. The report presents a
quantitative analysis of the information society and highlight new and emerging
trends and measurement issues.
(5) The World
Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database contains more than 180
telecommunication/ICT statistics covering fixed-telephone networks,
mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions, quality of service, Internet
(including fixed- and mobile-broadband subscription data), traffic, staff,
prices, revenue, investment and statistics on ICT access and use by households
and individuals.
The new ITU iLibrary is accessible via www.itu-ilibrary.org.