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Weekly News Digest
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July 7, 2003 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.
CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items.
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National Constitution Center Open
Established by the Constitution Heritage Act of 1988 and officially opened on July 4, 2003, the National Constitution Center is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of and appreciation for the Constitution. With a new facility within Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, and a program of national outreach (funded by a grant from the Annenberg Foundation), the Center tells the story of the U.S. Constitution through more than 100 interactive and multimedia exhibits, photographs, sculptures, texts, films, and artifacts. Visit the Center's Web site at http://www.constitutioncenter.org.The Web site offers a virtual tour of the museum, as well as the "Interactive Constitution," a news wire, and numerous educational resources including lesson plans. A legislative action center also provides information on elected officials, issues, key votes, and a guide to media coverage that lets users search and contact national and local media. CrownPeak Technology's content management system is powering the interactive applications. Pinnacor (formerly ScreamingMedia) is supplying the news syndication feed. Source: National Constitution Center
West Adds ResultsPlus Smart Technology to Westlaw
West, a Thomson Corp. business, announced that its Westlaw service now has ResultsPlus, a "smart research engine" that uses not just terms and connectors or natural language methods, but understands the context and content of what researchers are looking for and applies that understanding to find additional relevant materials. The CaRE technology (Categorization and Routing Engine) was originally developed to assist West's attorney-editors in classifying legal documents to the West Key Number System.For legal professionals, this means search results reflect the context of a broader base of on-point primary and analytical law content. When researchers use Westlaw for case law research, ResultsPlus automatically will display relevant articles from American Law Reports (ALR), guiding researchers to authoritative and definitive analysis of legal issues. ResultsPlus also will suggest key number queries researchers can use to enhance their research accuracy. In the coming months, additional analytical resources, such as federal and state practice series, and topical treatises, will be added to the library of sources ResultsPlus will search. Users will then be able to customize which sources ResultsPlus queries and how they appear on their screen. The company claims that Westlaw is the only research service that enables users to create a customized and personalized research interface. Source: West
GeoData.gov Provides Gateway to Geospatial Resources
The first release of GeoData.gov, a new public gateway to maps, geospatial data, and resources, was launched as part of Geospatial One-Stop, one of the President's E-Government initiatives. GeoData.gov, launched by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of Interior, features "one-stop" access to geospatial information and resources and allows multiple users in different locations to share information, while integrating data from many sources. It also allows easy searches for existing and planned data with a goal of "two clicks to content."Geospatial One-Stop is one of 24 e-government initiatives sponsored by the OMB to enhance government efficiency and to improve citizen services. This portal will make it easier, faster, and less expensive for all levels of government and the public to access geospatial information. The GeoData.gov portal will accelerate the development and implementation of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and includes state, local, and tribal governments, along with the private sector and academia as participants. Geographic information available through the gateway includes map images, map services, geographic datasets, geographic activities, spatial solutions, clearinghouses, and land references. The site promotes collaboration and streamlining across government jurisdictions. Work on a second iteration of the portal with enhanced functionality and alignment with the Federal Enterprise Architecture is already underway. As an integral part of the President's Management Agenda, the e-government initiatives make it easier for citizens and businesses to interact with the government, save taxpayer dollars, and streamline citizen-to-government transactions. For more information on each of the e-government initiatives, visit http://www.egov.gov. Source: Office of Management and Budget
Send correspondence concerning the Weekly News Digest to NewsBreaks Editor
Brandi Scardilli
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