ASEAN Cooperation in Telecommunications
and IT
THE 12th ASEAN Summit scheduled in
Cebu has been postponed to January 2007. It would be
most interesting to find out during this event about
latest developments on cooperation in telecommu-nications
and IT, which is one of ASEAN’s priority integration
sectors. Let me take this opportunity to highlight some
background information.
Last 13 July 2001, the Ministerial
Understanding on ASEAN Cooperation in Telecommunications
and Information Technology was signed in Kuala Lumpur.
Its objectives are to: 1) develop the ASEAN telecommunications
and IT sector as a catalyst to foster closer regional
economic integration; 2) enhance the overall competitiveness
of the ASEAN region through a vibrant telecommunications
and IT industry; and 3) develop the ASEAN Informa-tion
Society, where its citizens are able to work, communicate
and recreate in the knowledge-based economy.
Areas of cooperation in ASEAN telecommunications and
IT which shall entail partnership in policy development
and in program imple-mentation are identified as follows:
a) Cooperation in the establishment
of the ASEAN Information Infrastructure and in further
advancement of the e-ASEAN initiative;
b) Facilitation of intra-ASEAN trade and investment
in telecommu-nications and IT sector;
c) Coordination and harmonization of telecommunications
and IT policies and programs;
d.) Promotion and development of indigenous ASEAN telecommunications
and IT content;
e) Promotion of private sector participation and enhancing
public-private sector collaboration in regional telecommunications
and IT cooperation programs and activities;
f) Exchange of information and experience;
g) Strengthening cooperation and joint approaches in
addressing international and regional telecommunications
and IT issues in areas of common interest;
h) Bridging Digital Divide within ASEAN by encouraging
capacity building and human resource development and
enhancing access to and use of telecommunications and
IT; and
i) All other areas as may be deemed necessary.
As a follow-up to this, the Fifth ASEAN
Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers
Meeting (TELMIN) held in Vietnam last 26 September 2005
identified a list of actions aimed at promoting online
services and applications to realize e-ASEAN, namely:
1. Enabling policy and regulatory environment
for online services and applications.
a) To develop and promote a harmonized
legal infrastructure for online services, particularly
electronic contracting and alternative dispute resolution;
b) To adopt the convergence principles and implement
the action agenda;
c) To develop and update an ASEAN ICT Policy and Regulatory
Database;
d) To develop regulatory models and guidelines for online
applications and services, relevant to actual circumstances
of ASEAN Member Countries;
e) To formulate and adopt regulatory best practices
in the development, transition and migration to Next
Generation Networks
f) To promote awareness and understanding of ICT legal
and regulatory frameworks among law enforcement officers
and other stakeholders;
g) To promote fair and transparent ICT competition policy
and regulation in ASEAN Member Countries.
2. Interconnectivity and interoperability
a) To formulate an action plan to facilitate
affordable broadband access and connectivity, particularly
in rural and remote communities;
b) To enhance the National Information Infrastructure
(NII) database to promote the ASEAN Information Infrastructure
(AII);
c) To facilitate adoption of Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID) technologies and applications;
d) To establish ASEAN network of ÒCommunity Access
CentersÓ or ÒTelecentersÓ etc for
the purpose of sharing information and developing best
practices;
e) To adopt common principles on spectrum management
to promote wireless broadband access.
3. Digital content and online services
a) To develop guidelines on e-Government
for local and provincial governments;
b) To encourage local and provincial governments to
share and exchange experiences in providing online services
to the public;
c) To encourage cross-border electronic transactions
within ASEAN;
d) To develop digital local content and share content
resources, particularly those that are relevant to rural
communities;
e) To enhance positive use of the Internet, initially
by developing common ASEAN guidelines.
4. Network security
a) To strengthen cooperation in cyber
security through activities such as conducting regional
coordination drills to test out capabilities of national
Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) in ASEAN;
b) To adopt and progress the implementation of the ASEAN
Framework for Cooperation on Network Security to address
threats and abuse such as spam;
c) To encourage and develop a framework for the recognition
of electronic signatures in ASEAN;
d) To identify Public Key Infrastructure best practices
in ASEAN.
5. Capacity building
a) To establish an ASEAN network of
Government CIOs (Chief Information Officers);
b) To provide basic knowledge of ICT to the youth, especially
those living in rural areas by launching ÒVolunteer
Youth TeamsÓ;
c) To expand ICT training programs targeting all sectors
of the society, particularly the underprivileged and
marginalized;
d) To expand the opportunities in ICT available to youth,
in particular, providing skills training and education
and promoting entrepreneurship;
e) To encourage networking among ASEAN universities
to promote e-learning;
f) To establish an ASEAN e-Government Forum.
Leo V. Morada has more than 20 years
of professional IT management experience in the Philippine
ports industry. He can be contacted at email address
lmorada3f1@yahoo.com.
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A Second Look at OCR
LOOKING back at the various ICT development
in the Philippine ports and cargo transport industry
in the past 11 months, I have again realized that in
this contemporary age of electronic commerce, broadband
internet, 3G mobile phones, WIFI, VOIP and gamma ray-based
cargo inspection systems, the stark reality of hard
copy document exchanges and manual data encoding in
many business process and transactions remains pervasive.
Even the Bureau of Customs which initiated
electronic manifest submission more than 10 years ago
still requires the submission of something like three
or four hard copies of the inward foreign manifest.
As some sort of a reality check, I
am focusing today’s column on optical character
recognition (OCR) technology which I believe should
be looked at again insofar as the benefits it provides
in terms of automated data capture and elimination of
data encoding errors.
OCR is defined as the translation of
optically-scanned digital images of text characters
into computer character codes (such as ASCII). This
is a common and efficient way to turn printed hard-copy
materials into data files that can be edited and otherwise
manipulated on a computer. OCR can also be used with
varying degrees of success and reliability on digital
images of text in the real world -- such as license
plates and cargo container identifications.
I found a very informative article
about OCR in a recent issue of Today Magazine which
is a publication of The Association for Work Process
Improvement (TAWPI), a US-based membership association
dedicated to helping end users in mail processing, remittance
processing, document processing and forms processing
(www.tawpi.org). I want to share with our readers the
key highlights of this article.
The efficiency of standard OCR-based
software is said to have increased dramatically in recent
years. With the help of template design, an organization
can now readily automate the extraction of data from
static locations on structured documents. Standard OCR
solutions use a template-based process, where users
define the type of data to be extracted based on their
location on the form. Other elements on the form, such
as company logos, field descriptions (e.g., ‘Street
Address’) and lines are excluded from processing.
This is a solid method of collecting the data you need
from consistent forms.
Most often than not, an organization’s
crucial data is received on unstructured or semi-structured
documents – such as invoices and statements of
accounts. The data you need often appears in a different
location on these documents, from one vendor or supplier
to the next. Technology now exists that streamlines
this process for these unstructured and semi-structured
documents. To save time, money and frustration, an organization
should select a solution that offers better automation
flexibility for all document types.
Today Magazine enumerates seven characteristics
to consider when selecting a solution for unstructured
and semi-structured documents.
Intelligent Data Collection
Look for a solution that uses logic, keywords and business
rules to locate the correct data, no matter where it
may be found within the document’s page(s). Look
for helpful tools like a user-friendly wizard to guide
you through the setup process.
Single or Multiple Page Processing
Many unstructured documents, such as invoices, contain
more than one page, so a solution that can handle multiple
page documents is essential. A complete solution treats
this as one logical document throughout the entire process
– from scan to data capture to storage.
Detail Line Processing
You also need a solution that can extract line-item
detail data (e.g., unit price, quantity ordered/shipped,
terms, part number, etc). Don’t limit yourself
to software that captures only general document information.
Business Rule Compliance
Let the software work for you! You should be able to
define precisely which data to capture, based on your
specific business rules. The purchase order number,
for example, might be a 12-character, alpha-numeric
field that always begins with the numbers ‘216.’
Your solution should be able to locate data based on
those parameters. Taken further, the software should
be able to cross check against your existing databases
to ensure the information is accurate, valid and complete.
Remote Scanning
and Correction Capabilities
Many organizations have offices scattered across the
country or around the world. An Internet-based software
solution that can remotely scan documents and/or validate
data for distribution to a central office can reduce
labor costs, eliminate shipping costs and greatly improve
processing time.
All-in-One Solution
Structured and unstructured forms are two sides of the
same coin. No business receives one form type and not
the other, so look for a single software solution that
can automate both.
Growth and Longevity
Finally, look for adaptability. The solution should
be able to grow along with the volume and application
needs of your company. And it should keep up with emerging
technology for years to come. A solution that meets
all of these criteria will simplify the automation of
data capture from your document types — structured,
semi-structured or unstructured. In turn, you’ll
enjoy lower costs and more accurate data, and you’ll
be positioned to accommodate future business needs.
Leo V. Morada has more than 20 years
of professional IT management experience in the Philippine
ports industry. He can be contacted at email address
lmorada3f1@yahoo.com.
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