Methodology

Sources of information

13 The investigation phase has been primarily a combination of examining three sources of information:

• Literature, including published and unpublished papers, e-mails and other relevant correspondence;

• associated websites; and

• interviews with Public Service contacts on existing technology-assisted collaboration initiatives. [ A bibliography of key documents, relevant websites and contacts is attached.] [4 It should be noted that with the exception of Standards NZ who offered us a demonstration of their] [technology, the project team has not investigated any other initiatives in the wider State sector.]

14 In addition, several of the Public Service contacts we met with demonstrated products to us that could loosely be categorised as 'shared workspace' technologies. Members of the project team attended a technology demonstration (SPEX) held by Standards New Zealand, [ It should be noted that with the exception of Standards NZ who offered us a demonstration of their] [technology, the project team has not investigated any other initiatives in the wider State sector.] and participated in a group discussion on the application of the technology. A small number of overseas contacts were also made to obtain a broad-based view of how collaborative technologies are utilised in other jurisdictions (supplementing information obtained from other sources).

15 The project team have accumulated a range of additional contacts in the course of our investigation that we have not yet had the time to follow through. This includes information on collaborative project management websites (e.g. Health), security intelligence networks and possibly military applications as well as some private sector initiatives. It is intended to supplement the existing information by further investigation in phase two of the project.

16 A table is provided (Attachment 1) that summarises the range of initiatives we have identified to date. This list does not cover all existing Public Service electronic projects, but provides a sample of the range of activities currently underway.