Government Technology

GT Spectrum


December 8, 2005 By ,

Virtual Archaeology

Using satellite images from Google Maps and Google Earth, an Italian computer programmer stumbled upon the remains of an ancient Roman villa. The man was studying maps of the region around his town of Sorbolo, Italy, near Parma, when he noticed an oval, shaded form more than 500 meters long. It was the meander of an ancient river.

He said unusual rectangular shadows nearby caught his eye, and he analyzed the image further, concluding that the lines must represent a buried structure of human origin. Eventually he traced out what looked like the inner courtyards of a villa.

The man contacted archaeologists, including experts at the National Archaeological Museum of Parma, who confirmed the find. At first it was thought to be a Bronze Age village, but an inspection of the site turned up ceramic pieces indicating it was a villa built during the Roman Empire. -- Nature.com

To Surf, or Not to Surf

In its decade-long presence in India, Internet usage has evolved more in "depth" than in "spread" -- its impact and growth is being driven through increased usage by existing users rather than assimilation of newer ones, according to a study by JuxtConsult, which also found that:

  • 80 percent of urban Net users have been wired for more than three years.

  • Only 8 percent joined the bandwagon less than one year ago.

  • Around 17.5 million urban Indians are using the Internet with certain consistency.

  • Another 5.2 million use the Internet sparingly.

  • The upper limit of urban Internet users is currently around 23 million.

  • Penetration of Internet among urban Indians is around 9 percent.

  • Assuming marginal usage in rural areas, the national penetration level stands at a potential 2 percent.

    Bolder Behavior

    End-users in enterprise environments around the world are more likely to engage in riskier online behavior at work than home, according to Trend Micro. Of those who responded to the company's survey, 39 percent believed IT could prevent them from falling victim to threats like spyware and phishing, which prompted many of them to admit bolder online behavior. Of those admitting to engaging in such behavior, 63 percent acknowledge they are more comfortable clicking on suspicious links or visiting suspicious Web sites because IT has installed security software on their computers.

    Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot

    Caf


    • You may use or reference this story with attribution and a link to
    http://www.govtech.com/magazines/gt/100494369.html


    | More

    Comments

    Add Your Comment

    You are solely responsible for the content of your comments. We reserve the right to remove comments that are considered profane, vulgar, obscene, factually inaccurate, off-topic, or considered a personal attack.

    GovTech Papers and Case Studies View Library


    Government Best Practices


    Collaboration for the Public Sector


    Collaborative Justice: Transforming Criminal Justice Services Through Unified Collaboration
    This issue brief examines video collaboration in every stage of the human justice process, demonstrating how this technology can not only make services more efficient, affordable, and accessible.

    Cloud-Based Services Accelerate Public Sector Adoption of Video Collaboration
    Today, thanks to new cloud technologies and high-quality networks, mobile video services - which provide not only cost savings but which help governmental interactions become more efficient - are more feasible than ever before.

    Modernization as a Service: Acquiring IT through Innovative Procurement

    Five Ways Collaboration is Driving Government Performance

    Mobile Video Collaboration: The New Business Reality
     

    Government Technology
    Public CIO
    Emergency Management
    Digital Communities