Ms. Liao Jin-zhi, director of the
Taichung City Government
Department of Planning, is
awarded the 2009 I.T. Month
"Outstanding I.T. Elite Award".

Free courses for the public.

Mayor Jason Hu talks about
public usage of Internet during
the "Surf the Net and Live
Lohas" press conference.

Reducing the Digital Divide: Taichung is tops in the nation

Words and photos by Taichung City Government
Translated by Naomi Lai

After a year's worth of effort, Taichung City finally surpassed Hsinchu and Taipei in overall scores in the 2009 Digital Divide in Taiwan report, taking first place in Taiwan for computer and Internet usage. To achieve this, Taichung uses methods close to daily life to help increase individual Internet competitiveness among its residents.

Information-Powered Economy
A nation's economic power depends on local governments, and a local government's economic power depends on individual citizens. Understanding the importance of information power to economic strength, the Taichung City Government has been doing all it can to reduce the digital divide in the city. Ms. Liao Jin-zhi, director of the Taichung City Department of Planning, was the only government official to receive the 2009 I.T. Month "Outstanding I.T. Elite Award". Her award was in the third category of "promotion, management and application of I.T." (information technology). Liao notes, "Many people come up with creative products, but not methods of marketing." Through digital education, store owners can learn how to market through the Internet, increase sales channels and promote their products nationally. Although you can live just as well without digital devices, you can use them to be competitive. Digital devices can help you enjoy a better life, and that is one of the important goals the Taichung City Government aims to acheive.

In-depth counselling for minority groups
A major focus of the Taichung City Government's efforts to reduce the digital divide is creating environments which encourage public usage of the Internet. Since many low-income families are not able to afford computers, and the city government is currently upgrading its computers, 150 old computers were donated to medium and low-income families. Free computer courses are also being offered to new immigrants, middle-aged or senior citizens, women, Aborigines, and medium and low-income families by the government, to further reduce this divide. To date, around 5,000 participants have enrolled in these courses. The government also plans to introduce courses on avoiding Internet traps and scams, to help the public learn about staying secure online.

Increasing the convenience of using the city government website
The usage rate for the Taichung City Government Website is an important indicator of citizens' digital lives. Director Liao said that if the city government website provided enough information to fulfill public needs, residents would be willing to spend more time on the website. For example, the digital map provided by the city government is one of the most popular functions on the website, attracting 1,195 people per day. Therefore, the government emphasizes speed and accuracy when working on the map. This has resulted in some people considering the government digital map even more accurate than Google Maps.

Three goals for a Digital Taichung
Taichung City is working toward three goals for the future of a Digital Taichung: widespread information, a transparent government, and increased public participation. This year, FarEasTone obtained its WiMax license and Taichung is the first city this service is being promoted in, with 80% signal coverage already available. Once wireless Internet becomes common, people will be able to receive constant information updates via the Internet through even their phones. In the future, this will also help create a more transparent government and increase administrative efficiency. Through the addition of interactive functions on the city government website, people will be able to monitor the government themselves. All this will bring information closer to daily life and boost satisfaction among residents.