ICTlogy

Abstract:

This research of Orbicom entitled Monitoring the Digital Divide… and beyond is a contribution to the international community in the context of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Geneva, December 2003. It sets high standards in international benchmarking and places particular emphasis on developing countries. Its unique features are:

- a cohesive conceptual Framework, which goes beyond connectivity measures and logically incorporates skills, as well as offers rich analytical linkages

- explicit measurements both across countries at a given point in time and within countries over-time in such a way that comparisons are not reduced to changing rankings from year to year

- policy relevant results on a component-by-component basis

- immediate benchmarking against the average of all countries (Hypothetica) and the planet as a whole (Planetia)

- use of existing and reliable data sets with a sound and transparent statistical methodology

The empirical application of the model covers a great number of countries. Measurements of networks are offered for 192 countries, covering 99% of the population of the planet; of skills and overall Infodensity for 153 countries representing 98% of the population; of Info-use 143 countries and overall Infostate 139 countries, both accounting for 95% of the global population. The results are based on 21 variables, reliable, tested and available to all and extends over the 1996-2001 period.