The Winning Proposal
An Extract from the First Round Submission

The community proposed under this bid includes 13 of the 26 inhabited islands in the Argyll Islands archipelago. The islands selected are the North Argyll Islands and all look to Oban as their main service centre. Included in this group are, Mull (1,166 households VPS), Iona (51), Ulva and Gometra (12), Coll (72), Tiree (324), Lismore (72), Kerrera (16), Colonsay and Oronsay (55), Easdale (20), Luing (98), Seil (259). The total number of households included in the chosen community is 2,145, with a population of 4,290. The islands are rich in bio-diversity, culture, history, archeology, renewable energy opportunities, and landscape, but suffer from many issues of deprivation and disadvantage both caused and accentuated by their geographical isolation.

Each household in our selected community will have access to a multimedia PC complete with microphone, sound card, and web cam. We will deliver a vast range of new value added services to all island residents via a comprehensive community portal. As well as the standard information services normally associated with government portals, the site will host a number of services not readily available to our community. On-line shopping provision (with guaranteed island deliveries), local trading, local news and events, electronic Council services (Council Tax payments, leisure facility booking), local transport issues, information about central government and health issues, and on-line distance learning packs (for adults and children) will all be available from within the portal. The site will be customisable with a full range of options available for each registered user. 

In addition, the portal will act as a gateway to a communications server, based on Microsoft Conferencing Server, where each user has the opportunity to chat, collaborate, and conference with any other member of the registered community. This will encourage social communications and self-help, on-line learning and self-development and will provide monitoring information to help in assessing the project’s success. 

By logging on to the community portal, users will access the conferencing and collaboration central server (managed initially by Argyll and Bute Council’s IT department). A central directory of users and service providers will highlight those who are currently online allowing instant decisions to be made on who to contact for advice on any topic (offline booking of calls will also be available). Bulletin boards and specialist discussion groups will concentrate on issues that matter most to the local community. 

In addition to the traditional chat technologies, the web cam allows direct video conferencing (VC) between all users. Service providers will be encouraged to play an active role in delivering VC based advice (doctors, health visitors, social workers, local businesses etc.). Most of our island residents rely on the telephone to communicate with major service providers – the desktop VC system offers a direct face to face service where this has never before been available. As an example of the opportunities this presents, an online medical service will be available direct from local GPs where specialist face to face advice on the most confidential matters will be available to the homes of our island residents. 

The system will be directly linked to the new National Grid for Learning facilities currently being deployed in all Argyll and Bute schools. Children in our selected community will then have remote access to all online school facilities – allowing research, project work, and homework to be submitted and reviewed from home. Adult Leaning centres and Argyll College will offer distance learning courses and materials to the entire community and, in turn, encourage and rely on “local experts” to lead and assist in the skills transfer process. All participants will be offered free introductory training on PC basics such as keyboard skills and a customised course on using the Internet. 

The project will involve all 2,145 households as well as local businesses and service providers. This inclusive feature will result in a true Digital Community. The 13 islands are home to 4,290 residents including 623 school pupils with as many as 75% of the population not yet on-line. 

VPS = Voluntary Population Survey 1998/99