Computer applications in the Transport and Communications Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Presenta la experiencia de la Division de Transportes y Comunicaciones en el uso de computadores para aplicaciones substantivas. Examina los sistemas aplicados - codigo de puertos, ISIS, TRANDIS, COMPA -; el uso de procesamiento de textos en la preparacion de documentos de investigacion e informes y en la correspondencia, y entrega algunas consideraciones con respecto al uso de los microcomputadores.

Hacia la reducción de la congestión vehicular: la CEPAL contribuye con nuevos talleres

Como forma de divulgar los resultados de un proyecto recién concluido de la CEPAL, que contó con el apoyo de la GTZ (la agencia de cooperación técnica de la República Federal de Alemania), se efectuaron en distintas ciudades de América Latina, talleres sobre medidas para aminorar la congestión de tránsito. La congestión se está transformando paulatinamente en una amenaza para la calidad de vida de las ciudades de la región, siendo su manifestación más evidente, el aumento de los tiempos cotidianos de viaje, especialmente en las horas punta.Los talleres son una contribución al combate contra la congestión, pues ayudan a formar conciencia sobre la magnitud de las consecuencias negativas que ella implica, así como por difundir las opciones que existen para enfrentarla. En esta edición del Boletín se ofrece una reseña del contenido de los talleres y de sus resultados. Los talleres se ofrecen a autoridades urbanas y otras instituciones interesadas en capacitar sus funcionarios vinculados al tema de manejo de tránsito.

Third ordinary meeting of the conference of South American ministers of transport, communications and public works

The third ordinary meeting of the Conference of South American Ministers of Transport, Communications and Public Works was held from 6 to 8 November 1996 in Montevideo, Uruguay. Representatives of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela took part. Representatives of the following organizations were present as observers: the Latin American and Caribbean Federation of National Associations of Cargo Agents, the Latin American Railways Association, the Latin American Association for Automated Highway Transport, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Road Federation/German Agency for Technical Cooperation (IRF/GTZ); and other representatives from both the private and public sectors.

Development strategies for the information and communications technology sector in the Caribbean: A global perspective

This occasional paper examines the experiences of three leading global centres of the ICT industry – India, Silicon Valley, and Estonia – to reflect on how the lessons of these models can be applied to the context of countries in the Caribbean region.Several sectors of the technology industry are considered in relation to the suitability for their establishment in the Caribbean. Animation is an area that is showing encouraging signs of development in several countries, and which offers some promise to provide a significant source of employment in the region. However, the global market for animation production is likely to become increasingly competitive, as improved technology has reduced barriers to entry into the industry not only in the Caribbean, but around the world. The region’s animation industry will need to move swiftly up the value chain if it is to avoid the downsides of being caught in an increasingly commoditized market. Mobile applications development has also been widely a heralded industry for the Caribbean. However, the market for consumer-oriented smartphone applications has matured very quickly, and is now a very difficult sector in which to compete. Caribbean mobile developers would be better served to focus on creating applications to suit the needs of regional industries and governments, rather than attempting to gain notice in over-saturated consumer marketplaces such as the iTunes App Store and Google Play. Another sector considered for the Caribbean is “big data” analysis. This area holds significant potential for growth in coming years, but the Caribbean, which is generally considered to be a datapoor region, currently lacks a sufficient base of local customers to form a competitive foundation for such an industry. While a Caribbean big data industry could plausibly be oriented toward outsourcing, that orientation would limit positive externalities from the sector, and benefits from its establishment would largely accrue only to a relatively small number of direct participants in the industry. Instead, development in the big data sector should be twinned with the development of products to build a regional customer base for the industry. The region has pressing needs in areas such as disaster risk reduction, water resource management, and support for agricultural production. Development of big data solutions – and other technology products – to address areas such as these could help to establish niche industries that both support the needs of local populations, and provide viable opportunities for the export of higher-value products and services to regions of the world with similar needs.