Multifunctional Digital Centres

A typical feature of the industrial society is that work is concentrated in time and space. Work was always concentrated in one location: the factory or the office. To be able to work, everybody had to travel, all roughly at the same time, to these places. This has led to the fact that every workday there is an enormous stream of traffic at rush hours, to transport workers from and to their workplaces. The consequences are traffic jams and the suffocating belch of exhaust fumes. These are all consequences of the principle that people have to be transported to their work, while it should be the other way around.

This principle is radically changed in the information society of today. With the help of information and communication technology the work can be brought to the people. That is what we call telework. Telework is making work flexible as to time and space. Telework is working independent of time and space, with the help of information and communication technology.

Telework in Amsterdam

Relatively seen, there are a lot of people in Amsterdam that work in professions which are suitable for telework. From all the people that constitute the labour force, almost half of their jobs are appropriate for telework.

At this moment, there are approximately 22.500 teleworkers in Amsterdam. For another 40,000 people, there is nothing that holds them back from teleworking. And there are 41,000 people that would like to telework, but their employer does not allow it.

Expectations are that in 2005-2010 there will be more than 100,000 people that telework in Amsterdam. This means that more than a third of the working population of Amsterdam wants to telework and is able to do it. Regarding the car use, there will be a total reduction of 300 million kilometres per year in 2005-2010.

A lot of people are familiar with the idea of teleworking in their own home. But telework in a telecentre - we call it "teledocking" - is for most people rather new. Many peope have never thought about trying it, because it was non-existing. However, there are a lot of advantages of working in a telecentre that is located in the area where you live. We list a few:

• Teledocking is a good alternative for people that do not have the possibility to create a quiet atmosphere at home to work concentrated.

• The chance of feelings of isolation and loneliness, which may occur when you work alone for a long time, will decrease, because teledocking is executed amongst other workers.

• Teledocking makes it possible to separate work from private life, but you will still have the flexibility of telework. With this, a new balance between work, household and relaxation can be found.

• Teledocking meains no occupation of working space in your home and makes it possible to work concentratedly in a pleasant and professional atmosphere.

• Teledocking means that you have access to high-quality equipment, professional software and a fast internet connection. You can also use the the expertise on hardware and software available in the centre.

• The amount of kilometres driven from and to work will decrease, together with the damage to the environment and the annoyance of the traffic jams.

• Teledocking contributes to the improvement of the livability and vitality of the environment the centre is located in.

• A local telecentre can become a breeding ground for new ideas and initiatives.
  

Thus, there are a lot of good reasons to create a network of local telecentres in Amsterdam. The policy of the city is focused on increasing its lead as centre of information and communication technology. This will only be possible when easily accessible telecentres are built everywhere in the city. The people of Amsterdam should be able to work, learn, experiment and recreate in the nearness of their homes. This will not only increase the livability of the city, it might also contribute to the reduction of the the growing gap between people who have access to modern technology, and people who are excluded from it.

TeleDock

TeleDock is an initiative of ABy-Teleconsulting (AByT) in cooperation with the Woningbedrijf Amsterdam (property company) and the Stichting Website Netwerk. TeleDock is a place where people from Amsterdam can work, learn, experiment, inform themselves and recreate.

TeleDock is a multifunctional centre that offers people the opportunity to:

1. use the most modern technology for information and communication:
   • high quality-, fast computers
     
   • fast connections with the Internet
     
   • fax and telephone
   
   
2. rent a workplace in our centre. They can use:
   • one of our comfortable workstations
     
   • our high quality hard- and software which gives access to:
     • Internet and Intranets from companies
     • email
     • data transfer
     • computers elsewhere
     • various databases
   • our expertise in the form of a helpdesk
     
   • refreshment room
     
   • one of our meeting rooms
   
   
3. participate in one of our courses which are given in the centre.

4. contribute to the multi-media experiments in the centre.

5. use the information services of TeleDock.

6. participate in cultural and recreative events which are organised by TeleDock.

Working in TeleDock: telework office

Telework is making work flexible concerning time and space. It is working with the use of information and communication technology, independent of time and space. One can speak of telework when ICTs are being used to conduct work at a distance from the official workplace.

Telecentra are an important factor in the way many organisations make the transition to more flexible work patterns for their employees. Although there are many different types of telecentres, they mostly have two things in common:

• the wish to bring work close to the people in urban centres and other accessible locations whereby long trips from and to work will be reduced.
  
• the belief that people will work better in a telecentre than in their own homes, particularly because of the social interaction with other people.

Learning at TeleDock: Tele-learn centre

The second function of TeleDock is providing educational programmes. TeleDock organises courses for employed and unemployed people who want to acquire new professional qualifications with the use of modern computers and communication equipment.

• learning in an efficient way: with the use of good computers, good programmes, individual coaching and tele-learning.

• learning in a way that links up with individual expectations and skills.

• learning in a way that meets the demand for qualified employers who can work independently and are familiar with modern information and communication technologies.

• learning in a pleasant, inspiring way in which people are free to decide where and when to learn.

• learning in a way that gives people who are not familiar with the techniques and culture of the Internet a chance, and will reduce the gap between people who have access to computer technology and people who are kept out from it.

The courses of TeleDock offer a new perspective to the (long-term) unemployed people. With the help of the Internet and digital services in the centre, educational programs are offered to link this group up with future forms of employment. To reduce the distance to the labour market, suitable, career oriented courses are being offered. Due to this, and with the help of digital job vacancy department, the participants will be able to find their ways in the labour market. To realise this project, TeleDock will co-operate with the Sociale Dienst Amsterdam (welfare service), the Stichting NV Werk, ProjectNet and the Stichting Nedwerk.

Together with local educational institutions and the school advisory service TeleDock wants to create room voor a support service for pupils (Steunpunt Scholieren). Pupils can use this service to make homework and, if possible, study online. At the moment, possibilities for setting up a homework assistance service are being examined.

Educational institutions and companies can also rent a part of the telecentre for courses. Within this framework we want to give special attention to various groups like unemployed people, disabled people, pupils and also ethnic minorities, elderlies, local entrepreneurs and shopkeepers. TeleDock will invite representatives of several groupings for a dicussion on educational wishes and TeleDock's possibilities to develop programs (courses) that link up with these demands.

Experimenting at TeleDock: Tele-try-out-place

TeleDock is offering room for multimedia experiments. TeleDock stimulates activities of creative people that want to try new things and that need access to ICT-equipment. Locals are invited to submit proposals. TeleDock can only realise its innovative goals in an optimal way if its users constantly supply new ideas.

Strengthening Social Cohesion

Information service at TeleDock

TeleDock considers it as its task to build a digital knowledge base in which information is stored that might be important to locals and which they can use. What we have in mind is information about:

• living: demand and supply of houses in the area; projects of housing associations, etc.
• employment: demand and supply of jobs in the area, employment projects by TeleDock.
• economy: summary of companies and shops in the area.
• education: summary of various educational institutes, activities of TeleDock.
• culture: cultural events; local artists, museums
• recreation: sports events and other leisure activities.
• food and drink: bars and restaurants in the area.
• health care: summary of health services, hospitals, clinics, doctors, pharmacies, etc.
• social cultural assistance.
• nightlife: film, dance, theatre.
• music: musicians, concerts
• transport: public transport schedules, parking facilities, taxi ranks.
• lifestyle: meeting places, personal adverts.
• religion: churches and services.
• politics: district council, political issues in the area.

This data will be classified in the knowledge base. A point of reference for the construction can be the already existent 'digital cities', such as Amsterdam by Bite. Mapping a digital area will simplify the acquirement of good, reliable knowledge for its inhabitants.

Amusement at TeleDock

Teledock does not only focus on serious activities such as working and learning, it also has room for enjoyable, festive activities. Using its ICT equipment, TeleDock will take initiatives that are aimed at entertaining people. Examples are: concerts of digital musicians, performance of artists using multimedial facilities, a digital gameshow. But also: debates using video conferencing, presentations of new hard- and software or new Internet techniques and websites.

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