Information engineering and telematics (panel)

Information engineering is a new activity within the Telematics part of the Fourth Framework Programme for R&D of the Commission of the European Union. It is a horizontal activity that is concerned with the problems of providing easier and more selective access to information and improving the usability of information. It may be considered as applications research in support of the emerging information highways, that will enable the general public, SMES and other non-professional users to access facitilites that until now have been available almost exclusively to research workers and large corporations. The programme has been developed in close consultation with European industry; over 600 organisations have either attended meetings with the Commission or sent written comments on the draft documents. The aim of the consultation has been to create a programme that would provide support to application research activities that are of direct use to European industry.