Using Community Informatics to Transform Regions

In many international settings, regional economies are declining resulting in lowered opportunities for these communities. This result attacks the very fabric of cohesion and purpose for these regional societies, and increases social, health, economic and sustainability problems. Community informatics research, education and practice is an emerging area in many countries, which seeks to address these issues. The primary objective of Using Community Informatics to Transform Regions is to provide leaders, policy developers, researchers, students and community workers with successful strategies and principles of Community Informatics to transform regions. This book embraces an integrative cross-sectoral approach in the use of Community Informatics to increase both social and cultural capital as a means to increased sustainability for regional communities.

Professor Stewart Marshall, Ph.D. is the Director of the Distance Education Centre at the University of the West Indies (UWI). Previously, he was the foundation Dean and a Professor of the Faculty of Informatics and Communication at the Central Queensland University in Australia. Professor Marshall's research interests are in the role of communication and information technologies in distance education, and also in the emerging research area of community informatics systems (CIS), especially in developing countries. He has published several books, and over 90 book chapters, refereed articles and conference papers.

Dr Wal Taylor is the Foundation Professor of Community Informatics at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Capetown, South Africa. His research interests are predominantly in the social appropriation of Internet technologies, particularly their interface with public agency service delivery. He is author and co-editor of 3 books, 4 conference proceedings, 10 book chapters and 45 papers on Community Informatics.He was a key note speaker at the 2003 Salzburg Seminar on Digital Inclusion and since 2001, he has been an invited keynote speaker and presenter at a number of Community Informatics international conferences in Australia, France, Austria, Italy, Russia, United Kingdom, United States and Canada.

Xinghuo Yu is Professor of Computer Systems Engineering and Associate Dean Research & Innovation of Science, Engineering and Technology at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Melbourne Australia. His research interests are predominately in the areas of Information Technology, Intelligent Systems and their applications in industrial, social and economic systems. Professor Yu has published over 250 refereed papers in technical journals, books and conference proceedings. He has co-edited seven research books including "Variable Structure Systems: Towards the 21st Century" (Springer Verlag 2002) and "Applied Decision Support with Soft Computing" (Springer Verlag, 2003), "Chaos Control" (Springer Verlag, 2003), "Bifurcation Control" (Springer Verlag, 2003), and "Closing the Digital Divide" (Praeger, 2003). Professor Yu is a Fellow of Institution of Engineers Australia. He was made Emeritus Professor of Central Queensland University in 2002 in recognition of his significant contributions to the university.