DISCUSSION PAPER ON THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE APEC TPT-WG WEB SITE

Introduction

At the 14^th TPT-WG meeting in Seoul, Korea, the electronic commerce group discussed the future development of the APEC TPT-WG web site (www.apectptwg.org.au). It was agreed that following the meeting, Australia would develop a survey for TPT-WG members to complete, based on members’ use of the TPT-WG web site. The draft survey was agreed by the members of the electronic commerce "small group" and was placed on the TPT-WG web site in its final form for completion by TPT-WG members. Following collation of the survey results, Australia agreed to prepare a draft paper for discussion by TPT-WG members on the future development of the TPT-WG web site. This paper is based on the results of that survey, inquiries from economies about the features of the web site and statistics published by the TPT-WG web site server provider.

Objectives

The objectives of the survey were to:

• Determine the level of use of the TPT-WG web site;
• Seek ideas from members on possible improvements;
• Identify current problems;
• Encourage members to place papers on the web site;
• Encourage Chairs of expert/project groups to establish individual pages on the web site;
• Raise awareness of the features of the web site and the procedures for placing papers on the web site; and
• Determine ways to improve economies’ access to information electronically.

TPT-WG Web Site Survey Response

Australia received 21 responses from 9 economies including Singapore, Canada, Korea, Russia, the US, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, Chile and Chinese Taipei. Overall, the responses to the survey revealed several common themes, including problems experienced and suggested improvements.

1. Problems experienced with the TPT-WG web site and how to address them

The problems experienced in accessing information from the TPT-WG web site fall under three main categories: currency of information, technical problems, and accessing documents.

Currency
- This problem was raised repeatedly in survey responses. Documents on the web site had not been updated from the last meeting, several expert/project group pages remain inactive, and papers including agendas for the next expert/project group meetings were not available.

The responsibility for updating the web site by placing papers promptly on the relevant expert/project group pages rests jointly with the economy preparing the papers as well as the Chair of each expert/project group. Instructions for placing papers on the web site can be located in the Contents page of the TPT-WG web site. Submission forms for placing papers can be obtained from the economy coordinator/head of delegation.

The TPT-WG web site will only remain a reliable source for accessing current information if those who submit papers to the TPT-WG also place them on the TPT-WG web site concurrently with lodgement of the hard copy.

Technical
– The TPT-WG web site has experienced several technical difficulties since its implementation on 1 September 1998. These include difficulties downloading and viewing documents, links between pages being disrupted, and an error message appearing on some pages when accessed.

These difficulties have been due in part to both the contractor and the server provider, particularly when updating equipment or changing servers. These problems appear to have been resolved at present, however they may occur again. Members should notify the web site administrator immediately a problem is experienced viewing or downloading documents.

Access
– Responses to the survey also revealed that many people have experienced difficulty accessing some parts of the site. This problem was caused by some parts of the site being inactive. The Chairs of some expert/project groups have as yet not been able to provide the web site administrator with appropriate information or papers to activate the relevant expert/project group page.

Summary
- Both currency and access problems can be rectified if each economy and particularly the Chairs of each expert/project group play an active part in placing documents on the web site. The information able to be accessed is only as accurate and detailed as the last paper placed on the web site.

Possible mechanisms that may assist this process include:

1. Each economy may wish to nominate a person responsible for ensuring that all hard copy papers submitted to the APEC Secretariat are also submitted electronically to the web site administrator.
2. Each page in the web site could have a date indicating when it was last updated.
3. Economies hosting TPT-WG meetings may wish to allocate a person responsible for placing all finalised papers from the TPT-WG meeting (including the Chair’s Report) on the web site following Plenary.

2. Improvements to the TPT-WG Web Site

Responses to the survey on the TPT-WG web site highlighted a number of improvements that could be made to the web site that would assist users in accessing information including:

• Adding members’ names and contact details to the Steering Committee pages.

• Contact details for Chair of the group being placed on each expert/project group page.

• Names and contact list of expert/project group members who attended the last TPT-WG meeting being added.

• Links to other economies’ transportation ministries as well as to ICAO, IMO, ITS America, ERTICO, VERTIS and others.

• Providing an abstract or executive summary for each lengthy document with a link to the complete document.

• Having a separate page for the resolutions from meetings.

• Providing an abstract of recent activities undertaken by expert/project groups

• Establishing a document library containing policy and procedure.

• Identifying projects according to TILF or ECOTECH funding.

• Placing the submission form on the web site.

Future development of the TPT-WG web site

Many of the improvements to the TPT-WG web site suggested depend on members’ willingness to submit information, contact details or papers to the web site administrator for placement on the web site. Without cooperation from members the TPT-WG web site will remain incomplete or at best contain outdated information.

Responses to the survey suggested many improvements to the TPT-WG web site including links to other web sites, more contact details and alternative methods for viewing lengthy documents and the placement of the submission on the TPT-WG web site.

Links
- to other economies’ transportation ministries could be easily implemented if economies provide the appropriate email addresses. Other links that may be useful to members have also been suggested. Members may wish to consider discussing this matter further in their expert/project groups to determine those links that they would find particularly useful to their work and provide these details to the web site administrator.

Contact details
- for members can be provided at Steering Committee and expert/project group level. Members can provide these details to the Chair who will place them on the TPT-WG web site.

Lengthy Documents
- Where lengthy documents are placed on the web site, it would be particularly useful if an abstract or summary of the document were provided. This would appear first when the document is accessed. If the entire document needs to be viewed this could then be accessed from the summary or abstract.

Submission Form
– It has been suggested that the submission form (which currently must accompany all documents submitted to the web site administrator for placement on the TPT-WG web site) should be available from the web site to facilitate placement of papers. To date, the submission paper has not been placed on the web site to ensure that the web site administrator could guarantee the person placing the paper on the web site was authorised to do so. However, if members determine that this consideration is outweighed by the necessity to provide a simpler method of placing papers on the web site, the submission form could be placed on the web site in future.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Steering Committee on More Competitive Transportation note that Australia will undertake the following improvements to the TPT-WG web site:

• Each page in the web site will have a date indicating when it was last updated.

• Links will be created to related sites including ICAO, IMO, ITS America, ERTICO, VERTIS, IATA, and University of Washington.

• Expert/project group pages will include a facility for "Current Projects" to identify the current projects or activities undertaken by each expert/project group.

It is recommended that the Steering Committee on More Competitive Transportation agree that:

• All economies,

- when submitting hard copy papers should also submit an electronic copy to the web site administrator;

- provide details of web site addresses for transportation ministries to the web site administrator;

- when placing a document of greater than 50 pages on the TPT-WG web site the document should be accompanied by an abstract/executive summary.

• Each expert/project group,

- shall provide web site addresses to the TPT-WG web site administrator for useful web sites that should be linked with the TPT-WG web site;

- when submitting a record of the last meeting to include a section in the document entitled "Meeting Resolutions";

- shall provide details of "current projects" to the web site administrator, including whether current projects are TILF/Ecotech funded;

- provide contact details of participants of expert/project group meetings to the TPT-WG web site administrator .

• Chairs of Steering Committees,

- provide contact details of participants of Steering Committee meetings to the TPT-WG web site administrator;

- identify policy and procedure documents that should be placed on the TPT-WG web site and provide these to the web site administrator.

• Hong Kong to allocate a person responsible for placing all finalised papers from the 16^th TPT-WG meeting (including the Chair’s Report) on the web site following Plenary.

- Future hosts of the TPT-WG meeting to also provide this facility.

• The Electronic Commerce Group to determine at TPT-WG 16 whether the submission form should be placed on the web site based on the number and frequency of papers placed on the web site in the period leading up to the 16^th TPT-WG meeting and any difficulties experienced by economies.

Note: Details to be provided to the web site administrator can be provided by following the instructions on the TPT-WG web site and sending an email to odilelf@tradegate.org.au

This page was last updated on 12 March, 2008