The Harvard Information Infrastructure Project (IIP) is an activity of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, with affiliations with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the Center for Business and Government, and Harvard Law School. Established in 1989, the Project provides a forum for discussion of policy issues relating to the information infrastructure and organizes two courses run jointly by the Kennedy School, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Business School. Several publications have resulted from Project forums and activities; a bibliography is included on the site. In addition, the Project has developed a Policy Gateway, sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to provide links to Internet‐based information on infrastructure policy. The Gateway is searchable by keyword and browseable by index.
The Gateway has been designed primarily as curriculum support for the joint courses on Internet business, strategy, law, and policy. The Gateway also is publicly available to provide a searchable database of the “best resources available” on the Web to anyone researching or interested in issues related to the information infrastructure. Sites have been selected primarily for their focus on policy issues but the database also includes some resources which include background information. Resources have been selected for quality based on links within the site, link annotations, and site organization and presentation, and quality of the material.
The Gateway is a top‐level index of categories which break down into layers of sub‐categories and finally into individual resources.
Designed primarily as a resource for the joint courses at the Kennedy School and Harvard Law and Business Schools, the gateway is also available to the general public as a resource for searching for resources on the information infrastructure. The Gateway is in beta plus format and still under development; hence, some entries are incomplete (without annotations) and some sub‐categories have few entries. The gateway is searchable by either browsing the index or by searching for keyword(s).
The index is arranged by top‐layer categories which are broken down into sub‐categories and finally into specific resources. Each resource includes a link to the specific site; most also include an annotation describing the scope and content of the site. The index is navigable by either browsing through the index by selecting categories and then sub‐categories or by clicking on the next or previous button, which brings you to the next or previous resource or category in the tree. The index may be collapsed or expanded by selecting the respective button for those options. Keyword searching is limited to simple searching. Boolean operators are not supported. However, searches may be limited to keywords in the title by selecting “Resource Type” or by topic by selecting a specific topic (i.e., “Regional Infrastructure”, “Information Policy/Copyright”). Search results are ranked in order of relevance.
The Gateway is a well‐organized database of subject specific resources on policy issues affecting the information infrastructure. The index is easily navigable through both subject categories and sub‐categories. Layout is clear and easy to follow and help files aid the searcher if needed. Annotations of entries provide sufficient information about the scope and content of each entry to allow the searcher to make an informed decision about the relevance of the resource. The number of resources available through the database, presumably, will increase as the project continues to grow and moves from beta to final format. Criteria used for selection of resources ensure that the database is composed of quality information. The lack of Boolean operators to facilitate searching is a negative feature. However, the Project notes that they will be offered if there is a demand for them. Although still in beta format, the Gateway is a good resource for anyone doing research on or otherwise interested in information infrastructure policy. Recommended
