seamlessUK – building bridges between information islands

This article provides an introduction to seamlessUK from the perspective of a partner project called PINpoint. Medway PINpoint is establishing a local portal which will become part of seamlessUK, enabling one search to retrieve local and national information. seamlessUK is a New Opportunities Fund Digitisation project developing a citizens’ gateway delivered through local portals. seamlessUK will provide a single point of search and retrieval for selected local, regional and national data sources. Emphasis is on improving access to community information but it will also support lifelong learning, active citizenship and digital literacy. The project is a partnership of local authorities and data providers, headed by Essex County Council, supported by core partners Fretwell‐Downing Informatics (FDi) (technical developer) and MDR Partners (project management). seamlessUK builds on standards and takes account of e‐Government Interoperability Framework and e‐Government Metadata Schema. A thesaurus and geographical information system are being implemented to enhance search precision.