IST DEVELOPMENT IN LATVIA

1
IST DEVELOPMENTIN LATVIA

• Professor Janis Grundspenkis
• Riga Technical University
• Faculty of Computer Science and Information
  Technology
• Department of Systems Theoryand Design

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WORK FORCE IN THE INFORMATION AGE

• Information age requires
• abilities to use information technology
• abilities to process information
• abilities to learn new knowledge and to get
  skills (new type of intelligent work knowledge
  work)
• The most important production factor of
  information age economics is knowledge based high
  quality work force

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STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Information society is based on
• knowledge generation
• information technologies used for information
  processing
• Information society is organized in network
  structures
• The main activities of information society on the
  global level are integrated into a network that
  due to the communication and transport
  infrastructure is operating as a united organism

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CHARACTERISTICSOF INFORMATION SOCIETY MODELS (1)

• TECHNOLOGY
• Infrastructure
• Production
• Knowledge
• ECONOMICS
• National economy
• Business
• Innovation

• WELFARE
• Education
• Care of public health
• Welfare of inhabitants
• VALUES OF SOCIETY

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CHARACTERISTICSOF INFORMATION SOCIETY MODELS (2)

• TECHNOLOGY
• INFRASTRUCTURE
• Number of Internet sites (per 100 inhabitants)
• Number of mobile cell phones (per 1000
  inhabitants)
• PRODUCTION
• Export of high tech production ( from total
  export)
• E-commerce (number of servers per 100 000
  inhabitants)
• KNOWLEDGE
• Internet users ()
• Number of university students which study
  mathematics and engineering, and are involved in
  research

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CHARACTERISTICSOF INFORMATION SOCIETY MODELS (3)

• WELFARE
• EDUCATION
• Enrollment at schools, secondary schools,
  institutions of higher education and universities
• Functional reading and writing skills

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INFRASTRUCTURE
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PRODUCTION

• THE STRUCTURE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BRANCH IN
  LATVIA

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DISTRIBUTION OF QUALIFICATION LEVELS IN IT SECTORS
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STATE FINANCINGOF RESEARCH
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RESEARCH AREAS(PROJECTS FINANCED BY THE LATVIAN
COUNCIL OF SCIENCE, YEAR 2005)
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NUMBER OF STUDENTSIN STUDY YEAR 2004/2005

• Total number 130693
• Computer science and IT students ?10
• Number of graduates ?1000
• Number of PhD thesis in mathematics and IT 22

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DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS ACCORDING TO STUDY
PROGRAMMES 2003/2004
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EDUCATION

• 12 institutions of higher education have study
  programs in IT

• Total number of enrolled
• 2000 2079 (800)
• 2001 2467 (1043)
• 2002 2421 (1229)
• 2003 2516 (904)
• 2004 2283 (732)

• Total number of graduates
• 2000 731
• 2001 757
• 2002 882
• 2003 951
• 2004 1148

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EDUCATION IN IT SECTOR 2004 (1)
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EDUCATION IN IT SECTOR 2004 (2)
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PROBLEMS IN RESEARCHAND EDUCATION (1)

• EXPERIENCED RESEARCHERS AND TEACHERS
• Funding practically only from the state budget
  and it is too small for establishing strong
  research groups
• Overload
• Age
• Weak motivation and lack of time to submit
  proposals for EU funding

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PROBLEMS IN RESEARCHAND EDUCATION (2)

• YOUNG RESEARCHERS AND TEACHERS
• Doctoral students, as a rule, try to work and
  write their PhD thesis concurrently
• Overload
• High rate of drop out from doctoral studies
• Rather weak motivation (salaries, prestige of
  teaching)

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STRENGTH OF LATVIAN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN IT
SECTOR

• Number of applicants for studies in IT is high
• Number of doctoral students are growing
• High standards of education
• Literacy of languages
• Number of qualified specialists
• Relatively low labor and service costs
• Relatively high quality of communications