BANGKOK
NOVEMBER 26-29, 2007

The conference endeavours to create a platform for scholars and professionals interested in various dimensions of Information Technology that relate to empowerment. Empowerment is the process of increasing the assets and capabilities of individuals or groups to make purposive choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes. There are at least two dimensions about which this conference intends to focus on. The information technology revolution, as it is often articulated, in leading the humanity to a new era would be far from complete unless the tools, products and hardware are available widely and are available within the reach of every one. These concerns, although from a different context, are reflected in myriad occasions in the current debates on the digital divide. Fortunately there is plethora of research and development addressing this aspect of information technology. They are exemplified in the form of "thin clients", "network computing", "virtualization" and the like. There are other ways of making the tools of IT affordable. But they are needed to be available with no sacrifice on the quality and power. The second, perhaps even more acute barrier to the bridging of the digital divide is the skill, knowledge and education required to make use of the opportunities provided by the advances of Information Technology. Again, there is a plethora of research and development efforts in progress addressing the issues involved. They are exemplified in new ways of learning including e-learning, tools for programming education, content management and the like. Although these have been impressive developments on their own, they need to be taken into account with the innovative ideas, strategies and novel solutions for empowerment of people at large. We need to discover new IT paradigms for empowerment and identify new ways of deployment of the emerging paradigms.

The conference is in close temporal proximity with another conference on agents. PRIMA2007 (www.prima2007.org) is scheduled for November 21-23, 2007. Please look for discount offers. The attendees would have a chance to interact with the academic and professional community interest in agent research as well. The month of November in Bangkok, just after rains offers the best time for the conference and site seeing. Attendance at this conference offers both intellectual stimulation and physical relaxation in the setting of great Thai hospitality.

The conference invites original papers and posters; papers and posters based on practice and experience, proposals for panels and special tracks addressing the theme IT for Empowerment.

The following are representative, but no means exhaustive list of topics:

1 Thin Clients

- Network Computing
- Linux ware
- IT in Human Service
- Mobile Communications and the changing landscape of Information
- IT and Trust
- Digital Covergence
- IT Empowerment - Policy Implications
- Tools for Rapid program learning
- Knowledge Based Empowerment
- Curricula Development for empowerment
- Emerging roles for the instructors
- E and M learning

- IT and Sustainable Environment
- Social Networks
- Case Studies

2 Special Tracks

- Empowering the Elderly through Technology
- NEW: IT and Climate Change