The role of telematics in integrating Ireland into Europe's information society

Abstract

This article is an evaluation of Ireland’s participation in the Telematics Applications Programme (TAP), which was part of the European Commission’s Fourth Framework Programme for the period 1994–1998. TAP was primarily concerned with public sector bodies and their ability to adapt to the Information Society. The article explores Irish participation in the programme and examines the contribution of this participation to the clustering of telematics experimentation within Ireland and to the increasing integration with other European regions arising from project networks. The role of the TAP programme in furthering Europe’s information society in Ireland is assessed.