12
The Malta Independent | Thursday 30 October 2014
Mobile App for Majjistral History & Nature Park
A
group of students spent their summer at the MITA Innovation Hub in SmartCity Malta working on the new mobile application Last Saturday the Majjistral History and Nature Park launched its official mobile application. The mobile app was developed by a team of young students following a call for proposals by the MITA Innovation Hub. The App was launched by Hon. Leo Brincat, Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change and Hon. Dr Jose Herrera, Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth. The challenge had attracted some 17 teams and two teams were short-listed to work at the MITA Innovation Hub in SmartCity Malta. The two teams were later merged into one so that collectively they could contribute towards the creation of a solid mobile application for the Park. The final team was made up of four students - three sixth formers and a second year ICT undergraduate. Elisa Calleja worked on the
design of the App while Kurt Dalli, Nicholas Galea and James Zammit developed the software. Throughout their three-month assignment the students were mentored by professionals from MITA, lecturers from the University of Malta as well as mentors from the Microsoft Innovation Centre. Highly appealing in design, the app features some sleekly designed functionalities that make it a fun experience for visitors to use or consult. The app can, for example, help the layperson identify
species of flora and fauna spotted at the park, provide educational information about them, choose a heritage trail to follow or report illegal activities via email. The app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play, while the database is hosted on the Microsoft Azure platform. “I feel really privileged to have gone through this experience, as MITA literally allowed us to experience the thrill of doing our project from start to finish under their guidance” said Kurt Dalli, one of
the App students. MITA’s Executive Chairman Tony Sultana said that in this instance, the Agency had adopted a crowd sourcing approach in order not to limit the students’ creativity. “The team now has something tangible that they can show to their credit as a testimonial of their work at the MITA Innovation Hub,” said Mr. Sultana. Hon Herrera said that, “Through such initiatives Government is supporting and giving opportunities to students, youths and startups to succeed and thus contribute towards economic growth.” He mentioned that throughout summer, MITA has worked hard in providing students with a hands-on work experience through the Summer Placement Programme whereby 300 students had the opportunity to apply their skills in an actual work placement. “As the Parliamentary Secretary responsible of MITA, I am proud of its work because of its innovative approach. Through its efforts, MITA is stimulating students to garner the necessary skill-set to compete in today’s global and digital world,”
concluded Hon Herrera. Hon Brincat pointed out that the Majjistral Park Mobile App demonstrates how technology can be used to raise awareness about our environment. “The Mobile App will act as an educational tool for visitors of all ages - both Maltese and tourists. The App is now one of the Park’s digital assets that will give added value to the Park itself whilst raising awareness and educating visitors about the richness of our unique flora and fauna, history and the Maltese natural habitat,” commented Hon Brincat. Following the launch of its new mobile app, the Majjistral History and Nature Park organised an open day for everyone and has launched a mobile photo competition. Participants have to use the new mobile app in order to take a photo of the Park and submit the photo on the Park’s Facebook group. The app is available for free on Apple App Store and Google Play. For more information visit www.mitainnovationhub.gov.mt/projects or www.majjistral.org
Most dangerous cyber celebrities of 2014
J
immy Kimmel, comedian and late night host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, replaces Lily Collins (Mirror, Mirror) as McAfee‘s most dangerous celebrity to search for online. For the eighth year in a row, McAfee researched popular culture’s most famous people to reveal the riskiest personalities on the Web. The McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities study revealed that an eclectic mix of comedians and musicians are among the most dangerous. Jimmy Kimmel is the second male to find his way to the No. 1 spot (moving up from No. 39) following Brad Pitt in 2008. DJ Armin van Buuren takes the number two spot behind Kimmel, and Ciara, the third. Additional celebrities in the top 10 include Blake Shelton, Britney Spears (holding her place at No.7), and three New Jersey natives: Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Chelsea Handler. As underscored by the recent hacking of female celebrities’ private photos, cybercriminals are consistently looking for ways to take advantage of consumer interest around popular culture events such as award shows, new movies and TV shows, as well as the latest celebrity-driven cultural trends. These criminals capitalise on the public’s fascination with celebrity to lure them to sites laden with malware, which enable them to steal passwords and personal information. “Most consumers are completely unaware of the security risks that exist when searching for celebrity and entertainment news, images and videos online, sacrificing safety for immediacy,” said Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at McAfee. “Cybercriminals capitalize on
consumers’ attention to breaking celebrity news and leverage this behaviour to lead them to unsafe sites that can severely infect their computers and devices and steal personal data.” “Celebrity names coupled with the terms ‘video’ and ‘picture’ are some of the most-searched terms on the Internet,” said Michelle Dennedy, chief privacy officer at McAfee. “Cybercriminals exploit consumers’ need to be updated on celebrity news, leading them to sites that can harm their devices and compromise personal data. We want to ensure we’re equipping consumers with the knowledge they need to keep both themselves and their devices safe.” Jimmy Kimmel Searches Yield a Nearly One-in-Five Chance of Landing on a Malicious Site McAfee research found that
searching for the latest Jimmy Kimmel pictures and downloads yields more than a 19% chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for online threats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware. The top 10 celebrities from this year’s study with the highest percentages of risk are: Dangerously Funny Men & Women In addition to Jimmy Kimmel (No. 1), Chelsea Handler (No. 9), Jimmy Fallon (No. 12), Adam Sandler (No. 14), Jason Segel (No. 19), Wee Man (No. 35), and Cameron Diaz (No. 41) all rank in the top 50. Country and EDM Artists Dance to the Top Representing popular music genres on the rise, country music stars and electric dance music
(EDM) artists pump up the top 50 list. Four musicians make the top 50, with two of them landing within the top 10: Armin van Buuren (No.2) and Blake Shelton (No.6). Other musicians at play include: Calvin Harris (No. 17) and Carrie Underwood (No.47). Chart Toppers Rock Out to the Danger Zone This year, several rap, hip hop and R&B hit makers are in the top 20: Ciara (No. 3), Flo Rida (No. 4), 50 Cent (No. 13), Cheryl Cole (No. 16) and Iggy Azalea (No. 20). Additional superstars heating up the top 50 are Jason Derulo (No. 24), Jay Z (No. 26), Chris Brown (No. 28), Paul McCartney (No.29), Jennifer Lopez (No. 31), Pitbull (No. 34), Jessie J (No.44), Rihanna (No.45), Justin Timberlake (No.46), and Pharrell Williams (No. 49). The Garden State This year, four native New Jerseyians are in the top 25: Bruce Springsteen (No. 5), Bon Jovi (No. 8), Chelsea Handler (No. 9), and JWoww (No.23). Romantic Comedy’s Leading Ladies Several of America’s sweethearts are in the top 50 this year, including: Jessica Alba (No. 14) Kate Winslet (No. 18), Jennifer Lopez (No. 31), Jessica Biel (No. 33), Jennifer Aniston (No.37), Jennifer Garner (No.38), and Cameron Diaz (No.41). Where Have the Kardashians Gone? Last year, searching for downloads of Kanye West, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner were popular among Americans. This year, the Kardashian clan is nowhere to be found. Instead, Jersey Shore star JWoww (No.23) and celebrity mogul Jay Z (No.26) claim spots on the list. How You Can Stay Protected:
• Beware of clicking on third party links. You should access content directly from official websites of content providers. For example, visit ABC.com to find Jimmy Kimmel’s latest episodes. • Ensure you use web protection that will notify you of risky sites or links before you visit them. Stick to official news sites for breaking news. • Don’t download videos from suspect sites. This should be common sense, but it bears repeating: don’t download anything from a website you don’t trust — especially video. Most news clips you’d want to see can easily be found on official video sites and don’t require you to download anything. • “Free downloads” are by far the highest virus-prone search term. Anyone searching for videos or files to download should be careful as not to unleash unsafe content such as malware onto their computers. • Always use password protection on your phone and other mobile devices. If you don’t and your phone is lost or stolen, anyone who picks up the device could have access to your personal information online. • Don’t “log in” or provide other information: If you receive a message, text or email or visit a third-party website that asks for your information - credit card, email, home address, Facebook login, or other information - to grant access to an exclusive story, don’t give it out. Such requests are a common tactic for phishing that could lead to identity theft. For more information, check out www.mcafee.com/most-dangerouscelebrities
13
The Malta Independent | Thursday 30 October 2014
Roderick Spiteri
Roderick Spiteri is Marketing and Communications Manager at MITA and editor of Malta Independent ICT feature
The Malta Independent ICT Feature
A
new mobile application about the Majjistral Nature and History Park was launched late last week. The app is the first of its kind for Malta as it can serve as an educational resource about the richness of local flora and fauna and our natural habitat. Last March, Government launched the national strategy for
ICT - Digital Malta 2014 – 2020. One of the recommendations within this strategy was the formation of a Governing body to steer implementation of the Strategy, bring about a coordinated effort across all stakeholders, address issues and mitigate risks, capitalise on opportunities and overcome the challenges ahead. This Governing body was launched earlier this year.
Cyber criminals are all the time on the look out on how they can trick people into clicking on certain links. One way of doing this is to attach viruses or malware in links related to some of the favourite celebrities. McAfee have just issued this year’s list of ‘The Most Dangerous Celebrities’ – where they track and rank celebrity names that are most likely to infect fans with mali-
cious programs. All ICT Features are available on www.mita.gov.mt/ictfeature
Launch of Digital Malta Governing Body
O
n Monday, Hon. Dr. José Herrera, Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth, announced the setting up of the Governing Body for Digital Malta which is the national strategy for ICT covering the period 2014 - 2020. This Governing Body will provide leadership, mentorship and support to stakeholders in understanding and implementing the Strategy. It will also bring about a coordinated effort across all stakeholders, address any issues, mitigate risks, capitalise on opportunities and overcome the challenges ahead. The Digital Malta Strategy was launched on 24th March 2014 by the Hon Prime Minister. The strategy is a policy document that will guide the country to attain the 2020 Vision that ‘Malta will prosper as a digitally-enabled nation in all sectors of society’. The strategy puts forward 71 actions under six strategic themes, namely Digital Business, Digital
Government and Digital Citizen as the vertical themes which are supported by Regulation and Legislation, Infrastructure and Human Capital. The Digital Malta Strategy was articulated in collaboration between the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) and the Malta Communication Authority (MCA). The Governing Body will review, approve and monitor the yearly programme of initiatives, which provides visibility of the planned projects aimed towards the attainment of the vision. It will also measure the benefits gained from the actions implemented. The results will be accessible to all and digital success stories will be promoted and celebrated. Mr. Godfrey Vella, Malta’s Digital Champion, has been appointed chairperson of the Digital Malta Governing Body. The deputy chairperson is Mr. Emanuel Darmanin from MITA. The other members are Mr. Anthony Vassallo, representing Malta Enterprise, Mr. Steve
Agius, from MCA, Mr. Marcel Mizzi representing the GRTU, Dr. Angelo Dalli from the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Martin Spiteri representing MFIN, Dr. Veronique Dalli representing the Citizen and Mr. Adrian P. Sciberras, from the Parliamentary Secretariat for Competitiveness and Economic Growth. Hon. Herrera said that, “The Governing Body will ensure a coherent strategic action across all entities executing its actions. With this new body, we can ensure that there are no gaps between the strategy and the various stakeholders. Therefore, as opposed to previous attempts, we can ensure that initiatives are actually being implemented and that targets are being met.” “Malta remains committed to the ICT initiatives and is successfully working towards meeting all the objectives of the Digital Malta Strategy,” concluded Hon. Herrera. Mr. Vella, the chairperson of the Digital Malta Governing Body maintains that, “The body has a
responsibility towards the citizens. We will guide the various stakeholders, whether these are government or private sector entities, societal organisations or individuals, so that their effort is harmonised towards the successful implementation of the strategy and the attainment of the
intended benefits. This is a national strategy and each one of us has a role to play.” For further information on the Digital Malta Strategy, please visit the webpage: digitalmalta.gov.mt and like the Facebook page www.facebook.com/digitalmalta