OREANDA-NEWS. On 17 July 2009 was announced, that session of the working group for rating analysis of the republic's readiness for the information society took place in the Ministry of Economic Development of Karelia. The rating held by the Institute of the Information Society was presented at the VIth Information Society social and economic forum in Tver in which delegation of the Ministry of Economic Development of Karelia participated.

By means of special methods there have been analyzed factors of use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in regions in development of key spheres of life activities of the society, as well as use of ICT by the population.

Index of the regions' readiness for the information society is based on parameters describing three key factors of electronic development - human capital, business climate and ICT-infrastructure. Parameters of use of ICT in business, public and municipal administration, education, public health services, culture, and population of regions are subject to analysis.

Head of IIS Directorate Sergey Shaposhnik has especially pointed out Karelia's experience in use of information and communication technologies in development of the republic. As a whole, among regions of Russia, Karelia ranks No. 8 in readiness for the information society, and it ranks 5th in the index of using ICT for development. On the index of use of ICT in spheres of culture and education Karelia ranks third. In the sphere of medicine it lies in the 12th place, in the sphere of business — in the 17th place. On use of computers by the population Karelia ranks 11th among the other Russia's regions.