[SFDXA] RSGB Outlines "New" Islands on the Air (IOTA) Vision, Seeks Partnership

[Bill]

 From Tony N2MFT
*RSGB Outlines "New" Islands on the Air (IOTA) Vision, Seeks Partnership*

Changes are in store for the Radio Society of Great Britain's popular 
Islands on the Air (IOTA <http://www.rsgbiota.org/>) program, as theRSGB 
<http://www.rsgb.org/>repositions itself to assume a less-direct role in 
the operating award program's management and administration going 
forward. The "New IOTA" will embrace the program's international scope 
and likely include some online means of confirming IOTA contacts and 
claiming contact credits. For the time being, however, everything will 
remain as it is. This past July, IOTA celebrated its 50th anniversary as 
"a premier DX program" under the guidance of the RSGB and IOTA Manager, 
Roger Balister, G3KMA. The program boasts some 2500 active island 
chasers and another 15,000 or so casual participants. In September the 
RSGBannounced 
<http://rsgb.org/main/blog/uncategorized/2014/09/24/rsgb-iota-programme/>that 
it had asked IOTA management to enlist a group or organization from 
within the IOTA community to take the program into its next 50 years.

"The main focus will be on the development of online island credit 
submission (paperless QSLing) as a new feature of the programme," 
Balister explained in a September 27 post on the IOTA website. "The plan 
is then for this group to run IOTA in partnership with the RSGB. In the 
meantime no immediate policy, management or personnel changes are planned."

The RSGB announcement from President John Gould, G3WKL, said that a 
review of the program identified three primary issues. These include the 
program's current heavy reliance on a few key people, the need for 
modern, robust IT support that "will include online island credit 
submission akin to LoTW," and a requirement for a more friendly and 
accessible website.

"The review accepted without question that all island and participant 
databases should be preserved and that any changes should be 
backwards-compatible," Gould's announcement said. "In addition, it was 
important to seek ways to rejuvenate and ensure the sustainability of 
the program. This vision we loosely called 'New IOTA.'"

Gould explained that the RSGB is seeking a "partnership rather than a 
top-down approach," and that the RSGB Board has agreed that the IOTA 
team be invited to establish a group to develop and implement the "New 
IOTA" concept, with the RSGB providing seed money and "other appropriate 
support."

"This approach acknowledges that the strength of the program lies with 
its national and international participants whom, we are assured, have 
the motivation, skills and enthusiasm to develop the program and to 
promote it to its full potential," Gould continued. "This way forward 
has the full support of the IOTA team and has been welcomed by the wider 
IOTA community both at home and abroad. "

According to Gould's announcement, research and study to develop a plan 
for the "New IOTA" will take place over the next 9 months. Readmore 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/rsgb-outlines-new-islands-on-the-air-iota-vision-seeks-partnership>.