Big Data: Sorting the Reality From the Hype

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Article by Steve Lohr posted by the NY Times Blog on bits.blogs.nytimes.com

This article discusses the development of new computer projects attempting to design new computer technology.

The article points out, "A Forrester Research report, published Friday, provides some leavening perspective on the big data phenomenon. The report is based on a survey of 60 Forrester clients who are using or experimenting with big data computing. It tries to define big data, assess its current applications and offer tips for corporate managers."  A link to the report is provided in the article.

The article describes some examples of "Big Data" projects cited in the report, "The science-project nature of big data to date is highlighted, I thought, by six examples of innovators described at the start of the report. There is Google, of course. And IBM’s Watson, which defeated two human “Jeopardy” champions earlier this year, is cited. But two of the other examples — remote sensors collecting data on premature babies in a hospital ward at the University of Ontario, and a smart-grid project at the Tennessee Valley Authority — are also collaborations with IBM Research (which is not mentioned).

So yes, there are cutting-edge innovators with big data, but not a lot, it seems."

The article quotes Boris Evelson of Forrester as saying, “With the other technology, you need to model something first,” Mr. Evelson said. “But what if you don’t know the questions? Big data is all about exploration without preconceived notions.”




The article describes the hardware being developed, and also states that the real cost is the talented people that need to work with these systems to accomplish what they are trying to do.

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Social Media and eDiscovery: New Kid on the Block, but the Same Story

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Article by Allison Walton, posted on the e-Discovery 2.0 blog.

The article discusses the increasing impact that social media is having upon eDiscovery in litigation.  The author states, "Recently, Symantec issued the findings of its second annual Information Retention and eDiscovery Survey, which examined how enterprises are coping with the tsunami of electronically stored information. Having lost some popularity, email came in third place (58%) to files/documents (67%) and database/application data (61%) when respondents were asked what type of documents were most commonly part of an eDiscovery request. The new kid on the block for data sources is social media, reported by 41% of those surveyed. Social media is in essence no different than any other data type in the eDiscovery process, it’s just the newest. Said another way; social media is the new email."  A link to Symantec's findings is provided in the article.

As the author points out, "What is newsworthy is the question of how to effectively store, manage and discover these communications which come in such varying forms, making the logistics of doing so for social media different than for traditional mediums."

The article goes on to further state, "Unlike email, social media comes in many different forms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.), is not controlled within an organization’s firewalls (custody, possession and control issues), and has more complex requirements within the information governance lifecycle (technology is needed to ingest social media into an archive).

The two main areas to examine in relation to social media use and an organization’s policies are: 1) the legal issues that apply specifically to the organization, and 2) the logistical and technical requirements for preservation and collection."

The author recommends, "...organizations should evaluate which laws and regulations apply to their organization, develop a policy and train their employees on that policy."

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Dancing in the Dark: Resolving form disputes early can prevent expensive, time-consuming headaches during litigation.

http://ow.ly/6JIGf

An article by Craig Ball, Esq. published by law.com on the LTN webpage (yet another article dated October 1st...is my calendar off..third one this week that is dated in the future).

This article discusses a recent conversation Mr. Ball had at a conference regarding why counsel prefers to produce in TIFF, even when a native review has been undertaken.

The author states, "I wanted functional evidence. She wanted Bates numbers on every page. I wanted the embedded communications. She wanted to be sure I couldn't see anything she'd overlooked. We danced around for a while, but I knew when the music stopped, I might be stuck holding a disk full of .tiffs, partly due to a crucial flaw in the federal rules governing forms of ESI production."

The article discusses various steps involved in the process to request and produce ESI under the Federal Rules of Civil procedure.  The author provides a worthwhile reminder, "The Notes to Rule 34(b) of the 2006 Rules amendments make clear that the Advisory Committee appreciated the risk: "A party that responds to a discovery request by simply producing electronically stored information in a form of its choice, without identifying that form in advance of the production…runs a risk that the requesting party canshow that the produced form is not reasonably usable and that it is entitled to production of some or all of the information in an additional form."

The risk of additional production has proven insufficient to promote good practice. Five years on, disputes about forms of production are commonplace."

The conclusion of the article is also a useful note, "Requesting parties, too, shouldn't wait until the response date to know if an opponent refuses to furnish the forms sought. Press for a commitment; and, if not forthcoming, move to compel ahead of the response date. Don't wait to hear, "Why didn't you raise this before they spent all that money?""

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The 2011 Global 100: Most Revenue

http://www.law.com/jsp/tal/PubArticleTAL.jsp?id=1202514393371&The__Global__Most_Revenue

Article by American Lawyer

Gross revenue rebounded slightly last year. The Global 100 firms reported a 3 percent increase in 2010. Seventy-eight of the world’s top-grossing firms are American and 12 are British, though four of them are structured as vereins. Rounding out this year’s list are six Australian firms; and one firm each from Canada, France, Spain, and the Netherlands.

Revenues for American firms are from The Am Law 100. European firm revenues are from Legal Week. Australian and Canadian firms were surveyed directly. Currency conversion rates to U.S. dollars are annual averages for 2010. Lawyer numbers are average full-time-equivalent numbers for 2010. Revenue figures are rounded to the nearest $500,000.

TOP 5 Ranked by Gross Revenue

1. Baker Mckenzie            $2,265,500,000

2. Skadden Arps               $2,100,000,000

3. DLA Piper                     $1,961,000,000

4. Latham & Watkins        $1,929,000,000
5. Clifford Chance             $1,833,500,000

Click the link on top to see the rest

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Search, Forward Will manual document review and keyword searches be replaced by computer- assisted coding?

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An article by Hon. Andrew Peck published by law.com on LTN webpage (article dated October 1, 2011...I guess we are getting an advanced peek).

The article discusses traditional linear review, and then comments as to whether other means of technology enhanced reviews can provide similar results.

As the article states, "Despite its flaws, many senior lawyers (and some clients) still consider manual review to be the "gold standard" against which other review techniques are compared. While the volume of electronically stored information (and concomitant expense) has largely eliminated manual review as the sole method of document review, manual review remains used along with, for example, keyword screening. Let us consider whether manual review as the gold standard is myth or reality."

The article goes on to state, "Two recent research studies clearly demonstrate that computerized searches are at least as accurate, if not more so, than manual review. Herb Roitblatt, Ann Kershaw, and Patrick Oot, of the Electronic Discovery Institute, concluded that "[o]n every measure, the performance of the two computer systems was at least as accurate (measured against the original review) as that of human re-review." ("Document Categorization in Legal Electronic Discovery: Computer Classification vs. Manual Review," Journal of Am. Society for Information Science & Technology, 61(1):70-80 (2010).)

Likewise, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz litigation counsel Maura Grossman and University of Waterloo professor Gordon Cormack, using data from the Text Retrieval Conference Legal Track, concluded that "[T]he idea that exhaustive manual review is the most effective — and therefore the most defensible — approach to document review is strongly refuted. Technology-assisted review can (and does) yield more accurate results than exhaustive manual review, with much lower effort. ("Technology-Assisted Review in E-Discovery Can Be More Effective and More Efficient Than Exhaustive Manual Review," Richmond J. of Law & Tech., Vol. XVII, Issue 3, 1-48 (2011))."

Links to the case studies cited above are provided in the article.

Judge Peck points out issues associated with keyword searching, and the various limitations associated with that technique, "The problems with keyword search are well known. Lawyers are used to doing keyword searches in "clean" databases, such as Westlaw and Lexis, which use full sentences, full words (not abbreviations), and largely the same words to describe the same concept. E-mail collections are not clean databases. People use different words to describe the same concept; even business e-mails are informal, rampant with misspellings, abbreviations, and acronyms."

The article cites case law that has criticized the results of keyword searching, and also provides the following example: "How effective is keyword searching? In 1985, scholars David Blair and M.E. Maron collected 40,000 documents from a Bay Area Rapid Transit accident, and instructed experienced attorney and paralegal searchers to use keywords and other review techniques to retrieve at least 75% of the documents relevant to 51 document requests. Searchers believed they met the goals, but their average recall was just 20%. This result has been replicated in the TREC Legal Track studies over the past few years."

The article reiterates remarks Judge Peck has made in the past regarding the use of "predictive coding" techniques, and the fact that there is no case he is aware of approving such use.  However, he states that counsel need not wait for such judicial approval in a specific opinion, rather he suggests the following: "
Of course, the best approach to the use of computer-assisted coding is to follow the Sedona Cooperation Proclamation model. Advise opposing counsel that you plan to use computer-assisted coding and seek agreement; if you cannot, consider whether to abandon predictive coding for that case or go to the court for advance approval.

Until there is a judicial opinion approving (or even critiquing) the use of predictive coding, counsel will just have to rely on this article as a sign of judicial approval. In my opinion, computer-assisted coding should be used in those cases where it will help "secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive" (Fed. R. Civ. P. 1) determination of cases in our e-discovery world."

P.S.  Have questions or comments about this topic, the writers of this blog would love to hear them. This is an area of great interest to SRM Legal, and we would be happy to get your insight to share with others.

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ALA Current - TECHNOLOGY PURCHASING SURVEY RESULTS - ILTA

http://ow.ly/6Jtew

This is a link to the ALA Currents publication from alanet.org, which includes a comment about hiring trends, and also includes an article by Jobst Elster regarding the recent ILTA 2011 Conference, and the results of the purchasing survey.

There is also a link provided to download the complete 16 page purchasing survey.

Some of the interesting statistics provided are as follows:

• 90 percent indicated using LinkedIn for professional purposes followed by Twitter (19 percent) and Facebook (17 percent)
• Of the 52 percent who indicated using Twitter (actively or passively, privately or professionally), 27 percent have an account but don't actively use it. Only 4 percent mentioned tweeting frequently
• 55 percent of surveyed firms provide IT support for employees that purchase and use their personal tablet devices
• 57 percent of all responding firms spend between 2-4 percent of total firm revenue on technology
• 46 percent of surveyed firms spend between $8,000-$17,000 per attorney on technology

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EDRM XML 2.0 Schema Posted – Please Comment!

http://www.edrm.net/archives/10424?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=edrm-xml-2-0-schema-posted-please-comment

The link above will take you the EDRM website.  The EDRM is seeking comments regarding the new XML 2.0 Schema prior to the next EDRM meeting in October.  Please visit the site, and click on the link you will find there to provide your feedback.

As the EDRM post from George Socha states, "Version 2.0 of the EDRM XML schema is available on EDRM.net for public comments now through October 14, 2011. Public comments provide vital feedback to the EDRM XML team and ensure that the schema is truly useful and robust."

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Why Blue Button Data Is a Big Deal

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An article by Brian Klein posted on medgadget.com


This article discusses the digitization of health care records, and the push to make them accessible online.  As the article states, "Last year, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs launched the Blue Button Initiative in an effort to facilitate veterans’ access to their medical records, which they’d be able to share with doctors or insurers. Medicare, the Department of Defense, and the private sector have since adopted the concept. Earlier this month, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation rolled out bluebuttondata.org, which it hopes will eventually give “all Americans” online access to their health data."


The author discusses the attempts to make healthcare records accessible to individuals, via efforts such as the Blue Button Initiative.  The article provides a link to offer further information about the Blue Button organization.

This article is the 2nd part of a series based on comments from U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) CTO Todd Park.  Park is quoted in this article as follows:  "[People asked us:] “Are you allowed under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the privacy law in healthcare, to give people their own information electronically?” We said, “Yes! That act actually encourages that.” But [that type of questioning] illustrates a lot of the confusion that is out there. So, now more and more private-sector organizations have announced that they are going to Blue Button their data, too."

Additional efforts are referenced as well,  "Aetna, at a recent event, announced that it has now Blue Buttoned its personal health record for 10-million people who were covered by Aetna. United Healthcare, Walgreens, and the states of Vermont and Indiana have announced that they were going to do the same thing. PatientsLikeMe, which is a very cool patient website, has said it is going to do the same thing. And, so, it’s starting to spread."

P.S.  This can be a very positive trend...so long as the sites can be kept secure for hackers...no easy task these days.

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E-discovery laws: Having an information governance framework matters

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An article by Ron Condon, UK Bureau Chief, posted on the search security website, searchsecurity.co.uk

This article discusses the U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and how the eDiscovery provisions effect UK corporations.

The article states, "According to Debra Logan, an analyst with research and advisory firm Gartner who specializes in the field of e-discovery, most UK organizations believe e-disclosure is an American phenomenon, and of no concern to them. But they are wrong.

“Some Europeans think it doesn’t matter here,” Logan said, “but the fact is that the rules of disclosure and discovery are no different in any jurisdiction.”

Furthermore, with increased regulations and laws covering factors such as privacy and corporate bribery, there is a growing level of litigation in Europe. According to Fulbright & Jaworski, a law firm that tracks litigation trends in the US and UK, 50% of UK companies faced at least one legal dispute in 2010, compared with 45% the year before."

The article goes on to state, "The UK courts are already aware of the problem. In April 2011, the Ministry of Justice issued Practice Direction 31B – Disclosure of Electronic Documents, which spells out in some detail what lawyers need to consider when discovering and disclosing electronic evidence.

According to the Direction, the main guiding principles should be as follows:

• Electronic documents should be managed efficiently in order to minimise the cost incurred by e-discovery.
• Technology should be used to ensure document management activities are undertaken efficiently and effectively.
• Disclosure should be given in a manner that gives effect to the overriding objective [of getting to the truth].
• Electronic documents should generally be made available for inspection in a form that allows the party receiving the documents the same ability to access, search, review and display the documents as the party giving disclosure.
• Disclosure of electronic documents that are of no relevance to the proceedings may place an excessive burden in time and cost on the party to whom disclosure is given."

In addition, the article further provides some interesting statistics, "And don’t just think it’s a question of archiving emails. As a recent study by Symantec revealed, e-disclosure requests can cover a wide range of file types. Files and documents (67%) are the most frequently requested, followed by database or application data (61%), email (58%), SharePoint files (51%), instant messages and text messages (44%), and social media (41%)." 

A link to the Symantec survey is provided in the article, and was previously referenced on the Litigation Support Technology and News blog.

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Are you in danger of 'drive-by' hacking?

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Article by Howard Swains on CNN.com on the CNN Tech webpage.

This article discusses the hacking phenomenon, and the increase in hacking taking place to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

The author states, "iPhones, iPads, BlackBerrys, Windows 7 phones and Android users routinely use shared networks in public places, which leaves them all susceptible to infiltration. Unless these networks have been properly secured, freely available browser add-ons and apps can help hackers seize control of personal data at the touch of a button.

Meanwhile so-called "drive-by download" attacks lie invisibly in wait on web-pages or in malicious emails then compromise the machine of anyone unfortunate enough to visit."

The article describes the following incidents as examples, "None of the most popular devices are immune. In 2009, for instance, a hack resulted in 145,000 BlackBerry users having their email forwarded to servers in the United Arab Emirates. Pennell also described an attack on the network of an airport in Israel, which threatened anyone using Bluetooth in the terminal."  The article even mentions hacking that took place through code embedded in the "Angry Birds" app.

To further add to this frightening situation, the author mentions, ""Your Facebook or YouTube account could be hijacked with someone using little more than a cheap second-hand phone from eBay," said information security professional Steve Lord."

One of the suggested solutions, "Security experts have touted the idea of "split personality" phones, with an inbuilt division between personal and business data."

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Finding the missing link

http://ow.ly/6IGyS

A blog post from Charles Holloway from his blog, The Smart e-Discovery Blog.

This article discusses trends concerning the use of LPO services to outsource certain legal functions. The author states, "In my own “second career” it is plain that e-disclosure is becoming a much more main stream activity and in general lawyers are not good at it and many do not “get it”.

Why should clients continue to pay for lawyers to do something at which they are not very good and where some at least appear not to want to get their hands dirty?

Why not go to a discovery expert? There are lawyers out there (sometimes called discovery counsel) who are making an excellent living providing the service to clients already and effectively sweeping up after the litigation lawyer."

The author also discusses anthropological finds regarding possible missing links, and uses this as an analogy between law firm attorneys, and those specialists they may rely upon.  "I think I may have found the Missing Link by which I mean that the star of the future may well not be the bright litigation lawyer with a flair/knack/talent for litigation but the e-disclosure expert."

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New Survey Finds Integrated Healthcare Privacy Protection and Security Methods Most Effective

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An article published by proofpoint.com  (no author credit provided).

This article discusses a recent survey by PWC. "...the PwC report found less than half of all healthcare providers currently integrate privacy protection and security compliance practices. The firm believes that this likely makes data loss prevention procedures more difficult, as integration of these processes has proven to improve the safety of EHRs and the effort required to meet HIPAA compliance and other regulations."

The article further discusses some of the findings from this recent survey, and mentions that the survey recommends integration among various I.T. systems, "Integrating privacy protection and security procedures, the website asserts, can improve the overall scope of IT compliance and safety operations through streamlined processes and increased efficacy. Additionally, this strategy could potentially decrease overlooked areas, as the source notes the survey found more than half of the respondents had not assessed security for mobile devices currently in use in their respective organizations.

In the survey from PwC, more than 35 percent of healthcare providers said they had experienced patients trying to gain admittance and care with stolen or fraudulent identification, the source added. Integrating IT operations can thwart these attempts, the website affirmed."

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When E-Discovery breaches data protection

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An article by Irene Bodle appearing on webanalyticsworld.net

This article discusses the impact that eDiscovery has upon data protection and privacy rights.

The article states that when litigation arises, you may be compelled to produce data that is subject to conflicting privacy protections. "The court order to disclose data may well conflict with compliance and privacy requirements in relation to data in the countries in which the data is actually held. However for the purposes of complying with a court order the actual location of the data and the local rules applying to the storage of the data cannot be used as a reason to refuse disclosure."

The author cites a recent situation where there was such a conflict, "For example in AccessData Corporation v ALSTE Technologies GmbH a US court ordered a German company to disclose emails stored in Germany as part of the disclosure process in a court case, although the company argued that this breached the German Data Protection Act."

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eDiscovery Trends: Sedona Conference Provides Guidance for Judges

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An article by Jason Krause posted on the eDiscovery Daily Blog.

The article states, "Last month, The Sedona Conference® made a public comments version of the Cooperation Proclamation: Resources for the Judiciary available on the Sedona Conference website. The Sedona Conference Cooperation Proclamation has set a non-trivial goal- to teach the profession to collaborate during the discovery process instead of the traditional gladiatorial style of litigation. The Resources for the Judiciary document aims to provide judges with a foundation for creating a collaborative and non-adversarial approach to managing eDiscovery."

The article provides a link the available resources on the Sedona Conference site.

The article states, "The Resources make the following recommendations:

• Judges should adopt a “hands-on” approach to case management early in each action;
• Judges should establish deadlines and keep parties to those guidelines (or make reasonable adjustments) with periodic status reports or conferences;
• Judges should encourage the parties to meet before discovery commences to develop a realistic discovery plan;
• Judges should encourage proportionality in preservation demands and expectations and in discovery requests and responses;
• Judges should exercise their discretion to limit or condition disproportionate discovery and shift disproportionate costs;
• If necessary, judges should exercise their authority to issue sanctions under the relevant statutes, rules, or the exercise of inherent authority on counsel or parties who create unnecessary costs or delay, or who otherwise frustrate the goals of discovery by “gaming the system”."

 

The author further points out, "The Sedona Conference has acknowledged that cooperation is contrary to the adversarial instincts lawyers have been taught, and that it will require a generational shift for the nature of litigation to change. But there is perhaps no better way to encourage lawyers to cooperate than to create and active and informed judiciary on eDiscovery issues."

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Managing Information Risk and Archiving Social Media

http://ow.ly/6Hyfo

An article by Ben Kerschberg on Forbes.com

This article discusses the recent survey by Symantec, and also addresses the rise in requests for production of electronically stored information from social media networks.  As the article discusses, "Social media has changed the face of business. Whether in product marketing, consumer branding, customer relations, and/or human resources, the benefits of corporate social media are beyond dispute. Yet mounting evidence shows that the risks are, too. Last week, Symantec released the results of an independent survey of 2,000 global enterprises across a variety of industries with a minimum of 1,000 employees. (Symantec confirmed that “[t]he respondents do not represent any kind of grouping of former or current Symantec customers.”) The survey results speak to the heterogeneous nature of the types of electronically stored information (“ESI”) stored during legal proceedings. See Evan Koblentz, Symantec: Files, Databases Overtake Email in E-Discovery, Law Technology News (Sept. 19, 2011)."

The article goes on to discuss the plans to implement social media policies, "Only 30% of corporate respondents identified themselves as either having discussed or being in the process of discussing such a plan, with an additional 14% stating that they neither had nor intended to create such a plan."

The article goes on to address the need for policies to regulate, and also to archive social media ESI.  "Corporate giants such as Coke and IBM have posted their own policies online and can be the starting point for a solid, tailored policy. Yet creating a clear, defensible and enforced social media policy is just the start.

Current case law leaves little doubt that social media is discoverable in litigation. This raises the obvious question: How can companies archive social media the way they do email so that they can answer such requests? There are serious challenges to doing so properly."


P.S.  If you are interested in creating a policy to regulate social media use, please see Joe Bartolo's article at the link provided below, the conclusion of this article provides a link to a site with over 230 different corporate policies that are actually in use presently:

http://www.litigationsupporttechnologyandnews.com/2011/09/social-media-in-workplace-regulating.html

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E-Discovery Sanctions May Be Entered and Have Consequences Long After Litigation Concludes

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An article by Jennifer A. Hradil published on the Gibbons E-Discovery Law Alert website.

This article discusses the case of Green v. Blitz U.S.A and uses it as an example of an instance where sanctions for eDiscovery violations can have long lasting impact, well beyond the one case they arose from.

As the article points out, "Over a year after the conclusion of the trial and entry of final judgment in Green, the court entered monetary and non-monetary sanctions against the defendant for its failure to adequately preserve and identify potentially relevant documents. Because the matter had closed, many of the non-monetary sanctions under Rule 37(b)(2) were not available. Accordingly, the court fashioned a creative non-monetary sanction requiring the defendant (1) to provide the sanctions opinion to all plaintiffs in any litigation against the defendant for the prior 2 years; and (2) to file the opinion with any court in any new lawsuit in which the defendant is a party for 5 years following entry of the opinion.

Like many opinions issuing sanctions for e-discovery violations, at first glance, Green appears to present somewhat extreme facts reflecting the defendant’s electronic discovery failures:

• The defendant’s employee charged with the collection of relevant information testified that he was computer illiterate;
• That employee did not perform any electronic search for emails or talk to the IT department in connection with his search;
• No litigation hold directive was given to employees; and
• Over the course of the relevant period, numerous emails were sent by the IT department instructing employees to delete old emails."

The article goes on to provide some guidance as to how to avoid sanctions, "While the facts giving rise to the defendant’s e-discovery failures seem extreme, Green provides valuable lessons for executing any e-discovery preservation and collection plan. For example, Green once again highlights the dangers of not having developed a litigation hold procedure and issuing an adequate litigation hold when appropriate. Likewise, while charging a computer illiterate employee with sole responsibility for discovery collection is an obvious gaffe, Greenshould nonetheless serve as a reminder that choosing appropriate personnel to work in conjunction with counsel is critical to a defensible collection plan. Finally, given the nature of the sanctions here, parties involved in repeated litigation should be aware that they could continue to face consequences from e-discovery violations even well after the conclusion of the litigation in which they occurred."

P.S.  As with many things in life, try to learn lessons through the mistakes of others, and do what you can to avoid making the same mistakes.

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Social Network Warning – Employers Should Use Caution in Disciplining Employees for On-line Statements

http://ow.ly/6HkKL

An article by H. Andrew Matzkin and Tyrone P. Thomas from Mintz Levin's Employer, Labor & Benefits newsletter. 

The article provides information regarding disciplining employees for comments made on the internet or social media networks, and states, "On-line postings of employees related to the workplace are of obvious interest to employers. However, there are risks to employers who discipline employees for posting statements relating to the conditions of their workplace."

The article cites some real examples of employees terminated for social network posts, and court rulings that required the reinstatement of those employees.  In addition, the article goes on to state, "Employers should also be aware that the National Labor Relations Act protects both organized and non-organized employees, and, among other things, protects the rights of all employees (whether or not unionized) to discuss and engage in other concerted activity relating to their working conditions. Indeed, the Hispanics United ruling serves as a notice to all employers that this will be a growing and continuing concern.

Employers should consult with their legal advisor on the content and application of their social media policies for compliance with federal and state labor laws. In addition, employers should exercise care before investigating or disciplining employees for comments published on social networking sites."

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A New View of Review: Predictive Coding Vows to Cut E-Discovery Drudgery

http://ow.ly/6HjPw

An article by Joe Dysart published on the ABA Law Journal....with a date of October 1, 2011 (Wow....predictive coding truly is the future, since today's date is September 28, 2011)

This article provides ammunition to the argument that predictive coding technology is as accurate (if not more so) than traditional attorney review methods.  As the article states, "

There has been a long-standing myth in the legal field that exhaustive manual review is the gold standard, or nearly perfect, but that has been shown to be a fallacy,” says Maura R. Grossman, counsel at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City. “Humans manually reviewing large numbers of documents for responsiveness make errors.

“Research has shown that, under the best circumstances, manual review will identify about 70 percent of the responsive documents in a large data collection. Some technology-assisted approaches have been shown to perform at least as well as that, if not better, at far less cost.”

In fact, Grossman recently released research (PDF link available in the article) with co-author Gordon V. Cormack, a computer science professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, that concluded software using a predictive-coding approach can do a better job of sifting through more than 800,000 documents than humans."

The article goes on to state, "But the technology’s use at law firms is still so new, many question its legal defensibility, although that mindset is beginning to change, according to Craig Carpenter, vice president of marketing at Recommind, a predictive-coding software provider based in San Francisco.

“What often happens is that both sides will essentially agree that one or the other or both will use predictive coding, and that that’s fine with both sides,” says Carpenter, whose firm licenses its software at $650 per gigabyte of data searched. “It doesn’t make it defensible, but it makes the potential defensibility not an issue at all.”

Perhaps the only worrisome facet in this new wave of search is that a machine is now promising to do the same work that was previously the realm of entry-level new hires. More than a few fresh-out-of-law-school types are probably wondering: Is predictive coding my friend, or should I stick a pencil in my computer fan?"

P.S.  Auto-Review and Predictive Coding technologies will continue to develop, and they are certainly not going away.

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eDiscovery Trends: Economy Woes Not Slowing eDiscovery Industry Growth

http://ow.ly/6HiZQ

A blog post by Doug Austin from his blog eDiscovery Daily.

The article discusses recent surveys regarding trends in the eDiscovery market, and finds that eDiscovery continues to show growth as an industry.

The article states, "...according to a Market Research Report now available from IBISWorld.
As revealed in a press release announcing the report, revenue in the eDiscovery industry is growing at an annual rate of 5.6% over the last five years to an estimated $786.5 million in 2011. In line with a rebound in corporate profitability last year, eDiscovery industry revenue jumped 9.1% then and is anticipated to exceed the five-year average growth rate again this year, with an increase of 7.6%. As the press release notes, “[t]he copious amount of electronically stored information (ESI) has made e-discovery services resilient in the face of tough economic conditions”. In addition, 60% of law firms are planning on increasing their eDiscovery staff in the next 6 months, according to a survey of 45 AmLaw 200 firms conducted by The Cowen Group."

A link to the Cowen Group report is provided in the article, in addition to a link that will allow purchase of the IBISWorld report.

The article also states, "With corporate profit expected to grow at a rate of 7.3% annually over the next five years (to 2016), continued spiraling growth of ESI volumes and growing demand from the legal market, IBISWorld expects eDiscovery industry revenue to continue to rise at an average annual rate of 6.1% over those five years, to reach $1.1 billion by the end of 2016."

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Doing Justice to Justice: e-Discovery Reform Part 3

http://ow.ly/6HgRh

A blog post from BLLAWG, at  blog.liquidlitigation.com.

The article provides information regarding recent efforts to limit the scope of eDiscovery requests in order to reduce costs.  As the blog post states, "The group Lawyers for Civil Justice published their opinions on current attempts at e-discovery reform and did not hold back their frustration. LCJ insists that the scope of required discovery must be greatly narrowed in order to start solving today’s extensive discovery problems."

The blog post goes on to state, "Lawyers for Civil Justice has proposed four ideas that they feel would greatly help the dire state of today’s e-discovery standards.
1. Limit the scope of discovery to non-privileged data that gives clear proof of a claim or defense.
2. Define categories and sources of electronically stored information (ESI) that can be exempted from discovery or considered “not reasonably accessible.”
3. Explicitly state discovery requirements in the proportionality rule.
4. Limit requests to 25 productions, 10 custodians, and a two year period prior to the complaint."

A concluding statement is offered as follows, "We can all agree that better defined discovery guidelines are in great need, but are 25 productions and two years of data enough to do all matters justice?"

P.S.  This writers of this blog feel that technological advancements will be the real solution to this issue.  The answer to concerns regarding eDiscovery productions is to address the attorney review costs, and to use technology to enhance the review process, and reduce the costs associated with the review...not limit the ability to find evidence that is relevant to the case.  While proportionality in discovery request should certainly play a factor, artificial caps on what evidence can be requested simply make no sense. 

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Authenticity of Web pages under attack by hackers

http://ow.ly/6Hg1m

An article by Byron Acohido published by USA Today.

This article discusses a troubling trend, hackers are targeting companies that authenticate the validity of website pages.

The article describes this type of hacking incident as follows:  "Hackers cracked three companies that work with the most popular Web browsers to ensure the authenticity of Web pages where consumers type in sensitive information. The hacked firms are among more than 650 digital certificate authorities (CAs) worldwide that ensure that Web pages are the real deal when displayed by Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome.
A hacker gained access to digital certificate supplier DigiNotar this summer and began issuing forged certificates for dozens of marquee companies."

The article further states, "Unable to cope with the fallout, the Dutch company filed for bankruptcy last week. Two other digital certificate companies, New Jersey-based Comodo and Japanese-owned GlobalSign, were similarly hacked this summer, exposing a glaring weakness in the Internet's underpinnings."

As the article further mentions, "The pressure is on CAs and browser makers to do more to identify and quickly eradicate counterfeit certificates and faked Web pages, security experts say. "No one knows where the next breach will occur," says Jeff Hudson, CEO of digital certificate management company Venafi."

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Our Pleasure to Serve You: More Lawyers Look to Social Networking Sites to Notify Defendants

http://ow.ly/6HeHg

An article by Stephanie Francis Ward published by the ABA Journal.

This article discusses some instances in which service of process was permitted through the use of email, or via social media networks.  This is certainly an interesting use of technology.

The article states, "

While courts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom embrace electronic legal notice, it’s rare in the United States. Many state and federal statutes disallow electronic service of process, lawyers say.
In federal cases, some attorneys cite Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(f)(3), which allows service only for foreign defendants “by other means not prohibited by international agreement, as the court orders.”"

The author goes on to state, "In a 2002 case, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco upheld a default judgment against Rio International Interlink, a Costa Rican gambling website that was served electronically after traditional methods failed. The trademark infringement action was brought by Rio Properties Inc., a Las Vegas hotel and casino.

The defendant, wrote Judge Stephen S. Trott, “had neither an office nor a door; it had only a computer terminal. ... When faced with an international e-business scofflaw playing hide-and-seek with the federal court, email may be the only means of effecting service of process.”"

The article offers opinions from various counsel regarding this development, and whether or not it makes sense.  One comment provided in the article is as follows: "Adam C. Losey would like to see courts take that a step further, and in 2009 he co-wrote a Federal Courts Law Review article advocating domestic electronic service of process.

“You would be surprised at how many people evade service but update their Facebook profile on a near daily basis,” says Losey, a Foley & Lardner associate who practices out of Orlando, Fla., and New York City.

“A lot of the way the law works in giving notice to parties is just tethered to antiquated ways of communication that no one uses anymore,” says Losey, who wrote the article with retired U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald J. Hedges and lawyer Kenneth N. Rashbaum of New York City’s Rashbaum Associates."

P.S.  What do you think?  Should someone be allowed to serve legal papers via Facebook?

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Health Care Organizations Underprepared to Secure Patient Data: PwC

http://ow.ly/6HdEo

Article by Brian T. Horowitz appearing on eweek.com

The article provides information regarding a recent health care report from consulting entity PWC.  The report provides some troubling findings, "Consulting firm PwC's Health Research Institute has come out with a report revealing that health organizations are underprepared to secure patient medical information."

This article goes on to state, "The report, "Old Data Learns New Tricks: Managing Patient Privacy and Security on a New Data-Sharing Playground," shows that despite advances in electronic health records (EHRs) software and security technology, health care organizations have yet to adopt privacy measures on a large scale.
For the survey, PwC interviewed 600 executives from hospitals, physician practices, health insurers and pharmaceutical and life science companies.
Only 58 percent of providers and 41 percent of health insurers train employees on privacy measures for EHRs, PwC reports."

The article states that health providers have invested more in HIPAA compliance than they have in I.T.  However, the article does state the following:  "Despite health care organizations being underprepared, advances in access controls, encryption and monitoring related to EHR application development are happening faster than in other industries..."

Some further statistics are cited in the article regarding issues that deal with the security of health information, such as, "A big security issue for respondents was insiders improperly accessing health data. Over the last two years, 40 percent of providers surveyed reported a breach due to insider snooping or sharing of information. These incidents can include chatting in an elevator or through social media.
In addition, health care organizations are grappling with how to handle security on mobile devices such as iPads, with 55 percent of respondents of health care firms not formulating plans for security on mobile devices.
PwC also revealed that 74 percent of health care organizations plan to share patient data externally for studies and development of new products, but only 17 percent of providers, 19 percent of payers and 22 percent of pharmaceutical and life sciences companies have developed a process to allow patients to consent to the disclosure.

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N.J. Company Faces Sanctions Over Failed Litigation Hold

http://ow.ly/6GMWS

An article by Mary Pat Gallagher published by the New Jersey Law Journal and appearing on law.com on the LTN webpage.

The article describes a situation in which a corporation was sanctioned for failing to preserve information.  As the article states, "A party that destroyed potential evidence after its lawyers at Pashman Stein failed to impose a litigation hold and left it to the company's nonlawyer CFO to sort out what was relevant has been slapped with spoliation sanctions.

In a ruling on Wednesday, District Judge Esther Salas found that N.V.E., an Andover, N.J., nutritional supplement company, did not destroy records deliberately but was grossly negligent in failing to preserve them."

The article goes on to provide some further information about this situation, "Pashman Stein failed to oversee the discovery process, leaving Jensen "responsible for not only gathering the documents to produce in discovery but making relevance calls without the assistance of counsel," Salas said, adding she was "extremely surprised to learn that Mr. Jensen has received no assistance from counsel, nor has any counsel from Pashman Stein visited N.V.E. over the five years this litigation has been pending to review any documents.""

The article provides some specifics about what information was lost, and when.  In addition the article states, "Aidan O'Connor of Pashman Stein says N.V.E. is considering asking for reconsideration or an interlocutory appeal. "I don't think anyone could have predicted that we would not be able to get into our old computers," he says. He also notes that Palmeroni never took N.V.E. up on its offer that he could hire an expert to try to access the data.

He says that since the case was filed there's been a "sea change" in the law regarding litigation holds, which are "now done as a matter of course."

Palmeroni's counsel when the spoliation motion was filed, Westfield solo Fred Shahrooz Scampato, says, "if you represent a company that's being sued or bringing a lawsuit, you have an obligation to issue a litigation hold letter.""

P.S.  If you are concerned about best practices for litigation hold, SRM Legal can provide some technological options that can assist with this process.

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E-Discovery Attorney Says Preserve to Protect: Onsite Coverage

http://ow.ly/6GMyK

Article by Mark Rapport appearing on the Credit Union Times website.

This article discusses a recent presentation provided by eDiscovery attorney Gregory Johnson, which was delivered to the CUNA Operations & Service Council/CUNA Technology Council at a conference in San Antonio.

The article states, "Johnson’s talk included a number of practical tips, such as a reminder that copy machines have hard drive memories and they should be erased before leased machines are turned in, and he especially drove home the point that not being transparent with attorneys for both sides about what’s available can be costly."

In addition, the article goes on to say, "he (Johnson) tells his clients to “preserve, preserve, preserve, and tell me about it. We can always fight later about what we’re going to give to the other side. But they have the right to know it exists.”

The best defense is a good defense, he added. Credit unions should have very clear policies about employee use of company computers, and they need to be as concerned about inside jobs as outside hackers."

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AN E-DISCOVERY MODEL ORDER (for Federal Patent Litigation)

http://ow.ly/6GrrI

This link is to an attachment that is available for downloading, and the file is a model order generated by a recent eDiscovery committee meeting.  The model order is meant to provide guidelines for dealing with eDiscovery associated with patent litigation.

The committee members listed on the model order are as follows:

E-Discovery Committee
Chief Judge James Ware (ND Cal)

Judge Virginia Kendall (ND Ill)

Magistrate Judge Chad Everingham (ED Tex)

Chief Judge Randall Rader (Fed. Cir.)
Tina Chappell

Richard “Chip” Lutton
Joe Re

Edward Reines

Steve Susman

John Whealan

As the Model Order states, "...this Model Order requires a discovery process whereby the partiesexchange core documentation concerning the patent, the accused product, the priorart, and the finances before making email production requests. Moreover, emailproduction requests should be focused on a particular issue for which that type of discovery is warranted. Much as Federal Rule of Civil Procedure  presumptively limits cases to ten depositions and seven hours per deposition, this Model Order presumptively limits the number of custodians and search terms forall email production requests."

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MALLIKA SARABHAI-manjeri UWC

 ക്യാമ്പസിന്റെ ചോദ്യങ്ങളില്‍                    ചുവടുപിഴയ്ക്കാതെ മല്ലിക

മഞ്ചേരി: "സന്ദര്‍ശിച്ച 32-ാമത്തെ കോളേജില്‍ ഒടുവില്‍ ഞാന്‍ അന്വേഷിച്ചവരെ കണ്ടെത്തി" മഞ്ചേരി യൂണിറ്റി വിമന്‍സ് കോളേജിലെ വിദ്യാര്‍ഥിനികളെ ചൂണ്ടി പ്രസിദ്ധ നര്‍ത്തകിയും സാമൂഹ്യപ്രവര്‍ത്തകയുമായ മല്ലിക സാരാഭായി പറഞ്ഞപ്പോള്‍ ഓഡിറ്റോറിയത്തിലും പരിസരത്തും നിലയ്ക്കാത്ത കരഘോഷം. സംവാദത്തില്‍ പെണ്‍കുട്ടികളുടെ ചുറുചുറുക്ക് പരാമര്‍ശിച്ചാണ് മല്ലിക ഇത് പറഞ്ഞത്. മാധ്യമങ്ങളിലൂടെമാത്രം അറിഞ്ഞിട്ടുള്ള നൃത്തവിസ്മയത്തെ അങ്ങേയറ്റം ലാളിത്യത്തോടെ നേരില്‍ കണ്ടപ്പോള്‍ കുട്ടികള്‍ക്കും ആഹ്ലാദം. വാക്കുകളിലൂടെ അവര്‍ നടനമാടിയത് ആയിരത്തോളം വരുന്ന വിദ്യാര്‍ഥിനികളുടെ മനസ്സില്‍ . കെഎസ്ഡബ്ല്യുഡിസി ആവിഷ്കരിച്ച കര്‍മപരിപാടിയുടെ ഭാഗമായി മഞ്ചേരി യൂണിറ്റി വിമന്‍സ് കോളേജില്‍നടന്ന സ്ത്രീശാക്തീകരണ സെമിനാറില്‍ പങ്കെടുക്കാനെത്തിയതാണ് മല്ലിക. കാറില്‍ കോളേജിലെത്തിയപ്പോള്‍ "ഉണര്‍ത്തുപാട്ട്" ഡോക്യുമെന്ററി പ്രദര്‍ശനം നടക്കുകയായിരുന്നു. പുറത്തുനിന്ന മാധ്യമ പ്രവര്‍ത്തകരൊഴികെ അധികമാരും മല്ലിക എത്തിയത് അറിഞ്ഞില്ല. പ്രദര്‍ശനവേദിയിലേക്ക് ആനയിച്ചെങ്കിലും അവര്‍ അനങ്ങിയില്ല. കൂടെയുണ്ടായിരുന്ന കൗണ്‍സലര്‍ ജാന്‍സി ജോസിന്റെ ചെവിയില്‍ എന്തോ മന്ത്രിച്ച് വീണ്ടും കാറിനുള്ളിലേക്ക്. ഏവര്‍ക്കും അമ്പരപ്പ്. വിദ്യാര്‍ഥിനികളുടെ ശ്രദ്ധ ഡോക്യുമെന്ററിയില്‍നിന്ന് മാറി തന്നിലേക്കാവുന്നത് ലക്ഷ്യത്തെ ബാധിക്കുമെന്നതിനാലാണ് പുറത്തിറങ്ങാതിരുന്നതെന്ന് മല്ലിക. അരമണിക്കൂറോളം കാറിനുള്ളില്‍ കാത്തിരുന്ന് അവര്‍ തന്റെ രാജ്യയാത്രയുടെ പ്രതിബദ്ധത തെളിയിച്ചു. ഡോക്യുമെന്ററി തീര്‍ന്ന് കരഘോഷം മുഴങ്ങിയപ്പോള്‍ ഒരു സ്കൂള്‍ കുട്ടിയെപ്പോലെ ഓടി അകത്തേക്ക്. പിന്നെ ഹ്രസ്വമെങ്കിലും ക്യാമ്പസ് രുചിയുള്ള ആശയസംവാദം. സ്വന്തം കാലില്‍ നില്‍ക്കാനുള്ള ആത്മവിശ്വാസം ആര്‍ജിക്കാന്‍ അവര്‍ വിദ്യാര്‍ഥിനികളെ ആഹ്വാനംചെയ്തു. വിദ്യാര്‍ഥിനികള്‍ സംശയങ്ങളും ആശങ്കകളും പങ്കുവച്ചു. പൂവാലന്മാരുടെ കമന്റിനെ കമന്റുകൊണ്ട് നേരിടണമെന്നാണ് മല്ലികയുടെ പക്ഷം. ചിലരുടെ അനുഭവങ്ങള്‍ വിവരിച്ചത് സദസ്സില്‍ ചിരിയുണര്‍ത്തി. അമ്മ മൃണാളിനി സാരാഭായിയുടെ കുറ്റിപ്പുറം ബന്ധം പരാമര്‍ശിക്കാനും മല്ലിക മറന്നില്ല. കേരളത്തിലെ പുരുഷന്മാര്‍ക്കിടയില്‍ മദ്യപാനം വളരെ കൂടുതലാണെന്ന് അവര്‍ വിലയിരുത്തി. "സംസ്ഥാന വരുമാനത്തിന്റെ സിംഹഭാഗം മദ്യത്തില്‍നിന്ന്- ഗുരുതര സ്ഥിതിവിശേഷമാണിത്". മഞ്ചേരിയില്‍നിന്ന് നേരെ യാത്ര കോട്ടക്കലിലേക്ക്. തുടര്‍ന്ന് തന്റെ വേരുകളുള്ള കുറ്റിപ്പുറത്തും മല്ലിക പരിപാടികളില്‍ പങ്കെടുത്തു. ഡോ. ജാന്‍സി ജോസിന്റെ കൗണ്‍സലിങ്ങും പരിപാടിയുടെ ഭാഗമായി നടന്നു.

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Predictive Coding: E-Discovery Game Changer

http://ow.ly/6Gf61

An article by Melissa Whittingham, Edward H. Rippey and Skye L. Perryman of Covington Burling  published by the EDDE Journal.

The article defines predictive coding, and discusses the manner in which it is used.  As the author's state,

“Predictive coding” refers generally to the use of automation to manipulate ESI during any stage of ediscovery. The technology is also known by such other names as automated document review,
automated document classification, automatic categorization, predictive categorization, and predictive
ranking. Predictive coding software, often used in conjunction with traditional early case assessment
technologies, presents the possibility to increase rates of document review — in turn dramatically
reducing review costs. "

The article goes on to state, "Although linear document review — in which individuals manually review and code documents ordered by date, keyword, and the like — has long been the accepted standard, this approach has become costly and, in many cases, inefficient given the exponential increase in ESI."

The article also addresses some further issues that pertain to the use of predictive coding, such as: volume based discounts for the service; getting what you expect; and providing safeguards in conjunction with the use of such techniques and technology.

This article is well documented, and is worth reading if you are already using such technological solutions, or considering using predictive coding as a component of your workflow.

Read more »

Text Message, Email, and Social Media Authentication

http://ow.ly/6G2KL

An article by Philip K. Miles, III on lawfficespace.com website.

This article discusses the important topic of authentication of electronically stored information as evidence in litigation.  The article discusses a case in which the evidence offered was deemed to have been inadmissible since it was not properly authenticated.

"Earlier this month, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania addressed the authentication of text messages in a criminal case, Com. v. Koch, 2011 WL 4336634 (Sept. 16, 2011). As a matter of first impression, the Court held that text messages on the defendant's cell phone were not properly authenticated."

As the article states, "The Court specifically noted in its analysis:

[T]he difficulty that frequently arises in e-mail and text message cases is establishing authorship. Often more than one person uses an e-mail address and accounts can be accessed without permission. In the majority of courts to have considered the question, the mere fact that an e-mail bears a particular e-mail address is inadequate to authenticate the identity of the author; typically, courts demand additional evidence."

The author goes on to state, "I don't think I'm making too much of a leap here to suggest that authentication of social media may require more than just, "it came from your account" too. "

This will be an issue to watch, as procedures become more developed as to how to properly authenticate electronically stored information that comes in text form, email form or from social media posts.

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The Shadow Knows

http://ow.ly/6FCBC

An article by Craig Ball, Esq. on his blog Ball in Your Court.

This article discusses the fact that deleted data on a hard drive is sometimes recoverable.  As the author writes, "“You can get anything back from a computer, can’t you? Even the deleted stuff!”

I get that that a lot, and tend to respond, “Pretty much.” My lawyer side wants to add, “but it depends.”"

The article discusses a recent development by Microsoft, "Microsoft has been gradually integrating a feature called Volume Snapshot Service (a/k/a Volume Shadow Copy Service) into Windows since version XP".

The article goes on to state, "Volume shadow copies are old news to my digital forensics colleagues, but I suspect they are largely unknown to the e-discovery community. Though a boon to forensics, volume shadow copies may prove a headache in e-discovery because their contents represent reasonably accessible ESI; that is, much more potentially probative evidence that you can’t simply ignore. So, for heaven’s sake, don’t tell anybody."

The author goes on to point out, "What you need to know now is that much of what you might believe about file deletion, wiping and even encryption goes out the window when a system runs any version of Windows 7 or Vista Business, Enterprise or Ultimate editions. Volume Shadow Copies keep everything, and Windows keeps up to 64 volume shadow copies, each made at (roughly) one week intervals for Windows 7 or daily for Windows Vista. These aren’t just system restore points: volume shadow copies hold user work product, too."

P.S.  Deleted often doesn't mean "gone".

Read more »

A Bit About Data Mapping

http://ow.ly/6F13b

An article by Craig Ball, Esq. appearing on his blog Ball in Your Court.

This detailed article discusses a webcast that Craig Ball, Esq. recently conducted regarding data mapping.  The author provides some significant information regarding the process of data mapping, including defining what it is, and offering insight into how to properly perform the function.

Mr. Ball points out, "I use “data mapping” to describe methods used to memorialize the identification of ESI–an essential prerequisite to everything in the EDRM east of Information Management. Of course, like Nessie and Bigfoot, Information Management is something many believe exists but no one has ever actually seen. Consequently, identification of ESI, viz. data mapping, is the de facto entry point for all things e-discovery."

The author further states, "Unless created expressly for e-discovery, few companies have any diagram approaching what’s required to serve as an EDD data map. Neither network diagrams from IT nor retention schedules from Records and Information Management are alone sufficient to serve as an EDD data map, but they contribute valuable information; clues, if you will, to where the ESI resides."

There are some logical points of concern pointed out by the author, such as "The duty to identify ESI is the most encompassing obligation in e-discovery. Think about it: You can’t act to preserve sources you haven’t found."

Some additional tips provided by the author are as follows:

"Creating a competent data map is also akin to compiling a history of:

• Human resources and careers (after all, cases are still mostly about people);
• Information systems and their evolution; and
• Projects, facilities and tools.

A data map spans both logical and physical sources of information. Bob’s e-mail is a logical collection that may span multiple physical media. Bob’s hard drive is a physical collection that may hold multiple logical sources. Logical and physical sources may overlap, but they are rarely exactly the same thing.

1. As needed, a data map might encompass:
2. Custodian and/or source of information;
3. Location;
4. Physical device or medium;
5. Currency of contents;
6. Volume (e.g., in bytes);
7. Numerosity (e.g., how many messages and attachments?)
8. Time span (including intervals and significant gaps)
9. Purpose (How is the ESI resource tasked?);
10. Usage (Who uses the resource and when?);
11. Form; and
12. Fragility (What are the risks it may go away?).

This isn’t an exhaustive list because the information implicated changes with the nature of the sources being inventoried. That is, you map different data for e-mail than for databases."

The article provides some additional tips and suggestions.  In addition the author provides 3 key points to address:

• Accountability is key every step of the way
• Where you start matters less than when and with whom
• Just because your data map can’t be perfect doesn’t mean it can’t be great.

If you are interested in this topic, this article is certainly worth reading, as Mr. Ball's articles generally are.

Read more »

Tourism in India -wiki

Tourism in India 

1-Tourism in India is the largest service industry, with a contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP and 8.78% of the total employment in India. India witnesses more than 17.9 million annual foreign tourist arrivals and 740 million domestic tourism visits.

2-The tourism industry in India generated about US$100 billion in 2008 and that is expected to increase to US$275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate. In the year 2010, 17.9 million foreign tourists visited India.

3-Majority of foreign tourists come from USA and UK. Maharashtra , Tamil Nadu,  Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are the top 5 states to receive inbound tourists.

4- Domestic tourism in the same year was massive at 740 million. Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and  Maharashtra  received the big share of these visitors.

5- Ministry of Tourism is the nodal agency to formulate national policies and programmes for the development and promotion of tourism. In the process, the Ministry consults and collaborates with other stakeholders in the sector including various Central Ministries/agencies, the State Governments/ union Territories and the representatives of the private sector. Concerted efforts are being made to promote new forms of tourism such as rural, cruise, medical and eco-tourism. 

6- According to World Travel and Tourism Council, India will be a tourism hotspot from 2009–2018, having the highest 10-year growth potential. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2007 ranked tourism in India 6th in terms of price competitiveness and 39th in terms of safety and security. Despite short- and medium-term setbacks, such as shortage of hotel rooms, tourism revenues are expected to surge by 42% from 2007 to 2017.

7- India's 5,000 years of history, its length, breadth and the variety of geographic features make its tourism basket large and varied. It presents heritage and cultural tourism along with medical, business and sports tourism. India has a growing medical tourism sector.

Andhra Pradesh

8-The state of Andhra Pradesh comprises scenic hills, forests, beaches and temples. Also known as The City of Nizams and The City of Pearls, Hyderabad is today one of the most developed cities in the country and a modern hub of information technology, ITES, and biotechnology.

9-Hyderabad is known for its rich history, culture and architecture representing its unique character as a meeting point for North and South India, and also its multilingual culture,

10-Andhra Pradesh is the home of many religious pilgrim centres:

A-Tirupati, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, is the richest and most visited religious center (of any faith) in the world.The Ramappa Temple and Thousand Pillar Temple in Warangal are famous tourist spots and depict the finest taste ofKakatiya dynasty for arts & culture and temple carvings. 

B-Warangal is also home to Medaram - the Asia's largest tribal fair/festival called "Sammakka Saralamma Jatara".The state has numerous Buddhist centres at Amaravathi, Nagarjuna Konda, Bhattiprolu,etc.

C-Visakhapatnam is home to many tourist attractions such as the INS Karasura Submarine museum,Golden Beach, Yarada Beach, Araku Valley, VUDA Park, Indira Gandhi Zoological Gardens.

D-The weather in Andhra Pradesh is mostly tropical and the best time to visit is in November through to January. The monsoon season commences in June and ends in September, so travel would not be advisable during this period.

E-Golkonda a ruined city of south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda (c. 1364–1512), is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad.The most important builder of Golkonda was a Kakatiya King. Ibrahim was following in the spirit of his ancestors, the Qutub Shahi kings, a great family of builders who had ruled the kingdom of Golkonda from 1512.

Their first capital, the fortress citadel of Golkonda, was rebuilt for defense from invading Mughals from the north. They laid out Golkonda's splendid monuments, now in ruins, and designed a perfect acoustical system by which a hand clap sounded at the fort's main gates, the grand portico, was heard at the top of the citadel, situated on a 300-foot (91 m)-high granite hill. This is one of the fascinating features of the fort.

ASSAM

11-Assam is the central state in the North-East Region of India and serves as the gateway to the rest of the Seven Sister States. Assam boasts of famous wildlife preserves – the Kaziranga National Park, which is home to the Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros and the Manas National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (These first two parks are UNESCO World Heritage Site), the largest river island Majuli, historic Sivasagar, famous for the ancient monuments of Ahom Kingdom, the city of eternal romance, Tezpur and tea-estates dating back to time of British Raj.

12-Assam has a rich cultural heritage going back to the Ahom Kingdom, which governed the region for many centuries before the British occupation.'Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur also known as Damdama Sahib at Dhubri '- This famous Gurudwara is situated in the heart of the Dhubri Town on the bank of the mighty Brahmaputra river in far north-east India.

Bihar

13-Bihar is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world with history of 3000 years. The rich culture and heritage ofBihar is evident from the innumerable ancient monuments that are dotted all over this state in eastern India. This is the place ofAryabhata, Great Ashoka, Chanakya and many other great historical figures.

Attractions:

§  Patna - The capital of Bihar, famous for its rich history and royal architecture.

§  Gaya - Known for Bodh Gaya the place at which Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment.

§  Muzaffarpur - Famous for its education.

§  Kesariya - Location of the world's largest Buddhist Stupa.

§  Nalanda - Location of one of the world's oldest university.

§  Sasaram - Tomb of Sher Shah Suri, the great Emperor of medieval India.

§  Sonpur - The Sonepur cattle fair or Sonepur Mela, it is the biggest cattle fair of Asia and stretches on from fifteen days to one month.

§  Takht Sri Patna Sahib - One of the famous Sikh pilgrimage known for the birth place of Sikh's Tenth Guru Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib.

§  Darbhanga - It is among the oldest cities of Bihar. Famous for the Maharaja forts and Kali Mandir.

§  Munger - Home to the only Yoga University in the world, Bihar School of Yoga. Religious places such as Shakti Peethas.

Bihar is one of the most sacred places of various religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism & Islam. Famous Attraction includes Mahabodhi Temple, a Buddhist shrine and UNESCO World Heritage Site is also situated in Bihar, Barabar Caves the oldest rockcut caves in India, Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library the oldest library of India.

Chhattisgarh

14-Chhattisgarh is a new state but with an ancient civilization, which can be felt by visiting the historical remains in the state. The state is blessed by nature with magnificent water falls, mountains, forests and wildlife. Main attractions of Chhattisgarh are Chitrakot Waterfalls, Kutumsar Caves, Ramgarh and Sita Bengra, Bhoramdeo temple, Sirpur, Rajim, Ratanpur and Malhar.

DELHI

15-Delhi is the capital city of India. A fine blend of old and new, ancient and modern, Delhi is a melting pot of cultures and religions. Delhi has been the capital of numerous empires that ruled India, making it rich in history. The rulers left behind their trademark architectural styles.

16-Delhi currently has many renowned historic monuments and landmarks such as the Tughlaqabad fort,Qutub Minar, Purana Quila, Lodhi Gardens, Jama Masjid, Humayun's tomb, Red Fort, and Safdarjung's Tomb. Modern monuments include Jantar Mantar, India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Laxminarayan Temple, Lotus temple and Akshardham Temple.

17-New Delhi is famous for its British colonial architecture, wide roads, and tree-lined boulevards. Delhi is home to numerous political landmarks, national museums, Islamic shrines, Hindu temples, green parks, and trendy malls.

GOA

18-Goa is one of the most famous tourist destinations in India. A former colony of Portugal, Goa is famous for its excellent beaches, Portuguese churches, Hindu temples, and wildlife sanctuaries.

19-The Basilica of Bom Jesus, Mangueshi Temple,Dudhsagar Falls, and Shantadurga are famous attractions in Goa. Recently a Wax Museum (Wax World) has also opened in Old Goa housing a number of wax personalities of Indian history, culture and heritage.The Goa Carnival is a world famous event, with colorful masks and floats, drums and reverberating music, and dance .

Himachal Pradesh 

20-Himachal Pradesh is famous for its Himalayan landscapes and popular hill-stations. Many outdoor activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking,paragliding, ice-skating, and heli-skiing are popular tourist attractions in Himachal Pradesh.

21-Shimla, the state capital, is very popular among tourists. The Kalka-Shimla Railway is a Mountain railway which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Shimla is also a famous skiing attraction in India. Other popular hill stations include Manali and Kasauli.Dharamshala, home of the Dalai Lama, is known for its Tibetan monasteries and Buddhist temples. Many trekking expeditions also begin here.

Jammu and Kashmir 

22-Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. Jammu is noted for its scenic landscape, ancient temples and mosques, Hindu and Muslim shrines, castles, gardens and forts.

23-The Hindu holy shrines of Amarnath in Kashmir Valley attracts about .4 million Hindu devotees every year. Vaishno Devi also attract thousands of Hindu devotees every year. Jammu's historic monuments feature a unique blend of Islamic and Hindu architecture styles.

24-Tourism forms an integral part of the Kashmiri economy. Often dubbed "Paradise on Earth", Kashmir's mountainous landscape has attracted tourists for centuries. Notable places are Dal Lake, Srinagar Phalagam, Gulmarg, Yeusmarg and Mughal Gardens etc. Kashmir's natural landscape has made it one of the popular destinations for adventure tourism in South Asia.In recent years, Ladakh has emerged as a major hub for adventure tourism. This part of Greater Himalaya called "moon on earth" consists of naked peaks and deep gorges. Leh, the capital, is also a growing tourist spot.

Karnataka 

25-Karnataka has been ranked as fifth most popular destination for tourism among states of India. It has the second highest number of protected monuments in India, at 507.Kannada dynasties like Kadambas, WesternGangas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and Vijayanagaras, ruled Karnataka particularly North Karnataka.

26-They built great monuments to Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivism. The monuments are still present at Badami,  Aihole, Pattadakal,  Hampi, Lakshmeshwar , Sudi, Hooli,  Mahadeva Temple(Itagi), Dambal,  Lakkundi, Gadag  ,Hangal,  Halasi,  Galaganatha, Chaudayyadanapura,  Banavasi,  Belur, Halebidu, Shravanabelagola, Sannati and many more. Notable Islamic monuments are present at Bijapur, Bidar , Gulbarga , Raichur  and other part of the state. 

27-Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur, has the second largest pre-modern dome in the world after the Byzantine Hagia Sophia. Karnataka has two World heritage sites, at Hampi and Pattadakal, both are in North Karnataka.

28-Karnataka is famous for its waterfalls. Jog falls of Shimoga District is one of the highest waterfalls in Asia. This state has 21 wildlife sanctuaries and five National parks and is home to more than 500 species of birds.

Kerala 

29-Kerala is a state on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India. Nicknamed as one of the "10 paradises of the world" byNational Geographic, Kerala is famous especially for its eco-tourism initiatives.

30-Its unique culture and traditions, coupled with its varied demography, has made it one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Growing at a rate of 13.31%, the tourism industry significantly contributes to the state's economy. Kerala is known for its tropical backwaters and pristine beaches such as Kovalam.

31-Popular attractions in the state include the beaches at Kovalam, Cherai and Varkala; the hill stations of Munnar, Nelliampathi, Ponmudi and Wayanad; and national parks and wildlife sanctuaries at Periyar and Eravikulam National Park.

32-The "backwaters" region—an extensive network of interlocking rivers, lakes, and canals that centre on Alleppey, Kumarakom, and Punnamada—also see heavy tourist traffic.

33-Heritage sites, such as the Padmanabhapuram Palace, Hill Palace, Mattancherry Palace are also visited. Cities such as Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram(Trivandrum) are popular centres for shopping and traditional theatrical performances.

Madhya Pradesh

34-Madhya Pradesh is called the "Heart of India" because of its location in the centre of the country. It has been home to the cultural heritage of Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. Innumerable monuments, exquisitely carved temples, stupas, forts and palaces are dotted all over the state.

35-The temples of Khajuraho are world-famous for their erotic sculptures, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gwalior is famous for its fort, Jai Vilas Palace, the Tomb of Rani Lakshmibai, Md. Ghaus & Tansen.

36-Madhya Pradesh is also known as Tiger State because of the tiger population. Famous national parks like Kanha, Bandhavgadh, Shivpuri, Sanjay, Pench are located in Madhya Pradesh.

Maharashtra

37-Maharashtra is the most visited state in India by foreign tourists, with more than 5.1 million foreign tourists arrivals annually.

38-Maharashtra boasts of a large number of popular and revered religious venues that are heavily frequented by locals as well as out-of-state visitors.Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus are the three UNESCO World Heritage sites in  Maharashtra  and are highly responsible for the development of Tourism in the state.

39-Mumbai is the most popular cosmopolitan city in India, and a great place to experience modern India. Mumbai famous forBollywood, the world's largest film industry. In addition, Mumbai is famous for its clubs, shopping, and upscale gastronomy. The city is known for its architecture, from the ancient Elephanta Caves, to the Islamic Haji Ali Mosque, to the colonial architecture ofBombay High Court and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

Manipur

40-Manipur as the name suggest is a land of jewels. Its rich culture excels in every aspects as in martial arts, dance, theater and sculpture. The charm of the place is the greenery with the moderate climate making it a tourists' heaven.

41-The beautiful and seasonal Shirui Lily at Ukhrul (district), Sangai (brow antlered deer) and the floating islands at Loktak Lake are few of the rare things found in Manipur. Polo, which can be called a royal game, also originated from Manipur. Some of the main tourist attractions are:Imphal (Capital),Churachandpur,Keibul Lamjao National Park,War cemeteries,Loktak Lake,Moreh etc.

Meghalaya

41-Meghalaya has some of the thickest surviving forests in the country. Therefore constitutes one of the most important ecotourism circuits in the country today. The Meghalayan subtropical forests support a vast variety of flora and fauna. Meghalaya has 2 national parks and 3 wildlife sanctuaries.

42-Meghalaya, also offers many adventure tourism opportunities in the form of mountaineering, rock climbing, trekking and hiking, water sports etc. Cherrapunjee is one of the most popular tourist spots in North East of India. It lies to the south of the capital Shillong.

43-The popular waterfalls in the state are the Elephant Falls, Shadthum Falls, Weinia falls, Bishop Falls, Nohkalikai Falls,Langshiang Falls and Sweet Falls. The hot springs at Jakrem near Mawsynram are believed to have curative and medicinal properties.

ORISSA

44-ORISSA has been a preferred destination from ancient days for people who have an interest in spirituality, religion, culture, art and natural beauty. Ancient and medieval architecture, pristine sea beaches, the classical and ethnic dance forms and a variety of festivals.

45-Orissa has kept the religion of Buddhism alive. Rock-edicts that have challenged time stand huge and over-powering by the banks of the river Daya. The torch of Buddhism is still ablaze in the sublime triangle at Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, Lalitagiri as well as Ratnagiri, on the banks of river Birupa.

46-Precious fragments of a glorious past come alive in the shape of stupas, rock-cut caves, rock-edicts, excavated monasteries, viharas, chaityas and sacred relics in caskets and the Rock-edicts of Ashoka. Orissa is also famous for its well-preserved Hindu Temples, especially the Konark Sun Temple and The Leaning Temple of Huma.

 Union Territory of Puducherry

47-The Union Territory of Puducherry comprises four coastal regions viz- Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. Puducherry is the Capital of this Union Territory and one of the most popular tourist destinations in South India. Puducherry has been described by National Geographic as "a glowing highlight of subcontinental sojourn".

48- The city has many beautiful colonial buildings, churches, temples, and statues, which, combined with the systematic town planning and the well planned French style avenues, still preserve much of the colonial ambience.

Punjab

49-The state of Punjab is renowned for its cuisine, culture and history. Punjab has a vast public transportation and communication network. Some of the main cities in Punjab are Patiala, Amritsar, Chandigarh, and Ludhiana.

50-Punjab also has a rich religious history incorporating Sikhism   and Hinduism. Tourism in Punjab is principally suited for the tourists interested in culture, ancient civilization, spirituality and epic history. India-Pakistan border at Wagah is also a popular tourist attraction. Patiala is famous for loads of heritage such as Patiala Peg, Salwar etc.

Rajasthan,

50-Rajasthan, literally meaning "Land of the Kings", is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Northern India. The vast sand dunes of the Thar Desert attract millions of tourists from around the globe every year.Attractions are:

§  Jaipur - The capital of Rajasthan, famous for its rich history and royal architecture.

§  Jodhpur - Fortress-city at the edge of the Thar Desert, famous for its blue homes and architecture.

§  Udaipur - Known as the "Venice" of India.

§  Jaisalmer - Famous for its golden fortress.

§  Barmer - Barmer and surrounding areas offer perfect picture of typical Rajasthani villages.

§  Bikaner - Famous for its medieval history as a trade route outpost.

§  Mount Abu - Is the highest peak in the Aravalli Range of Rajasthan.

§  Pushkar - It has the first and one of the very Brahma temples in the world.

§  Keoladeo National Park - A UNESCO World Heritage Site

§  Nathdwara - This town near Udaipur hosts the famous temple of Shrinathji.

§  Ranthambore - Has one of the largest national parks in India.

Sikkim

51-Originally known as Suk-Heem, which in the local language means "peaceful home". Sikkim was an independent kingdom till the year 1974, when it became a part of the Republic of India.

52-The capital of Sikkim is Gangtok, located approximately 105 kilometers from New Jalpaiguri, the nearest railway station to Sikkim. Although, an airport is under construction at Dekiling in East Sikkim, the nearest airport to Sikkim would be Bagdogra.the important places to visit are: 1.Baba Mandir 2.Nathula Pass 3.Rumtek Monastery 4.Handicraft Shops 5.Tsangpo Lake

53-Sikkim is considered as the land of orchids, mystic cultures and colorful traditions. Sikkim is well known among trekkers and adventure lovers. Places near Sikkim include Darjeeling also known as the "Queen of Hills" and Kalimpong. Darjeeling, other than its world famous "Darjeeling tea" is also famous for its refined "Prep schools" founded during the British Raj. Kalimpong is also famous for its flora cultivation and is home to many internationally known Nurseries.

Tamil Nadu

54-The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, aUNESCO World Heritage Site provides a scenic view of hills throughout its 41 km journey between Mettupalayam and Ooty (7500 FT above ground level).

55-Tamil Nadu is the top state in attracting the maximum number of foreign tourists in India. Archaeological sites with civilization dating back to 3800 years are found in Tamil Nadu. The state also holds the credit of having maximum number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (5) in India which includes Great Living Chola Temples and Mahabalipuram.

56-With more than 34000 temples, Tamil Nadu has some great temples like Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple,Brihadeeswarar Temple, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. This state is also known for Medical tourism and houses some of Asia's largest hospital.

57-Kanyakumari is the southernmost tip of India provides scenic view of sunset and sunshine over the Indian ocean. Hill stations like Yercaud, Kodaikanal, Ooty, Valparai, Yelagiri are widely visited. Water Falls and Wildlife sanctuaries are located across the state. Pichavaram the world's second largest mangrove forest are located in the state.

Uttarakhand

58-Uttarakhand, the 27th state of the Republic of India, is called "the abode of the Gods". It contains glaciers, snow-clad mountains, valley of flowers, skiing slopes and dense forests, and many shrines and places of pilgrimage. Char-dhams, the four most sacred and revered Hindu temples: Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are nestled in the Himalayas.Haridwar which means Gateway to God is the only place on the plains.

59-It holds the watershed for Gangetic River System spanning 300 km from Satluj in the west to Kali river in the east. Nanda Devi(25640 Ft) is the second highest peak in India after Kanchenjunga (28160 Ft). Dunagiri, Neelkanth, Chaukhamba, Panchachuli, Trisul are other peaks above 23000 Ft. It is considered the abode of Devtas, Yakashyas, Kinners, Fairies and Sages. It boasts of some old hill-stations developed during British era like  Mussoorie,  Almora and  Nainital.

Uttar Pradesh 

60-Situated in the northern part of India,border with the capital of India New Delhi.Uttar Pradesh is the most popular tourist destination in India. Uttar Pradesh is important with its wealth of historical monuments and religious fervour.

61-Geographically, Uttar Pradesh is very diverse, with Himalayan foothills in the extreme north and the Gangetic Plain in the centre. It is also home of India's most visited site, the Taj Mahal, and Hinduism's holiest city, Varanasi.

62-The most populous state of the Indian Union also has a rich cultural heritage, Kathak one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from Uttar Pradesh.Uttar Pradesh is at the heart of India,so popular with another name The Heartland of India. Uttar Pradesh has much to offer.Places of interest include:

§  Varanasi-The origin of Hinduism and world's one of the oldest city,City of temples,Most popular holy place of lord Shiva devotees,One of the finest Textiles Industry in the world.

§  Agra - Taj Mahal and several others historical monuments and gardens.

§  Allahabad or Prayag -Kumbh Mela-The place where Indian national river Ganges and Yamuna and Saraswati rivers meet.A mass Hindu pilgrimage in which Hindus gather at the Ganges river.Akbar forts,One of the most popular religious center of ancient and modern India for Hinduism.Uttar Pradesh's administrative and education capital.

§  Kanpur - Uttar Pradesh's commercial and Industrial hub,several historical places from Mughal, British era.

§  Lucknow-The capital of Uttar Pradesh,Several historical places Mughal, British and ancient India.

§  Mathura-The birth place of Lord Krishna of Hinduism and Neminath of Jainism.

§  Ayodhya-The birth place of Lord Rama of Hinduism .

§  Jhansi-Historical place,Rani Lakshmibai's battlefield against British

§  Sarnath-Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, the Buddha as one of the four places of pilgrimage which his devout followers should visit.The birth place of Shreyansanath, the eleventh Jain Tirthankar of the Jainism.

§  Kushinagar- It is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Gautama Buddha is believed to have attained Parinirvanaafter his death.

§  Fatehpur Sikri-Historical place for Mughal Empire's palaces and forts.

§  Meerut-The historical place of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 or the First War of Indian Independence.Indian Historical place from Mahabharata period of ancient India to Modern India's one of the fastest growing city of Uttar Pradesh.

§  Mirzapur Division-The hub of world's finest carpet Industries,and very popular tourist destination for its natural beauties and one of the fastest growing region of Uttar Pradesh.

§  Ghaziabad: Historical places from ancient India to modern India and India's fastest growing Industrial city .

§  NOIDA and Greater Noida: IT, Electronics and education hub of Northern India.India's biggest city with planned and highteck residential area.

§  Gorakhpur: The city was home to Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jain and Sikh saints.The birthplace of Paramhansa Yogananda,great Hindu emperor Chandragupta Maurya.

§  Jaunpur:Historical city was founded by the Sultan of Delhi Feroz Shah Tughlaq and named in memory of his father,Muhammad bin Tughluq as Jaunpur Sultanate.Mughals, Lodis and Islamic ruler's Forts and ancient history of India.

§  Dudhwa National Park -Dudhwa Tiger Reserve,Birds Sanctuary, the unique Frog Temple at Oyal ,Surat Bhawan Palace,Elephant Rides.

§  Rehar:Several major tourist attractions can be mentioned in the town’s surroundings, like Jim Corbett National Park(India) about 24 km, Nainital (India) about 69 km

Uttar Pradesh is the historical heart land of India.Where each part of the state is attached with ancient history,civilization,religions and culture

West Bengal

63-Kolkata, one of the many cities in the state of West Bengal has been nicknamed the City of Palaces. This comes from the numerous palatial mansions built all over the city. Unlike many north Indian cities, whose construction stresses minimalism, the layout of much of the architectural variety in Kolkata owes its origins to European styles and tastes imported by the British and, to a much lesser extent, the Portuguese and French.

64-The buildings were designed and inspired by the tastes of the English gentleman .Some of the major buildings of this period are well maintained and several buildings have been declared as heritage structures.From historical point of view, the story of West Bengal begins from Gour and Pandua situated close to the present district town of Malda. The Hindu architecture  of Bishnupur in  terracotta and  laterite sandstone are renowned world over. Towards the British colonial period came the architecture of Murshidabad and Coochbehar.

Historic monuments

§  The Taj Mahal is one of India's best-known sites and one of the best architectural achievements in India,located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh . It was built between 1631 and 1653 by Emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his wife, Arjumand Banu, more popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal serves as her tomb.

§  Fatehpur Sikri It was the first planned city of the Mughals and also the first one designed in Mughal architecture, an amalgamation of Indian architecture, Persian and Islamic architecture and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.

§  Varanasi The ghats of one of the oldest city of the world.

§  The Mahabodhi Temple is a 2000 year old temple dedicated to Gautam Buddha in Bodh Gaya, Bihar. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

§  The Nalanda is located in the Indian State of Bihar, was a Buddhist center of learning from 427 C.E to 1197 C.E partly under the Pala Empire. It has been called "one of the first great universities in recorded history.

According to historical studies the University of Nalanda was established 450 C.E under the patronage of the Gupta emperors, notably Kumaragupta.

§  The Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu built by the Cholas. The temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites.

§  The Airavateswara temple is located in the town of Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu.

§  The Shore Temple, along with the collection of other monuments in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

§  The Golden Temple is one of the most respected temples in India and the most sacred place for Sikhs. The Golden Temple is located in Amritsar, Punjab, India.

§  The Bahá'í temple in Delhi, was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian Subcontinent. It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. (It is also known as the Lotus Temple.)

§  The Hawa Mahal in Jaipur also known as Palace of Winds.

§  The Taj Mahal Palace is an icon of Mumbai.

§  The Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, built during the British Raj.

§  The Victoria Terminus in Mumbai, built for Queen Victoria

Nature Tourism

India has geographical diversity, which resulted in varieties of nature tourism.

§  Water falls in Western Ghats including Jog falls (highest in India).

§  Western Ghats

§  Hill Stations

§  Wildlife reserves

§  Deserts

Wildlife in India

India is home to several well known large mammals including the Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Lion, Leopard and Indian Rhinoceros, often engrained culturally and religiously often being associated with deities. Other well known large Indian mammals include ungulates such as the domestic Asian Water buffalo, wild Asian Water buffalo, Nilgai, Gaur and several species of deer and antelope. Some members of the dog family such as the Indian Wolf, Bengal Fox, Golden Jackal and theDhole or Wild Dogs are also widely distributed. It is also home to the Striped Hyaena, Macaques, Langurs and Mongoosespecies.

India also has a large variety of protected wildlife. The country's protected forest consists of 75 National parks of India and 421 sanctuaries, of which 19 fall under the purview of Project Tiger. Its climatic and geographic diversity makes it the home of over 350 mammals and 1200 bird species, many of which are unique to the subcontinent.

Some well known national wildlife sanctuaries include Bharatpur, Corbett, Kanha, Kaziranga, Periyar, Ranthambore, Manas andSariska.

The world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans is located in southern West Bengal. The Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Sundarbans and Keoladeo National Park are UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hill stations

Several hill stations served as summer capitals of Indian provinces, princely states, or, in the case of Shimla, of British India itself. Since Indian Independence, the role of these hill stations as summer capitals has largely ended, but many hill stations remain popular summer resorts. Most famous hill stations are:

§  Mount Abu, Rajasthan

§  Vindhya Range, Uttar Pradesh

§  Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh - It is also known as The Queen of Satpura.

§  Gulmarg, Srinagar and Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir

§  Shillong in Meghalaya

§  Darjeeling in West Bengal

§  Shimla, Kullu in Himachal Pradesh

§  Nainital in Uttarakhand

§  Gangtok in Sikkim

§  Mussoorie in Uttarakhand

§  Manali in Himachal Pradesh

§  Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh

§  Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra

§  Haflong in Assam

§  Araku, Andhra Pradesh

§  Munnar in Kerala

§  Ooty, Yercaud and Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu

In addition to the bustling hill stations and summer capitals of yore, there are several serene and peaceful nature retreats and places of interest to visit for a nature lover. These range from the stunning moonscapes of Leh and Ladhak, to small, exclusive nature retreats such as Dunagiri, Binsar, Mukteshwar in the Himalayas, to rolling vistas of Western Ghats to numerous private retreats in the rolling hills of Kerala.

Beaches

Elephants and camel rides are common on Indian beaches. Shown here is Havelock Island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

India offers a wide range of tropical beaches with silver/golden sand to coral beaches of Lakshadweep. States like Kerala andGoa have exploited the potential of beaches to the fullest. However, there are a lot many unexploited beaches in the states ofAndhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. These states have very high potential to be develop them as future destinations for prospective tourists. Some of the famous tourist beaches are:

§  Beaches of Vizag, Andhra Pradesh

§  Beaches of Puri, Orissa

§  Beaches of Digha, West Bengal

§  Beaches of Goa

§  Kovalam Beach, Kerala

§  Marina Beach, Chennai

§  City Beach, Puducherry

§  Beaches of Mahabalipuram

§  Beaches in Mumbai

§  Beaches of Diu

§  Beaches of Midnapore, West Bengal

§  Beaches of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

§  Beaches of Lakshadweep Islands

Adventure Tourism

§  River rafting and kayaking in Himalayas

§  Mountain climbing in Himalayas

§  Rock climbing in Madhya Pradesh

§  Skiing in Gulmarg or Auli

§  Boat racing in Bhopal

§  Paragliding in Maharashtra.

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