Automatic extraction and representation of geographic entities in eGovernment

In this paper we present a system that automatically extracts and geocodes named entities from unstructured, natural language textual documents. The system uses the Geo-Net-PT ontology and Google maps as auxiliary data sources. This type of system is particularly useful to automate the geocoding of existing information in e-government applications, which usually requires human intervention. Within the paper we introduce the relevant human language technologies, describe the system that was developed, present and discuss the preliminary results and draw the relevant conclusions and future work

Local e-government information and service delivery

In this article we present a survey of the websites of 239 Portuguese municipalities. General characteristics of the web sites, available information and online delivery of services were observed. The study was conducted between February and May, 2010. Considering the results, we conclude that, despite the investments made in the past decade, local e-government in Portugal still exhibits medium level development in what relates information dissemination and remains substantially underdeveloped concerning online service delivery. We argue that a cultural breakthrough is needed in order to take full advantage of new technologies in government-to-citizen interactions at the local level in Portugal. © 2011 AISTI

Towards a High-level Service Delivery Architecture for OSG

The work on the service delivery in the context of one-shop government architecture is far from being mature. Although, the understanding on various levels of complexity of e-government service delivery has been addressed; many extant versions of the service delivery architectures themselves are dated and do not reflect the potential contribution of new technologies. In this work-in-progress paper, we report ongoing work and propose an updated service delivery architecture comprising five distinct layers. The proposed architecture addresses some important challenges, and suggests areas for future research, as outlined in the paper

Network ethics and government to business relationships in Portugal

The analysis of ethical issues in Internet-enabled marketplaces remains generally under-explored and this gap is even more prominent in practices associated with G2B networks. This paper argues that the application of Network Ethics to G2B relationships requires a focus on specific questions that arise from the evolution of the way government has come to interact with business. To this purpose, the paper starts by outlining the relevance of universal values to Network Ethics. The next section draws out and briefly discusses the most relevant ethical issues that arise in the rapidly changing context of G2B relationships. To provide an application and substantiate the claims of the paper, the development of public e-procurement in Portugal is presented and analysed in the scope of the background public policies for information society and e-government development in Portugal. It is shown that use of the Internet for e-procurement purposes is growing in Portugal and the main constraints and risks associated with further developments are laid out and discussed. Overall the theoretical analysis and the empirical case point to the growing importance of developing interoperability standards and promoting greater transparency and competition in public e-procurement. It is further argued that reliable analysis in terms of Internet-enabled marketplaces requires both a solid ethical framework and its application in conjunction with empirical knowledge of the situations being studied, and that only in this way can network ethics effectively contribute to the promotion of greater accountability and ethical behaviour on the ground

Q-model: Um modelo bidimensional de maturidade para o e-government

In this article we present and discuss the Q-Model - a two-dimensional maturity model for e-government. Although it is the result of a synthesis effort on previously proposed maturity models, it innovates by using two dimensions of analysis: interaction in service delivery; and integration of the service delivery from the client's perspective. This approach allows the classification of a broader spectrum of e-government initiatives and suggests that multiple maturity paths can be followed from traditional face-to-face non-integrated government environments to fully multi-channel and trannsversally integrated e-government scenarios. We argue that the Q-Model contributes to shift the focus from interaction driven e-government development to a development approach that balances interaction with integration concerns. This is especially relevant since governments tend to postpone integration objectives because they are harder to achieve and have less immediate visibility

Proposta de uma plataforma de integração para a administração pública

Neste artigo propomos uma plataforma genérica para a integração de serviços na administração pública. Trata-se de uma plataforma simples, versátil e segura, que se baseia em tecnologias normalizadas e facilmente disponíveis, como sejam o XML (Extensible Markup Language), o HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), o SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) e o PKI. (Public Key Infrastructure). A plataforma facilita a integração na administração pública tanto por via da coordenação de serviços no front-office como por via da integração de processos no back-office; suporta o desenvolvimento de balcões únicos de acesso, reais ou virtuais; e permite a prestação concorrente de serviços, a organização por acontecimentos da vida, a existência de prestadores concorrentes e a integração de diferentes canais de atendimento

A CONCEPTUAL LIFE EVENT FRAMEWORK FOR GOVERNMENT-TO-CITIZEN ELECTRONIC SERVICES PROVISION

In recent years, life event approach has been widely used by governments all over the world for designing and providing web services to citizens through their e-government portals. Despite the wide usage of this approach, there is still a challenge of how to use this approach to design e-government portals in order to automatically provide personalised services to citizens. We propose a conceptual framework for e-government service provision based on life event approach and the use of citizen profile to capture the citizen needs, since the process of finding Web services from a government-to-citizen (G2C) system involves understanding the citizens’ needs and demands, selecting the relevant services, and delivering services that matches the requirements. The proposed framework that incorporates the citizen profile is based on three components that complement each other, namely, anticipatory life events, non-anticipatory life events and recurring services

An Object-oriented Workflow Modeling Schema Using Dataflow Analysis for Collaborative E-governance Platform

In the initial stage of transforming from government to governance for developing countries, collaborative e-governance platforms should be urgently established in different contexts. Though some platforms have been previously applied to various fields, researches on common basic functions analysis and across-organization business process modeling based on a suitable workflow modeling method for the platforms design and development are insufficient. Based on an explorative analysis of platform functions and their patterns, we propose a schema for e-governance platforms modeling according to an extended method of object-oriented workflow modeling using dataflow analysis. It covers a two-step process of top-level platform workflow modeling and function objection workflow modeling. In addition, a citizen appeal processing platform is taken as an example to illustrate the utility of the schema. The schema facilitates the contextualized collaborative e-governance platforms development with an operable method and reusable function workflow models

ITALY’S ONE-STOP BUSINESS SHOPS: WHY ‘INNOVATION BY LAW’ IS A CAR WITHOUT WHEELS

Lean administrative procedures and One-Stop Shops are key drivers of bureaucratic simplification and to ease the administrative burdens on business and industry with the ultimate aim of making a country more competitive and of spurring its economic growth. The paper investigates the case of Italy’s One-Stop Business Services and Information Shops and why it has taken 15 years and a stream of legislation to get the municipalities to implement the concept. The paper assesses whether the Italian government’s One-Stop Business Shop (‘SUAP’) programme has effectively lightened the administrative load that weighs on the country’s enterprises and then analyzes its implementation. A critical discussion of the “innovation by law” approach taken by the Italian government to not only the setting up of the One-Stop Business Shops, but also to diffuse e-government (i.e., the National Action Plans for e-Government) seeks to shed light on the problems that continue to dog e- Government implementation in Italy

One-stop Shop E-government Solution for South-Korean Government Multi-ministry Virtual Employment-Welfare Plus Center System

In this paper, a one-stop e-Government solution will be proposed for the existing Korean government multi-ministry Employment-Welfare plus system that utilizes latest IT technologies. Since 2001, the Korean government had established 11 initiatives and 31 roadmaps to build e-Government infrastructure. Although this infrastructure has been very successful and well-esteemed in the international society, several improvements are required towards a one-stop shop solution. Currently, the system used by the Korean government is not a one-stop solution with a single point for the citizen to access government services. A Virtual Employment – Welfare Plus Centre (VEWPC) is then introduced to unify the services offered to the citizen. Comparing this VEWS with UK’s e-Government solution and review of corresponding literature, several requirements for change towards a one-stop shop solution implementation have been identified. A refined architecture to implement a South Korean e-Government one-stop shop is identified and proposed in this paper. Future plans for the applicability and cost of its adoption are also identified