News - Portal Packs A Punch
Portal Packs A Punch
14 November 2002
The new government web portal � govt.nz � is an outstanding technical and collaborative achievement, says Brendan Boyle, Director of the State Services Commission�s E-government Unit.
"The New Zealand companies involved in designing, building and hosting govt.nz have delivered a world class and technically sophisticated website. Although people will find the site is easy to use, what goes on behind the scenes is really quite complex."
"Work began long before the first page was designed. The E-government Unit and the agencies we are working with developed a 'metadata' standard, based on an existing standard, that is now getting attention internationally. The standard means anyone can reuse the information agencies have fed into the Metalogue � a central repository of information about government services and resources � that sits behind the portal."
One of the first initiatives to tap into the Metalogue will be a specialist portal that focuses on labour market information, which is due to be launched later this month.
"The collaborative effort of the agencies in providing metadata has created such a rich source of information that we are only beginning to discover ways it can be reused as the portal evolves, across the public sector, and potentially by the private sector."
The portal employs a mix of open source and proprietary solutions. Both Microsoft NT and Linux-based systems run Apache web servers, Microsoft SQL server databases, Java XML applications and an Autonomy search service.
New Zealand company Datacom Systems Ltd are hosting the site in Auckland and Wellington, providing fail-safe operation 24 hours a day. The portal architecture was developed by Wellington-based systems integrator gen-i with another New Zealand company, Copeland Wilson & Associates providing the web interface.
"Ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the portal service, was one of the key requirements for successful companies. Local companies met our requirements, but we also learnt a lot from looking at the best examples of similar portals overseas.
"The government web portal is an important milestone for the e-government strategy. It is a great example of consistent action right across government. The project team and all the agencies involved are to be commended for their cooperative and collaborative approach," Brendan Boyle said.
Questions and Answers
What is a portal?
A portal is a website that links you to many other websites so that you can find what you need without having to visit each site in turn. Portals attract a lot of traffic because they are so useful. There are many examples of portals on the web, both commercial and for the public sector. govt.nz � the New Zealand government web portal � helps people find information on both online and offline services for central and local government in New Zealand. Over 3500 services and resources have been described so far, with many more likely to follow.
What is NZGO?
New Zealand Government Online or NZGO was an earlier government portal. The Department of Internal Affairs created NZGO in 1997 when they combined the online Government Blue Pages with the Ministry of Commerce�s Government Web Pages. Responsibility for NZGO was transferred to the State Services Commission in 2001.
How many people will use the portal?
NZGO was the third most visited site in New Zealand with 120,000 visitors per month. This figure is predicted to rise with the launch of govt.nz, which replaces it.
Will government agencies still keep their websites?
Yes. The portal�s job is to help you find what is available on dozens of agency websites without you having to know how each one is organised. You still be able to go directly to these sites, without going through the portal. Agencies are adding to their websites all the time, providing move information and more sophisticated online services to meet a growing demand for Internet access to government.
How does the portal work?
Agencies have built a central electronic catalogue of the services and information people find most useful. A classification standard developed specifically for the New Zealand Government has been used to ensure consistent results for users. The standard is supported by lists of similar terms that the portal uses to find information even if you haven�t used precisely the same term as the agency. So if you search for "hill country farming", the portal will also look for "high country" and "agriculture".
How did the portal take shape?
In late 2000 the E-government Unit held discussions with government agencies and New Zealand citizen groups such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, Consumers Institute and 20/20 Trust to understand what would make the portal useful, and what it would have to achieve.
The E-government Unit also invited groups of people to talk about the early prototypes of the new portal and the use they might make of it in their daily lives. The diverse cross-section of New Zealanders included farmers, students and teachers, New Zealanders (and UK citizens) living in London, community groups and other organisations. The groups confirmed some fundamentals for the portal team. Keep it simple; keep it accurate and up to date; don't let 'government-speak' get in people's way.
What are the popular portal topics?
The topics people most consistently look to for information are: tax, social welfare, health, education, employment and statistics. The most popular category in the portal prototype was "Participate in Government", which lets you find out more about how to get involved in developments in government policy.
Who can access the portal?
The new portal has been designed to the E-government Unit�s own Web Guidelines. These guidelines aim to make government websites more accessible for people using older PC software, low bandwidth Internet connections and with physical impairments.
What else is planned?
The new portal is a natural evolution of NZGO (New Zealand Government Online). Further enhancements are planned for 2003 and beyond. The expectation is that the reach and depth of what the portal will find will increase, including finding increasing numbers of services or transactions that can be carried out entirely online.
Where can I find further information?
www.e-government.govt.nz and www.govt.nz
