News - Building e-government “Better. Faster.
Building e-government “Better. Faster. Cheaper.”
March 2003
The E-government Strategy (December 2001 Update) pictures a public sector operating more like a single integrated organisation than a collection of seemingly independent service providers. Underpinning this single ‘enterprise’ is a layer of common infrastructure –applications, policies and standards, services, information technology and information itself. Some of this common infrastructure is now either in place or in development.
The common infrastructure of e-government is made up of modular components, rather than a central monolithic layer of technology. Some of these components are the universal basic building blocks of the Internet; others have been built by the E-government Unit to deliver specific whole-of-government projects like the government portal. Other components may well be built by individual agencies as they pursue agency or agency-cluster objectives.
Using components that have already been built promises better, faster and cheaper delivery of the Government’s vision for e-government. This modular approach was presented to over 150 e-government people from agencies across the public sector at an all-day seminar hosted by the E-government Unit on 4 February 2003.
Currently available components include web-based search tools, reusing the capabilities of the government portal; feeds from the central metadata repository for reuse in agency and agency-cluster initiatives; prototype shared workspaces and mailing list applications; and the SEEMail framework. Components planned for future release include LDAP agency directory services; a gateway or hub for the interchange of XML messages; workflow tools for inter-agency shared business processes; and all-of-government news syndication via the portal.
Fact sheets for each of the currently available components are being prepared. The Unit is considering developing a certification process to allow vendors to offer components that meet the requirements of the e-GIF and the Web Guidelines.
For more information contact kent.duston@ssc.govt.nz.
