IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

A recent event highlighted the difficulty smart city technology companies have breaking into the urban space and getting the ear of municipalities.

A contradiction between the words “smart” and “city” is impeding the progress of smart cities in Israel – this was the verdict of one investor participating in a recent smart city technology event hosted by accountancy and consulting firm, BDO Israel.

Ansip introduced to Eitan, who had come to view the IT achievements in Estonia, the e-government information system that Estonia has used for ten years. “Besides being very comfortable and saving time of people, e-solutions also save taxpayers money,” said Ansip.

Addressing fears of invasion of privacy, Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Monday the system complies "with the highest standards of information security and safeguard[s] privacy. I recommend that all Israeli citizens take part in the pilot and choose a smart ID," Haaretz quoted him as saying.

The pilot program was introduced in the cities of Rishon Lezion and Ashdod Monday, and in Herzliya and Kfar Saba Tuesday. It will run on a voluntary basis for two years before becoming compulsory, the paper said. By the end of the month, citizens across the country will be able to apply for biometric identity cards and passports.

During the two-year pilot project, Israelis will be able to opt for a new identification card or passport with electronic parts such as a secure chip, along with biometric data including fingerprint scans and a photo providing a facial profile that will go to a database.

Gideon Saar, minister of interior affairs, called on Israelis to "enter the era of smart documents," maintaining that the new technologies embedded in the cards would make them counterfeit-proof and protect Israelis from identity theft and related financial crime as well as from security threats.

Surfshark rankings put Israel first for internet affordability, but 59th for internet quality

If you’re going to be working at home, Israel isn’t a bad place to be doing it: Israel ranks eighth among 85 countries around the world in the Digital Quality of Life Index compiled by the virtual private network provider Surfshark.

Israel ranked No. 1 in the world for internet affordability, but the survey also found that Israel was in just 59th place for internet quality. The survey looked at 12 parameters that include such factors as price, quality, speed and stability of the network, level of government digital services and cybersecurity.

The course is organised by the Embassy of Israel in Vietnam, MASHAV, in collaboration with the National Institute of Information and Communication strategy (NIICS).

The two-year pilot project, beginning with residents of Rishon LeZion (population 228,000), will create a biometric database of citizens who voluntarily sign up for the programme, storing information including a computer-generated facial image and fingerprints of both index fingers.

Citizens who sign up to receive this ID can register their biometric information at the same offices they have to visit to renew their traditional forms of identification. Minors under the age of 16 will not be able to sign up for biometric IDs yet.

The Israeli government appears to be keen to encourage operators to make plans for the next 5G spectrum auction with a call for smart city-focused rollout.

With the country about to launch its second 5G tender Communications Ministry Director-general Liran Avisar Ben Horin has been promoting such 5G-led smart city applications as smart traffic lights (to prevent congestion and accidents), and remote medical care.

Whoever said the United Nations has an anti-Israel bias? This week, the Jewish state was one of three recipients of a “special award” from the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Israel shared the honor — in the second of three categories of the 2012 e-Government Survey, “Outstanding Progress among the Top 20” — with Finland and Liechtenstein.

Y-Net News reports that the Social-Economic Cabinet approved Sunday a plan put forth by Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expand Israel’s E-government initiative (“Approachable Government”program).

Minister of Transport Meir Sheetrit is proposing the creation of a financial database that will include all income from labor, property, rent, and financial assets for all citizens and households. The proposed database would be part of the E-Government Initiative for computerizing government ministries.

The gov.il portal, whose aim is to provide information and digital assistance to citizens, already has a Twitter account at @israelgov with 1,133 followers where the latest updates on government matters are posted.

That account was set up by the state's e-Government team more than six months ago and since then has published about 400 tweets. Now, on a new question and answer service launched on Sunday, citizens can ask questions and get answers from government departments and agencies via Twitter.

The founders want to use their military engineering experience to create smart cities, in which free spaces can be easily identified and paid for, saving drivers time and avoiding fines.

From Tel Aviv to New York, the painful hunt for city center parking spots can prove enough to enrage even the most patient drivers among us.