IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

The possibilities for cheap global collaboration represent 'the beauty of open source', according to the project manager leading the move

A number of local government organisations in the US state of Colorado are collaborating on an open source e-government system, with the first site due to go live in the Spring.

The greatest online challenges continue to revolve around trust, identity and authentication.

Preserving the billions of dollars invested in e-tailing, internet banking, e-government and online service delivery depends on keeping phishing attacks, identity theft and online fraud firmly under control.

This, in turn, depends on finding better ways of establishing that people in cyberspace are who they say they are, or more accurately, that they have the credentials they claim to have.

Advances in Information and Communication Technologies have made it possible today to provide a whole range of high-quality and cost-effective services relating to video, voice and data content through a single communication channel using appropriate terminal equipment. This opens up a whole realm of possibilities for provision of e-government, entertainment, education, telemedicine, e-commerce, info-services, etc. ubiquitously.

West Lancashire District Council is reporting usage growth on its website now that more and more services are available online.

In the past year the Council logged 600,000 visits, which has almost doubled compared to 2004.

With over 50 new online services added in 2005, visitors to the site can now make planning applications, report fly-tipping, abandoned cars and dog fouling, ask a question or sign up for an RSS feed of Council news. There is also a complete A-Z index of services and a full search function to make it easier to find what you're looking for. Job seekers can also see what current Council vacancies are available and even apply online.

A round-the-clock, speech-driven data capture service is enabling poultry owners to register their details with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), helping to boost Government and industry ability to effectively tackle any potential outbreak of avian flu.

All poultry owners who keep fifty birds or more on commercial premises are legally required to register details of their poultry by February 28, 2006 on the new Great Britain Poultry Register.