UK backs use of XML for e-procurement: The UK's Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has announced that trials of the use of XML (extensible mark-up language) in electronic procurement have been successful. The OGC claims that the selected XML schemas, which it has dubbed UKGOV XML, will revolutionise the way government suppliers conduct business with the public sector. The tests were jointly conducted by the OGC, the Office of the e-Envoy and the Business Applications Software Developers Association (BASDA), a software industry representative body. The common IT language that was chosen for the business of e-procurement is based on the OGC's interoperability requirements and the BASDA eBIS-XML open standard. The OGC recommended that the language should be used by public sector bodies for 'e-ordering' and 'e-invoicing.' "XML is a key strategic component of our e-Government Interoperability Framework, which sets the policies and standards for on-line government," said John Borras, director, technology policy, at the OeE. "I am therefore very pleased to see the prominence of using XML schemas, built upon open standards, in these trials."
Kentucky launches on-line bill tracking: The state of Kentucky is offering its citizens the opportunity to track the legislative process on-line. The Bill Watch service, available on the state's Web site, enables interested parties to view legislation as its passes through the General Assembly. Citizens can either sign up for the free version of the service, which enables them to track up to five bills, or they can subscribe to a fee-paying service that tracks an unlimited amount of legislation. Users can search the Web site for legislation based on criteria such as keywords, committees or sponsors, and the site provides a summary, amendments, history, current status and full text of bills selected. Fee-paying subscribers can receive e-mail or SMS notification of any changes to new bills. "Connecting citizens to government is one of our top priorities," said Governor Ernie Fletcher. "This new service is a step in that direction because it allows greater access to information on legislation that has the ability to affect all Kentuckians."
New Zealand makes e-government progress: New Zealand has 178 or more e-government initiatives under way, according to a new study by the E-government Unit of the State Services Commission (SSC). According to a report by on-line news service Stuff.co.nz, the SSC found that 30 percent of the e-government schemes are already in place, 45 percent are in the process of being implemented, while 19 percent are still at the planning stage. Government agencies provided financial information on 71 e-government projects, which combined have a budget of NZD90 million (EUR49 million). The Economic Development Ministry is responsible for 35 initiatives, Land Information New Zealand is undertaking 23, Inland Revenue is rolling out 19, and Internal Affairs is developing 14 projects. The E-government Unit said one of the most significant lessons agencies learned during the implementation of e-government was the importance of involving customers in the planning and design process.
Swedish e-government market set to grow: Sweden is one of the top countries in Europe in terms of e-government rollout, according to a study by IDC. The research company's report, "eGovernment in the Nordic Region, 2003 Vendor Shares and 2002-2007 Forecast, Sweden," says that the market for e-government solutions in Sweden is growing fast, in spite of an economic downturn. IDC predicts that the e-government solutions market in Sweden will grow from SEK1.7 billion (EUR186 million) in 2003 to SEK2.8 billion in 2007. The report noted that the first phase of e-government -- the creation of portals for citizens and businesses -- had been achieved, but there was a long way to go before a single point of contact with government would be established. "Future growth in e-government will be in automatic and integrated services, and IDC believes that in local government this market will grow more than 25 percent annually in the next few years," said IDC Nordic Consulting Manager Mette Ahorlu.
Singapore plans e-government spend: The government of Singapore has announced that it does not intend to cut its budget for IT spending this year, in spite of reduced economic growth. The second phase of Singapore's e-Government Action Plan II (eGAP II) will commence this year. Originally launched in 2000, eGAP is the administration's plan to create a "networked government" that delivers integrated e-services to citizens and businesses. EGAP II was established in July last year, with a three-year IT budget of SGD1.3 billion (EUR611 million). Singapore's Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) said it plans to roll out 12 new cross-agency e-services by 2006. The IDA also announced that it aims to have 90 percent of government customers using e-government services at least once a year, with 80 percent of users satisfied with the overall quality of e-enabled public services.
Quelle: Electric News Net<, 11.02.2004
