Only two US agencies meet e-government standards: report: The first report to US Congress on the E-Government Act of 2002 has revealed that just two of 26 federal agencies met all of the stated standards for success set by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): the National Science Foundation and the Office of Personnel Management. However, the report, published last week, showed that 19 other agencies are demonstrating "solid progress" in implementing their plans and achieving key milestones. The OMB's success criteria state that major IT investments should be within 10 percent of cost/schedule/performance objectives, that redundant IT spending should be reduced, and that e-government initiatives should yield actual benefits (such as lower costs, faster response times and improved citizen service). The NSF earned kudos for achievements that included processing 99.9 percent of funding proposals electronically, and a 23 percent reduction in its printing costs. The OPM, meanwhile, was recognised for projects including its overhaul of the retirement programme for federal employees.
UK local authorities commence digital TV services: Merseyside, South Yorkshire and Kent have gone live with interactive government services via digital cable television, through a partnership with Sky and Telewest. DigiTV, a national project to explore the viability of providing local government services via television, announced that NTL would be going live with services during April. Local authorities are provided with a Starter Kit, which was developed by Knowledge Network, that allows them to begin developing and publishing content and forms for their own micro-site aimed at the public. Public services planned for the pilot phase include abandoned vehicle reporting, streetlight failure reporting, waste collection, and various tools to request forms or brochures for council tax, housing benefit and consumer advice. More information is on-line at www.digitv.org.uk.
Bahrain gets dedicated e-government centre: The third IBM dedicated e-government centre is to be set up in Bahrain, following the establishment of similar centres in Germany and the US. The new centre, which was announced at the Bahrain conference on Open Government last week, is being set up by IBM in cooperation with the Central Informatics Organisation (CIO) and Gulf Business Machines (GBM) and will be aimed at creating a central platform to share e-government experience and technologies between countries. All e-government teams in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will be given access to the resources and the new expertise of the centre, according to CIO Under Secretary Shaikh Ahmed bin Ateyatalla Al Khalifa, and CIO employees will be based permanently in the centre.
Egypt launches e-government portal: Egypt has officially launched its e-government portal. Egypt's prime minister, Dr. Atef Ebeid, launched the Web site alongside Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. The portal, www.egypt.gov.eg, was developed by LINKdotNET, a provider of Internet solutions in the Middle East, in association with Microsoft, under the auspices of Egypt's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. The site, available in Arabic and English, was designed for ease of use by citizens, foreigners and businesses, and offers services ranging from basic information through to on-line payments. Facilities offered include requesting a birth certificate, paying a phone bill and renewing vehicle licences. The government expects to have the majority of its 700 or so services on-line by 2007.
Vietnam brings Internet to schools: All high schools in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam will be connected to the Internet this year as part of a wider project to increase the use of IT throughout the region. Spending on the technology sector is to be doubled during 2004, public sector officials are to receive IT training, and the city is also aiming to put half of its administrative procedures on-line. The country's Deputy Minister of the Post and Telematics, Mai Liem Truc, said the city should also look towards developing a more comprehensive plan that would include schemes for software and high-tech parks, and attracting more foreign investment in the IT sector. The IT and telecoms equipment sector was among those listed in a new Foreign Direct Investment scheme that offers incentives to companies to locate in the region.
Quelle: Electric News Net, 18.03.2004
