US on-line government outranks off-line services: On-line federal services were rated higher than off-line government functions in a new survey developed by the University of Michigan. The first E-Government Satisfaction Index was conducted in accordance with the principles used in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), which rates products and services in the private sector. The study was jointly carried out by the University of Michigan, ForeSee Results, the American Society for Quality, and the CFI Group. Twenty-two federal Web sites were assessed in the survey, receiving an average satisfaction rating of 70.9 points out of 100, compared with a score of 70.2 points for off-line government agencies. The average score in the ACSI is 73.8. The top-rated government site, with a score of 83, was www.4women.gov, which provides health information for women and is run by the Health and Human Services Department. Other sites that performed well in the study include the Agriculture Department's Economic Research Service, the FirstGov.gov portal, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion's site and NASA's Web pages. EU states show similar levels of e-government use: Six out of seven EU member states examined in a survey were found to have similar levels of e-government services usage among the population. The survey, conducted by e-Forum, an organisation supported by the European Commission, and Internet ratings firm Nielsen//NetRatings, questioned 38,000 Net users in the UK, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy and Germany, in an effort to gain insight into the profile of e-government users. The study concluded that in spite of sharp disparities between countries with regard to levels of Internet penetration and e-government sophistication, every country except Sweden had around a 5.6 percent level of e-government use among the general public. The report also found that the proportion of Internet users who visited at least one e-government site during June 2003 varied widely, from 15 percent in the Netherlands and Germany to 33 percent or more in Italy, Spain and Sweden. E-Forum said it plans to release full details of the report on its Web site in the near future.
New EU asylum system goes live: An electronic network for transmitting asylum applications between EU member states, plus Norway and Iceland, has been launched. The DubliNET system, operational from 1 September, standardises how information is exchanged between member states in relation to asylum applications, making use of a system of electronically signed forms. The system also involves a reliable authentication and identification infrastructure over an encrypted network. DubliNET is also compatible with EURODAC, the EU-wide electronic system that compares the fingerprints of asylum applicants, in an effort to prevent applicants from seeking asylum in more than one member state. The personal data of asylum seekers is protected by the IDA (Interchange of Data between Administrations) programme, which governs the electronic exchange of information between the governments of EU Member States and the European institutions.
Australia presents e-government awards: The Metropolitan Cemeteries Board in Western Australia was one of the winners at the 2003 Government Technology Productivity Awards, which were presented in Sydney in mid-September. The MCB was recognised for its funeral Webcasting service, which was launched last year and is believed to be the first of its kind in Australia. The password-protected service enables mourners who are unable to attend funeral ceremonies in person to view the proceedings via a live Webcast, which is recorded and made available on the MCB's Web site for 30 days after the event. Other winners honoured at the Awards included Queensland's SmartLicence service, which is able to diagnose the licence requirements of applicants and to present them with the relevant information and forms; the Victoria Land Registry's Titles Automation Project, which has electronically captured 3.9 million paper-based land titles; and the Department of Urban Services' Communities Online project, which enables community groups to maintain an on-line presence without the need to run their own Web site.
Spain helps local authorities to get on-line: The Spanish government has launched an initiative aimed at helping small municipalities to develop e-government functions. Known as "PISTA-Administracion Local," the scheme was developed by Spain's Ministry of Science and Technology and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces for the Development of Local E-government. The scheme involves the development of a standard software program that will enable local authorities to roll out simple on-line services and information resources. Local government bodies will have free access to the software, which is expected to become available in the near future. Another project to develop a Geographical Information System (GIS) application for use by local authorities is also in the works.
Quelle: electricnews.net
