South Korea uses OSS to connect schools: South Korea has opted to adopt open source software for a scheme to connect schools to government offices via the internet. Silicon.com reports that the National Education Information System (NEIS) is expected to be Korea's largest public sector open source project so far. The scheme aims to "integrate all education administrations" by linking up elementary, middle and high schools with government offices of education via the internet. The scheme is expected to be operational by the start of 2006. Consulting firm Bearing Point Korea has advised the government to use Linux and Unix for the servers involved in the project. Bearing Point also outlined the possibility of solely using Unix for the scheme, but it is thought that the government will opt for a combination of Linux and Unix. Since September last year, the government has been promoting a policy to replace proprietary software used in the public sector with open source alternatives.
Malta rolls out e-service for taxpayers: Malta's Inland Revenue Department has announced a new electronic service for citizens who wish to pay their taxes online. Taxpayers can now log on at the Inland Revenue's website to pay their Provisional Tax and Social Security Contributions. The department says the e-government project is aimed at reducing queues at government offices and helping citizens to pay their taxes on time. Taxpayers who have a debit or credit card can simply log on to the "online payments" section of the department's website, input a special Payment Reference number, and proceed to a secure electronic payment gateway. The Payment Reference number is a unique number that incorporates all the information relevant to the payment, and it is available on tax forms that are issued to taxpayers. The department said in a statement that there are plans to extend the online payment service to cover other taxes and to enable businesses to make payments.
US plans e-services marketing campaign: The US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is to launch a marketing campaign to promote e-government services. Government Computer News reports that the OMB will focus on raising awareness among citizens of 10 of the Bush administration's 25 "Quicksilver" e-government initiatives over the next year. "These marketing plans will include targeted outreach to particular customer segments, innovative ideas on how to increase usage, and methods on providing greater synergy among e-government offerings," said Karen Evans, OMB's administrator for IT and e-government. Evans said that the OMB will allocate funds to the relevant agencies involved to promote their e-services. The marketing strategies will likely focus on how many customers are using the service and whether it meets their expectations, according to Dave McClure, vice president for e-government at the Council for Excellence in Government. "OMB is trying to get agencies to focus more on customer use rates," he said.
BEA Systems helps Amsterdam launch portals: The city of Amsterdam has announced that it is launching a number of online portals to provide services for citizens, businesses and civil servants. Software firm BEA Systems is providing the IT infrastructure for the portals, which will run on a platform dubbed Portaal Amsterdam. The Amsterdam city government consists of a central city council, 14 independent local councils and 40 municipal service providers, and there are more than 170 websites in operation to support them. "The integration of the web applications and information systems is essential in realising a sophisticated level of online information and services," explained Arjen Hof, program manager, eGovernment, for Amsterdam. Portaal Amsterdam will enable citizens and companies to do business with the city government by offering secure services, as well as access to personal and company data. Service providers and local councils can also use the data and functionality of Portaal Amsterdam to help enrich their own web applications.
South China ramps up e-government plans: South China's Guangdong Province is e-enabling a growing number of its citizen services. According to the China Daily online newswire, 70 percent of "neighbourhood committees" are now equipped to issue certificates, such as birth permits, over the internet. The Guangzhou municipal government has announced plans to invest more than CNY1.6 billion (approximately EUR159 million) in the development of the city's IT industry over the next two years. Under the plans, IT systems will be installed in all neighbourhood committee offices by the end of 2006, and all of the city's government departments will roll out online services for citizens. An official from the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Information Industry estimated that the number of internet users in the province would rise to more than 10 million by the end of 2004, or around 12 percent of Guangdong's population.
Autor: Sylvia Leatham
Quelle: ElectricNews.Net, 25.08.2004
