The portal - rak.ae - offers residents web-based access to all government services, news and weather information, and facilities for handling transactions such as bill payments. Content can be accessed in Arabic or English. The government portal team partnered with local systems integrator Microsystems to implement the portal using technology from Stellent.
The first phase of the deployment focused on providing information and links to government departments online, and integrating legacy content. The second phase, currently in progress, focuses on integrating more complex portal functionalities, such as search facilities, transactional capabilities and interactivity within departmental areas of the portal.
Rak.ae was designed to be easily maintained by government staff. Two editors, one Arabic and one English, are employed to retain overall control of the portal's content. Two other staff members within the e-government authority are also trained in the use of the technology to provide further resources if needed.
The system was designed, however, to be compatible with Microsoft Word so that smaller changes - such as minor additions or revisions - can be made by staff without requiring special training. This ease-of-use ensures content can be updated regularly.
Quelle: Public Sector Technology & Management, 24.02.2005
