e-Government: Having Access to Citizen Information is 50% of the Battle

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By S. Maurer

What are the future e-Government trends? Pointing to the future, one key point came out of the lively discussion from the floor. Not enough is being done at the moment to bridge the divide between the local politicians and chief officers who have to drive e-Government policy and practice, and the IT practitioners who understand the more technical aspects.

Getting the data infrastructure right is important and having access to citizen information is half the battle in providing excellent e-Government support. How this is presented at the front-end, however, is just as important in ensuring the organisational issues are resolved.

The e-government resulting benefits can include less corruption, increased transparency, greater convenience, revenue growth, and cost reductions. e-Government has a great role in offering services to citizens and promoting democracy brought by the integration of the Internet in the process of governance.

The return on investment on e-Government provides the impetus for increased levels of investment to harness the potential ongoing benefits to both citizens and Government.

e-Government opens up many possibilities for innovating and improving government services. Many governments are working toward providing citizens with access to information and services 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the convenience of their home or office PC.