A Year in Review: Top Ten for Government 2.0 in 2011

For the third year in a row, here is my (absolutely personal) top ten in the area of government 2.0 and government innovation in general. This ranking is my own, and – as such – totally arbitrary. I am sure I am missing great things that happened in many corners of the world, and I could actually make it longer. My choice is based on topics, issues, individuals, jurisdictions that have “animated” my life as an analyst, through multiple interactions, dealing with several questions about them, and agreeing or disagreeing with what they are doing. 

  

As usual, my thanks go to all professionals who, in different roles and capacity, inside or outside government, work relentlessly to help transform the public sector with (or notwithstanding) technology innovation. Their contribution has been essential to help governments around the world face their huge challenges and better prepare to deal with an often uncertain, and certainly even more challenging future. 

 As usual, the list is in reverse order, from number ten to number one. 

10. Vendors trying to help with government clouds

With the US federal and several other governments hugely interested in cloud computing, several vendors have made significant inroads to meet government requirements for security and data sovereignty. Although most vendors tend to overuse the term “cloud” as an umbrella for a number of different services and delivery models, they have been listening more carefully and responding to their government clients’ needs. Examples include the development of specific federal clouds by Google, Microsoft, IBM and more recently Amazon; the issuance of IaaS blanket purchase agreements by GSA; the role of the vendor association Intellect in helping the UK government shape its own cloud strategy. While there is still room for improvement, things seem to be moving in the right direction. 

9. Cloud Security research by the European Network & Information Security Agency

Largely ignored by clients outside Europe (as witnessed by the number of clients who had never heard about it), ENISA’s “Security and Resilience in Governmental Clouds” is one of the few substantial contributions that the European institutions and agencies have provided to the cause of greater use of cloud computing by government organizations. Very thorough, it provides a great list of criteria for anybody who wants to look beyond the surface of compliance issues, and to something a bit more international than what FISMA and FedRAMP give in the US. 

8. How Queensland used social media to face the floods in January

This has been mentioned by many as one of the best examples of good government use of social media where this has often associated to riots and revolutions. Several state agencies opened access to social media to their employees, and started using platforms like Twitter and Facebook to reach out to the community affected by massive floods. Some of those uses have been exemplary and have gained the Queensland State Police, amongst others, accolades and awards. This great case also showed us how social media can serve a tactical purpose to face an immediate need, but may be difficult to sustain over time. 

7. The many UK strategies

After a pause to let the new coalition government settle, the UK Cabinet Office did issue a Government ICT strategy in March, followed by a shared services vision and then a stream of documents about the implementation of the ICT strategy, covering cloud computing, end-user devices and more. These documents show that the idea of having foundational partners, i.e. IT leaders in large departments, in charge for different parts of the strategy is working. On the downside, though, some leadership changes in the Cabinet office, with executives moving to the private sector, may leave some void at crucial implementation time. 

6. Alex Howard: great gov 2.0 blogger

Alex and I are often on the opposite side of the fence when it comes to debating open government. He is an enthusiast, although, being a reporter, he does not like this term. Actually, I mean this in a positive sense, as opposed to my analyst cynicism that makes me look at many open government endeavors as politically motivated, déjà vu, or “me-too”. I have often enjoyed comparing notes with him and certainly like the breadth and depth of his government 2.0 coverage. Probably if he were not working for O’Reilly, he could come to terms with the weaknesses in the “government-as-a-platform” approach: despite this, he is one of the most balanced bloggers I have been reading on this and related themes. 

5. The US Federal CIOs: change and continuity

This year has seen the change in federal IT leadership with Vivek Kundra moving to Harvard and Steve Van Roekel taking his place. Vivek has been one of the most controversial and innovative figures in federal IT, dividing experts between enthusiastic supporters and dismissive critics. The former liked his very different approach, driven by transparency and the willingness to push change in various areas. The latter complained about his lack of experience with federal environment and processes and even accused him of caring mostly about self-promotion. Reality, as usual, is in the middle: he certainly was visionary for the federal environment and triggered some significant change; however he did not put enough emphasis on the sustainability of his many initiatives. Steven’s main challenge is to accomplish something that helps build political capital in a re-election year: he is doing so by building upon what Vivek did, rather than immediately looking at something else in order to impose his personal vision. 

4. Australia: down under and down to Earth

During 2011 Australia published both its draft ICT strategy and its cloud strategy. While not perfect, these documents are very sensible and do not try to impose blanket approaches to all agencies. This has been much welcome in between a stream of more compulsory measures, from the shared service approach in Canada to Cloud First in the US. It is always refreshing to discuss about these topics with people at AGIMO:I do wish them to keep a stronger drive than what they did with the outcome of the government 2.0 taskforce, which made number 2 in my top ten in 2009 but apparently had little impact so far. 

3. GSA: keeping their drive with tighter budgets

The tighter federal budget in 2011 has taken resources away from some of the innovative programs that the US General Services Administration have been leading under the Obama administration. Nevertheless they have kept advancing their agenda on both USA.gov and on cloud computing. On the latter, despite a change in leadership, they have finally published the blanket purchase agreement for IaaS, pushed a call for tender on email services through a GAO protest, progressed the complex FedRAMP initiative, while transitioning themselves to a new cloud-based email service. This is a group of talented and highly-motivated professionals who epitomize the great government employees that made number 1 in my top ten last year. 

2. Women in IT: leading with grace

I have written in the past about how women get social media better than men do, and how I have had the pleasure to meet great female IT-savvy politicians and IT executives. The list goes on and on. Behind many of the successful achievements that I have been tracking there is a woman. People like Linda Cureton (NASA CIO and author of the excellent “The Leadership Muse”), Ann Steward (Australian federal CIO), Mechthild Rohen (Head of eGovernment program at the European Commission), Claudia de Andrade de Wit (CIO of the City of Amsterdam), Stela Mocan (Director of the eGovernment Center in Moldova) and many many others are all great examples: we’d better watch out! 

1. New Zealand: the best social media guidelines so far

Analysts can’t help find little drawbacks even in the best product or strategy. That’s why I was so happy to find the social media guidelines from the New Zealand government: this is close to an almost perfect document (of course it’s not, analysts are impossible to please) and certainly one that I recommend to many to read. It is a great blend of common sense and actionable advice, and can be easily tailored to different contexts. The authors said they were heavily inspired by a document prepared by people in the UK government: however it does not look like the UK published one yet, so, while some kudos go to the unknown British employees who inspired this, the merit is all for our distant friends in the Pacific.

Thank you all for reading my blog through 2011. Let me wish you, your families and friends a Happy New Year. 

http://blogs.gartner.com

Serbia - Strengthening Capacity of Public Administration through European Training Programmes

Director of the European Integration Office Milica Delevic said today that the project "Speak European – a programme of professional development for EU accession" contributed to strengthening the capacity of public administration in Serbia toward the EU. Delevic said that all countries wishing to join the EU have gone through public administration reform, adding that this project is significant because of the introduction of European standards in national legislation, modernisation of public administration and strengthening of its capacity. 

  

She noted that implementation of this project, which is worth €2.5 million, was initiated by the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, funded by the EU and implemented by the British Council. Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert underlined that all EU programmes are open for Serbia and its citizens. 

Degert noted that the goal of the “Speak European” project is to develop human resources in public administration and convey EU messages. During the past two years, the “Speak European” project enabled professional development and training in EU countries for over 200 civil servants and more than 50 representatives of organisations of the civil society, the media, professional associations, the academic community and primary and secondary school teachers. 

Upon their return to Serbia, all participants have an important role in conveying the acquired knowledge to their institutions and the broader public, which is an important contribution to a better understanding of how the EU functions, about the advantages of EU membership and the spread of European values. 

UNPAN Europe

Open Government

A website is being launched which will allow every Russian citizen to become a participant in an extended government. The project, initiated by President Dmitry Medvedev in mid-October, was launched by the Public Committee of the President’s Supporters. “This is a mechanism to receive feedback from citizens,” State Duma deputy Robert Shlegel told Izvestia daily. He said that everyone will be invited to join the extended government.  

To register, users will have to indicate their profession. Then they will be regularly notified of online discussions relating to their field of expertise, given the opportunity to express their views on the initiatives of the president, and to vote.

Anonymous visitors to the site will only be able to comment without the possibility of voting. There are 60 million internet users in Russia, so potentially more than 40 per cent of citizens will be able to take part in the work of online government.

The website is the first step in putting into practice the president’s vision of an extended government, outlined by Medvedev earlier this month. Shortly after the announcement, he met with representatives of the Public Committee of President’s Supporters, a newly-established body tasked with forming the extended government.

During the meeting, he stressed that in putting forward the idea he “didn't mean an increase in the number of bureaucrats.” Among more than 80 members of the Supporters Committee, there are only three government officials. They are from the Ministry of Economic Development and the Justice Ministry. The committee is divided into thematic groups, which include housing, business, social policy, military and defense, and culture.

rt.com

KOREA EMBARKS ON SMART EDUCATION ROUTE

Korea released its SMART Education strategy in September 2011, a route meant to take the country away from traditional teaching and learning methods with plans to digitise textbooks, build a cloud network, and retrain teachers.To provide this “intelligent and customised teaching and learning”, SMART Education has three directions:

• Reform the education system with digital textbooks, online classes and assessments and a build system that will allow easy access to educational content. 

• Strengthening teachers’ competencies in delivering SMART Education with training courses, smart devices and a new human resource direction. 

• Improve school infrastructure for the cloud platform, then build standard platforms for the SMART Education cloud. 

To promote the development and use of digital education content, copyright laws and systems will be revised and a new national educational content and copyright management system will be built. A culture of “giving and sharing for teachers and students” will be created through the Creative Commons License and Korea will also run “preventive and rehabilitation programmes for internet addicts” to resolve the “adverse effects of informatisation”. By 2013, Korea expects to have built the cloud computing environment in 30 per cent of all schools, with the rest completed by 2015.

futuregov.asia

'Ride the waves of change' to achieve e-govt's vision

Awg Hj Azhar bin Hj Yahya, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Upstream) at the Prime Minister's Office speaking at the opening of the second e-Government Executive Training programme. - JAMES KON

Brunei's e-Government Vision is to be 'an e-Smart Government in the 21st Century" with a mission to establish electronic governance and services to best serve the nation. To realise the vision and mission, one of the identified key strategic priorities in the e-Government strategic plan is developing capabilities and capacity. The nation's e-government vision and mission was highlighted by Awg Hj Azhar bin Hj Yahya, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Upstream) at the Prime Minister's Office in his remarks at the opening of the second e-Government Executive Training programme organised by e-Government Innovation Centre (eG.InC).
 
"The executive training programmes conducted by the e-Government Innovation Centre yesterday will help this strategic priority by providing public officials with the relevant ICT skills and knowledge towards achieving information society and knowledge based economy in Brunei Darussalam."

 A total of 14 Chief Information Officers and Chief Technical Officers from various ministries are currently undergoing the programme. Highlighting the evolving role of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Technical Officers (CTOs), he stated that their roles are evolving and is no longer simply a matter of keeping ICT projects on time and within the budget but must also continually look at new ways for information to add value and catalyse the development of new e-services as well as delivery channels.

He said, "Clear understanding and appreciation of the benefits and potential of technology will add values to Brunei's e-Government innovation." Apart from understanding the needs and concerns of citizens and businesses, he said, "They must also think outside the box by looking at other ways to implement projects such as outsourcing and public private partnership approaches (PPP).

"We need strong collaboration with our industry partners in the private sector to learn from their best practices and ensure our e-service delivery continues to remain relevant and innovative." Awang Hj Azhar bin Hj Yahya further explained that CIOs and CTOs also need leadership and entrepreneurial skills, technological abilities and must be willing to actively work across departments and ministries.

The issues facing the public today require solutions that cut across the traditional boundaries of different agencies and resolving these issues will require CIOs, CTOs and all public officers to work together more closely than ever before.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary (Uptream) at the Prime Minister's Office also commended the e-Government Innovation Centre as it embarks on an executive e-Government Awareness Training programme for permanent secretaries and deputy permanent secretaries in order to equip them with the latest knowledge and skills towards e-Governence to enable e-government initiatives to be implemented, supported and led right from the top level.

Concluding his speech, Awang Hj Azhar bin Hj Yahya said the emergence of ICT calls for fundamental transformational shifts and rethinking in the ways we do our business and look at e-Government. The complex and rapidly changing environment demands the government agencies to ride the waves of change and continuously adapt to new trends. "I trust that eG.InC will continue to play an important role in delivering high quality and relevant e-Government training and development services," he said.

.borneobulletin.com.bn

Ernst and Young organises e-government training

As part of its Executive Management Development Programme (EMDP), Ernst and Young recently conducted an E-Government Training Programme for senior Omani government executives. In addition to E-government, the training held at the Muscat Intercontinental Hotel also touched upon topics such as cloud computing, climate change, trends in the oil and gas industry and other subjects.


According to Sridhar Sridharan, Office Managing Partner, Ernst and Young, Muscat: "We are delighted to contribute to the E-Oman Vision through which citizens will have the knowledge, means and tools to interact digitally, access the Internet and use E-services efficiently and safely anywhere and anytime across the Sultanate.

"As an organisation whose strongest asset is our people, we understand that the professional development of skilled and technically competent Omani professionals is a top priority for the Government of Oman. We are happy to contribute to the government in this regard.

" Ernst and Young's Executive Management Development Programme is a year-long training programme designed to develop future leaders in the Omani government. It was launched earlier in the year to celebrate Oman's 40th National Day celebrations.

The programme leverages Ernst and Young's global knowledge and experience to train and develop senior Omani government executives. Senior executives nominated by several ministries and companies owned by the government of Oman will attend at least 10 training modules throughout the year.

Ernst and Young has so far held six training courses for Oman government executives. These include sessions on cloud computing and trends in technology, the global financial crisis, change management, oil and gas, private public partnerships and E-government. Three more training courses will be held before the end of 2011.

Oman's E-government initiative vision is expected to help reduce costs, promote economic development, enhance transparency and accountability, improve services delivery, public administration and facilitate an E-society. E-government is expected to add jobs to the Omani economy and increase Internet literacy among the population to over 60 per cent. The government will be able to achieve higher level of core business continuity through the provision of three times the number of E-services than at present.

An estimated 30 new companies will be incubated to participate in E-government initiatives. "E-Oman embraces the strategy of transforming Oman by empowering its people and will open up thousands of job opportunities for nationals in the IT sector. We are proud of the fact that we are involved in various phases of Oman's development today through our Executive Management Development Programme. We will continue to bring the best global knowledge and practices to Oman," added Sridhar.

.zawya.com

South Korean Officials Head to UAE for e-Governance Classes

A team of 17 members have left South Korea  to UAE to learn tips on e-governance. The visitors comprised of officials who hold key positions in the South Korean government, according to WAM.

Mohamed Ismaeel, director of operations and production of the e-governance department of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, said: 'We are happy to share our knowledge in developing the e-government in the UAE. We hope our association brings out the best in e-government for both countries.'

egovonline.net

Civil servants 'need annual IT training'

3gmicrotech.com

Civil servants should face mandatory IT training to help them understand the "impact and implications" of information technology, a Liberal Democrat policy paper has proposed. The paper, entitled 'Preparing the Ground: Stimulating growth in the digital economy', said that many ministers and civil servants do not "get" information technology and that civil servants should be given annual IT training.

The paper recommended that "all civil service and local government managers, in all departments, above a certain grade must undergo a serious period of initial training in the impact and current implications of IT, and that this must be refreshed annually".

The paper also praised the appointment of Mike Bracken as the government's executive director of digital, the development of AlphaGov and the suggested improvements to e-petitions, but said that more could be done to ensure civil service managers understood the potential of IT.

The training would fall under the banner of a proposed new government office, incorporating the existing Chief Information Officer, to advise and oversee all major government IT procurement projects

On the formation of the new office and training of civil servants, the report concludes: "The gap in skills across government and the civil service is now so severe that major action is necessary."

publicservice.co.uk

The eGovernment Authority and Polytechnic sign agreement to offer citizens specialized certificate in e-content management

As part of its efforts to bridge the e-gap, the eGovernment Authority has signed an agreement with Bahrain Polytechnic in order for the Polytechnic to offer a specialized training in the field of e-content management, following the eGovernment's Authority announcement last June to launch and develop a specialized program in cooperation with Tamkeen.

Those successfully completing the course will be awarded a professional certificate in eConcent Management. The course will be a combination of classroom training followed by practical training in one of the government entities or private sector organizations.

In this regard, Mr. Mohammed Ali Al-Qaed, Chief Executive Officer of eGovernment Authority, stressed the importance of this course. "This national initiative is part of the Authority's projects to develop the e-content in the Kingdom of Bahrain, where a new career path and specialty is introduced by Civil Service Bureau, under the name of (e-content Administrator)."

Al-Qaed added that this focused course will graduate employees specialized in the e-content management and social media, in addition to the latest electronic communication methods used, he also expressed his appreciation and thanks to all those who contributed to the success of this project.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Al Aseeri, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain Polytechnic, stressed the importance of cooperation with eGovernment towards the success of this course, as well as the active participation in supporting this national initiative which is consistent with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, wishing the largest possible number of target groups to benefit from this course to serve the Kingdom of Bahrain and citizens.

"We thank everyone involved in this project for their tireless efforts to turn this idea into reality by converting it into a national initiative," Dr. Mohammed said, expressing his appreciation for their great confidence in Bahrain Polytechnic. "At the same time, the Polytechnic is looking forward for further cooperation with the authority in all fields," he added.

The e-Content Management Programme targets Bahraini citizens who hold bachelor's degree in media relations or English language. The students will undergo a 10 month training course which will provide them with the basics that enable them to design and develop e-content both in Arabic and English, in addition to managing IT projects and e-marketing campaigns.

The program is divided into two periods: the first period is four months training inside a classroom. This will be followed by practical training of up to 6 months, starting from 14th, November, 2011. The applicants who successfully pass the programme requirements are expected to receive, in the public sector, a monthly salary. The salary can be increased upon promotion after one year.

Employees who have previous experience will obtain between 1 to 3 ranks or a higher grade, according to the evaluation of Employment and Training Directorate at the Civil Service Bureau, noting that the job grade of the e-content management position is the first executive grade (E-1), which has a minimum basic salary.

Bahraini graduates with the appropriate qualifications and language skills (fluency in Arabic and English) who wish to enroll in the programme of e-content management may visit the official website of the eGovernment Authority www.ega.gov.bh in order to download and fill out the application then send it, along with the CV, to the following email: eContent@ega.gov.bh.
It should be noted that this course has been developed following the Civil Service Bureau development of (eContent Administrator) position, which came as an implementation to the decision of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology, chaired by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, in order to improve e-content both in terms of quality and quantity, and in terms of information upgrading, based on the international standards as agreed by the United Nations.

ameinfo.com

Civil Service Set To Improve Government Efficiency

Inefficiencies in government offices will soon be addressed as the Civil Service Commission (CSC) has leveled up the standard of quality in rendering government service.
Guesting in the Kapihan sa Kapitolyo, CSC Davao del Norte Provincial Director Ma. Faith Presbitero said this year’s theme for the Philippine Civil Service 111th year celebration is "Championing R.A.C.E.: Public Service at Full Speed." She said it advances the thrust of CSC to wield a much better way of providing government services and it also brings a message of building a responsive, accessible, courteous and effective public service.

Presbitero said that with the R.A.C.E. principle of public service, the government will be gaining the trust and confidence of more people. “Wala na tong mahadlok nga moadto sa opisina sa gobyerno,” she said.

The memorandum circular of CSC signed on July 22 by CSC Chairperson Francisco Duque III states that this year’s Civil Service celebration is anchored on President Benigno S. Aquino’s call for “reform, daang matuwid, and on his pledge to implement change in government.”

“The theme urges civil servants nationwide to respond to call for change and be servant-heroes,” Duque said.

CSC has lined up activities such as conducting the Honor Awards Program (HAP) rites for the 2011 Presidential Lingkod Bayan, Dangal ng Bayan, and CSC Pag-asa Awardees.

It also sets to organize R.A.C.E. to Serve Fun Run, contests on photography, chorale, essay writing and graphic designing.

The Provincial Government of Davao del Norte through the Provincial Human Resource Management Office has also lined up activities in line with the Philippine Civil Service 111th anniversary.

PHRMO department head Monica Salido said there will be training and seminars on stress management, communication skills, personality development and nutrition for elders.

Activities on physical development of provincial government employees will include the Pinoy Biggest Loser Davao del Norte Capitol Edition and Capitolympics 2011. There will also be free health care services and a talent search activity dubbed as Capitol DavNor Got Talent 2011.
UNPAN Asia & Pacific

Technology Best Practices for Local Governments

scientificamerican.com

e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government has conducted its Digital Counties and Digital Cities surveys in partnership with the National Association of Counties and National League of Cities for more than 10 years. These surveys show how local governments are using digital technologies to meet policy priorities and service demands. The surveys ask for information in these seven categories:

• IT Governance 
• Public Safety, Emergency Management and Corrections
• Health, Social and Human Services
• Commerce, Labor and Taxation/Economic, Business, Community and Work Force Development
• Finance and Administration, HR, Licensing and Permitting
• Energy, Environment, Natural Resources, Parks and Agriculture
• Citizen Engagement, Open Government and Online Service Delivery

Winners

As reported on govtech.com, a panel of market experts and former local government CIOs selected these examples based on the innovative nature of their approach, their connection to a strategic policy agenda within the implementing jurisdiction, results generated and the likelihood that the solution may be replicable in other communities.

Category 1
IT Governance
Oakland County, Mich.

Oakland County, Mich., was the standout in IT governance strategies for creating a service model that took into account end-users’ perspectives. In this category, DC judges considered only models where the CIO or CTO reported to the mayor or chief executive. Judges also looked for governance committees that included representation from executives across the spectrum of users and repeatable IT practices reflected in a published strategic plan.

Oakland County excelled in these areas. Since 1997, Oakland County has created a series of 24-month IT Strategic Plans designed to prioritize its technology activities. The plans are created by four IT leadership committees: The IT Steering Committee handles all internal matters regarding IT operations and the three other committees represent end-users, one for the courts, another for land use and the third for financial administration.

Category 2
Public Safety, Emergency Management and Corrections
Montgomery County, Md.

DC judges showed special interest in whether or not local governments deployed integrated justice systems. Judges wanted to see projects that gave approved users across agencies access to records through a single entrance point. The Integrated Justice Information System (IJIS) in Montgomery County, Md., integrates data from multiple law enforcement and criminal justice data sources, enabling personnel to retrieve information they need for investigations and processing via one system.

The project was directed by a steering committee of representatives from the Montgomery County Police Department, Sheriff’s Department, Department of Corrections, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Montgomery County Circuit Court, the county’s health and human services agency and the county’s Department of Technology Services. IJIS gives employees from each of these agencies access to data collected by other agencies in the group, assuming the employee in question has clearance to view the data. In the past, workers often filled out paper forms to request the data. And if an employee was only permitted to view certain parts of the data requested, the entire request often was denied, said Lisa Henderson, program manager for Montgomery County.

Category 3
Health, Social and Human Services
New York City

HHS-Connect, a program operated by New York City’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), served as this category’s model for Digital Communities judges, who wanted to see health and human services systems that significantly broke down information silos and shared information with other agencies — a common idea that may not seem new, but is still tricky to deploy. Agencies closely guard their health and human services data because it’s often sensitive and, by law, only viewable by certain people.

Category 4
Commerce, Labor and Taxation – Economic, Business, Community and Work Force Development
Dakota County, Minn.

Dakota County IT director Anita Scott said the project’s success stems from strong end-user participation in the selection of the new solution and a careful analysis of the contract. After selecting its vendor, Dakota County spent three months ensuring there were no gaps or shortcomings in the contract before executing the deployment. The extra time enabled county organizations to negotiate adjustments with the vendor before the project launched.

Category 5
Finance and Administration, HR, Licensing and Permitting
Fairfax County, Va.

Fairfax County, Va., met the judge’s criteria in this category for an aggressive enterprise approach, being one of the few municipalities of its size — more than 1 million people — to completely centralize IT. Since 2002, the county has combined permitting, inspection, licensing, cashiering, code enforcement and complaint activity for land use and construction onto a single enterprise software and database solution. The departments that collaborated on the project include Public Works and Environmental Services; Planning and Zoning; Health, Fire and Rescue; and Housing. Employees from all of those departments can access relevant information from one another via one application.

Category 6
Energy, Environment, Natural Resources, Parks and Agriculture
Riverside, Calif.

Judges approached this category looking for green IT and green building projects, but they also expressed a general interest in applications that were simply innovative. They highlighted a project from the Riverside, Calif., Water Quality Control Plant, which uses video cameras to document damage and repairs to city sewer lines The project is set to go live in July of 2011.

Category 7
Citizen Engagement, Open Government and Online Service Delivery
New York City

New York City was praised as a model for consolidated city/county government with outstanding delivery of diverse services to its 8 million citizens. In 2010, through its highly regarded 311 system, the city served its 100-millionth caller while at the same time expanding its service online through NYC 311 Online.

About Report
The report is based on the activities of the Digital Communities program, a network of public- and private-sector IT professionals who are working to improve local governments’ delivery of public service through the use of digital technology. The program — a partnership between Government Technology and e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government — consists of task forces that meet online and in person to exchange information on important issues facing local government IT professionals. Click here for more information.

governingpeople.com

Intel applies for $600m government grant

This latest request is to upgrade the Kiryat Gat fab and employ an additional 1,300 people from 2014.

Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC) has applied for a $500-700 million grant from the Investment Promotions Center. In a press release, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor said, "Intel has filed a request with the Investment Promotions Center for its $4.8 billion comprehensive expansion and technology upgrade plan for Fab 28 in Kiryat Gat." Intel normally asks for a grant amounting to 12-15% of its planned investment.

Intel promises to hire 1,300 new employees at the fab, boosting its workforce to 4,400, when the upgrade is completed in 2014.

Intel plans to upgrade Fab 28 for the production of next-generation integrated circuits on silicon wafers with 15-nanometer technology. The Fab is currently being upgraded to 22-nanometer technology, and it is scheduled to begin production by the end of the year.

In January 2011, the Investment Promotions Center approved a $230 million grant for Intel for this 22-nanometer upgrade, after heated public debate, during which Intel threatened to relocate the production elsewhere if the grant was not approved.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Shalom Simhon appointed ministry director general Sharon Kedmi to review Intel's application. Simhon said that he considers the grant application as a vote of confidence by Intel in its Israeli operations, and he hopes that it will mean the expansion of operations in the periphery.

globes.co.il

The Bahrain eGovernment Authority and Tamkeen launch e-Content Management Programme

In line with the Kingdom of Bahrain's continuous efforts in implementing e-Initiatives, as well various governmental organisations' urgent need for qualified e-Content Administrator employees, the eGovernment Authority and Tamkeen are launching a custom designed graduate programme in the e-Content field, aiming at bridging the electronic divide, and translate the communications into e-Content.

This initiative comes shortly after the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) announcement for posting the eContent Administrative position in the ministries and governmental entities, in accordance with the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology, headed by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, to establish the eContent Administrative position, aiming at raising the level of econtent in terms of the quality, the quantity and the accuracy of the information provided, in accordance with the United Nations and the international standards in the eContent field.

This is a certificate-based qualification which will be delivered by the Bahrain Polytechnic, with an overall cost of BD156,500. The registration will be open until the 30th of June, 2011.

The programme is aimed at building the skills of Bahrainis who hold a B.Sc. degree in Media or Mass Communications, or B.A. in English Language. The first batch is expected to begin on September 2011 and continue for 10 months. Selected candidates will acquire the necessary competencies to create and maintain website content in Arabic and English, manage IT projects and e-Marketing campaigns.

Candidates will receive a professional certificate in e-Content management which covers a combination of theory followed by on-the-job training in public or private sectors' workplaces.

"The agreement is a translation to the e-Government initiatives which is part of its strategy, to enhance the government processes in the Kingdom of Bahrain and support e-Transformation, which will result in a better quality of government services provided to the citizens" Mr. Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, CEO of the eGovernment Authority stated. He also extended his appreciation to all parties that worked and designed in launching the programme.

Dr. Ahmed Abdul Ghani Al Shaikh, Tamkeen's Vice President for Enterprise and Human Capital Development, said, "This skills gap was identified and Tamkeen has shown its flexibility by supporting the implementation of the programme. It is a sign of how swiftly the Bahraini society is moving towards a knowledge-based framework and we are sure that in the months ahead, we shall be looking to create similar programmes to answer new career calls."

The programme will consist of 4 months of classroom training followed by up to 6 months of on-the-job training. The professional certificate is at level 7 of the Bahrain Qualifications Framework and successful candidates can expect a minimum basic salary in the government sector with a chance of increase after one year, while in the private sector it has a minimum basic salary where Tamkeen will subsidise 50% of this wage for the first 6 months of employment.

Employees with previous experience usually get 1-3 steps or 1 grade higher based on the Civil Service Bureau's Recruitment and Training Directorate assessment. However, the e-Content Administrator target grade is E-1, which has a minimum basic.

ameinfo.com

Makau, Singapura Tandatangani Pakta Pelatihan Pegawai Negeri Sipil

Lembaga pendidikan di Singapura, Civil Service College (CSC) dan Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP) telah menandatangani sebuah Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Pelatihan Pegawai Negeri Sipil di Makau. Dalam hal ini CSC Singapura akan memberikan pelatihan bagi SAFP.

Dalam kesepakatan yang ditandatangani tersebut, dinyatakan bahwa CSC akan membantu SAFP membangun sebuah Sentral baru Pusat Pelatihan dan bersama-sama menyelenggarakan seminar-seminar dan berbagai workshop bagi para pejabat pemerintah dari Makau.

Lionel Yeo, Dekan dan CEO CSC, dilansir ASIAONE.com (11/1/2011) menyatakan kemitraan semacam ini sangat berguna. "Kita mengharapkan ada berbagai kesempatan untuk memfasilitasi saling berbagi dan membangun hubungan-hubungan antara para pejabat pemerintah Singapura dan Makau," ujarnya.

Direktur SAFP Jose Chu juga menyatakan bahwa penandatanganan MOU ini menggambarkan penguatan lebih lanjut hubungan antara kedua institusi.

Lebih lanjut, Jose berujar,"Hubungan antara Singapura dan Makau telah berlangsung dengan baik dan kuat, dan kita berupaya membangun hubungan yang lebih erat lagi dengan Singapura dimasa mendatang.

CSC telah memberikan pelatihan kepada lebih dari 3,000 pejabat Makau baik senior, menengah dan yunior asal Makau dalam program : Program Executive Management Development (EMD) yang ditujukan bagi level direktur dan manajer level menengah.

CSC juga memberikan pelatihan bagi Makau dalam program Executive Management Skills (EMS) bagi para pejabatyunior yang berpotensi tinggi, dan program Public Policy Development (PPD) yang ditujukan bagi pejabat senior dalam Macao Civil service.

(Martin Simamora)