Interoperability frameworks for electronic governance

ABSTRACT

Today, there is a growing awareness that the interoperability of national public information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructures is a precondition for a more service-oriented and competitive public sector. Interoperability means the ability of ICT systems and of business processes they support to exchange data and to enable the sharing of information and knowledge.

To help achieve interoperability, both within and across different policy areas, many countries have developed their own interoperability frameworks. However, in spite of the recommendations and guidelines provided by these frameworks, issues such as socio-economic disparities between regions challenge their effective and successful use. This panel will explore several key questions concerning success factors for an interoperability program from various perspectives, including:

1) When are organizations ready to think of running an interoperability initiative?

2) The actions the organization must take to ensure that the process is established and will endure.

3) Preconditions that must exist in the organization to implement interoperability (eventually through a framework).

4) Roles and procedures necessary to implement an interoperability program.

5) Is it possible to start an interoperability program in under-resourced administrations? Opportunities and challenges in less-developed countries.

REFERENCES

• 1: European Comisión, Draft European Interoperability Framework v2.0, 2008 http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/servlets/Doc?id=31508
• 2: e-Government Interoperability Framework Version 6.1 http://www.govtalk.gov.uk/documents/eGIF%20v6_1(1).pdf
• 3: Deller R., Guilloux V., Determining relevance of "best practice" based on interoperability in European eGovernment initiatives; European Journal of ePractice, N° 4, 2008.
• 4: Estonian IT Interoperability Framework, http://www.riso.ee/en/files/framework_2005.pdf.
• 5: ISO/IEC 19100 Geographic Information, http://www.isotc211.org/.
• 6: Open Geospatial Consortium http://www.opengeospatial.org/
• 7: New Zeland E-Government Interoperability Framework (NZ e-GIF) http://www.e.govt.nz/standards/e-gif/e-gif-v-3-3/.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
        D.2.11 Software Architectures
            Subjects: Domain-specific architectures

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
        D.2.12 Interoperability
            Subjects: Interface definition languages; Distributed objects; Data mapping

General Terms:
Design, Standardization

Keywords:
electronic governance, interoperability frameworks