A Thesis for the Degree of Master of Science

Angolas Pathway Towards e-Government

By Srgio Joo Teixeira Congo Supervisor: Prof. Jung-Ho Park

May 2010

Department of Computer Science Graduate School Sun Moon University South Korea

Angolas Pathway Towards e-Government

Presented as a Thesis for the Degree of Master of Science

May 2010

By Srgio Joo Teixeira Congo

Department of Computer Science Graduate School Sun Moon University South Korea

Approved as a Qualified Thesis of Srgio Joo Teixeira Congo for The Degree of Master of Science

Prof. Yoon-Young Park:

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Prof. Kyung-Oh Lee:

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Prof. Jung-Ho Park:

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May 2010 The Graduate School of Sun Moon University

Abstract Angolas Pathway Towards e-Government

Srgio Joo Teixeira Congo Department of Computer Science Graduate School of Computer Science Sun Moon University

Supervisor: Prof. Jung-Ho Park

Most developing and developed countries have shown the world a remarkable performance in moving towards an advanced Information Society in the modern era. Information infrastructures have been efficiently deployed, equipments have been widely spread, usage skills have been improved, applications have been well designed and lifestyle has been well integrated within the information transition led by the new Information and Communications Technology (ICT). E-Government has succeeded in promoting change and harnessing technology, and using network technologies has become part of the day-to-day business of many governments.

The implementation of e-Government will enable Angola - a country so diverse in its cultural composition and in its territorial, economic and social structure - to strengthen national unity, reduce asymmetries, shorten distances, promote equitable access to information and provide similar opportunities to all citizens, thus reinforcing Angola's development dynamics. However, Angola has to overcome many challenges in order to improve governmental services, increasing accountability, accuracy and effectiveness of services delivery, reducing administrative cost and time, planning management and increasing the government staff productivity.

This research proposes an e-Government readiness model according to the surveys, comparative studies and e-Government architecture framework. Based on the proposed model, a survey questionnaire was done specifically targeting those who were familiar with ICT and eGovernment readiness in Angola. After the statistical analysis, the main challenges were clear: Lack of ICT infrastructures, social and cultural barrier, illiteracy, security and underdeveloped legal framework regarding ICT. The purpose of this thesis is to clarify the main issues surrounding the implementation of e-Government in Angola through surveys and literature studies on philosophy of development,

implementation, support and management of e-Government.

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Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Jung-Ho Park, for the valuable guidance and advices. He inspired me greatly to work in this research project. His willingness to motivate me contributed tremendously to this project.

I owe my deepest gratitude to my loving wife, Valya, for all the love and support.

Special thanks to my beautiful daughter, Erica, an amazing girl with a wonderful mind and an incredible future lying before her.

Lastly, I offer my regards and blessings to all of those who supported me in any respect during the completion of the project.

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Table of Contents
Abstract ...................................................................................................... i Acknowledgments .................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ..................................................................................... iv 1. Introduction.........................................................................................1 1.1. 1.2. 1.3. 1.4. 1.5. 2. Background ................................................................................ 3 Purpose ....................................................................................... 4 Methodology .............................................................................. 5 Expected Result and Effect ........................................................ 6 Outline of Research Process ....................................................... 6

Comparison of e-Government ............................................................8 2.1. E-Government of South Korea ..................................................... 8 2.2. E-Government in Africa, America & Europe ............................ 14 2.3. Key Variables for e-Government Implementation ..................... 28

3.

Guidelines for an Appropriate e-Government in Angola .................31 3.1. Technology Gap ........................................................................... 61 3.2. E-government Services................................................................. 63 3.3. Strategic Framework for e-Government....................................... 66 3.4. Software Architecture and Security ............................................. 70 3.5. Leaderships Role to the Success of e-Government ..................... 74

4.

Conclusions and Future Work ..........................................................76

References ................................................................................................81

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1. Introduction
The rise of the information society has led to major changes in citizen expectations and organizational structures, cultures and working processes of public administration. Governments will have to adopt information society tools and working practices if they are to remain responsive to citizen needs. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 1 defines e-Government as the use of information and communication technologies, and particularly the Internet, as a tool to achieve better government. The impact of e-Government at the broadest level is simply better government by enabling better policy outcomes, higher quality services, and greater engagement with citizens.

Lots of work has been done for pursuing the implementation of eGovernment, among which there are successful examples, such as the Korea eGovernment 2. However, previous studies have also indicated many examples of e-Government failures. In developing countries, 35% of e-Government projects are total failures, 50% are partial failures, and only 15% are successes [1]. Therefore recently, it is commonly believed that how to avoid eGovernment failure should be one of the important further studies in this area.

In developing e-Government services, the readiness of citizen groups to use self-service channels must be taken into account, as must the complexity and requirements of the service. A high proportion of interactions between citizens and the public service are in the areas of health and social services
1 2

URL: http://www.oecd.org/ URL: http://www.korea.go.kr/

where citizens tend to be elderly, in poor health and of lower educational and income backgrounds. Many of these will require assistance in accessing public services, either at front desk or over the telephone. They may not be in a position to benefit from a self-service channel where the citizen has to do much of the work of data entry.

The key to e-government is the establishment of a long-term, organizationwide strategy to constantly improve operations with the end in view of fulfilling citizen needs by transforming internal operations such as staffing, technology, processes and work flow management.

Thus, e-government should result in the efficient and swift delivery of goods and services to citizens, businesses, government employees and agencies. To citizens and businesses, e-government would mean the simplification of procedures and streamlining of the approval process. To government employees and agencies, it would mean the facilitation of cross-agency coordination and collaboration to ensure appropriate and timely decisionmaking.

Most African countries, including Angola, are still behind global averages on major ICT indicators. Since 2002, there had been a growing gap between countries with access to communication services and those without. Although progress, particularly in Angola, had narrowed this gap, the digital divide remains a reality. The challenge, therefore, remains the establishment of sufficient infrastructure to carry e-Government initiatives, supplemented by a well-trained and skilled workforce to make a positive contribution. 2

As many public organization in Angola are either planning for or implementing major e-Government projects, there is a growing need to understand how these projects can be successfully managed for maximum realization of their potential benefits.

1.1.

Background

E-Government 3 refers to the use of internet technology as a platform for exchanging information, providing services and transacting with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. E-Government may be applied by the legislature, judiciary, or administration, in order to improve internal efficiency, the delivery of public services, or processes of democratic governance. The primary delivery models are Government-to-Citizen or Government-to-Customer (G2C), Government-to-Business (G2B) and Government-to-Government (G2G) & Government-to-Employees (G2E). Although e-Government is often thought of as online government or internet-based government, many non-Internet electronic government technologies can be used in this context. Some non-internet forms include telephone, fax, and so on.

E-Government is critical to meeting todays citizen and business expectations for interaction with government. It enables public organizations to align efforts as needed to significantly improve service and reduce operating

from electronic government, also known as e-gov, digital government, online government or in a certain context transformational government.

costs. When e-Government initiatives deploy effectively, conducting business with the government is easier, privacy is protected and security provided. Citizens and businesses can visit one point-of-service online or by telephone that reflects the Government of Angola.

E-Government provides many opportunities to improve the quality service to the citizen. Citizens should be able to get service or information in minutes or hours, versus todays standard of days or weeks. Citizens, businesses and provincial and local governments should be able to file required reports without having to hire accountants and lawyers. Government employees should be able to do their work as easily, efficiently and effectively as their counterparts in the commercial world.

Ultimately, e-government aims to enhance access to and delivery of government services to benefit citizens. More important, it aims to help strengthen governments drive toward effective governance and increased transparency to better manage the countrys social and economic resources for development.

1.2.

Purpose

This thesis research aims to apply current analytical themes in the broad and ambitious challenge of transformation in to an Information Society, materialized in the Angola Electronic Government general Goals and in the reform process in course.

Specific to this kind of society is the central position of Information Technology has for production, economy, and society at large. Information Society is seen as the successor to industrial society. The Information Society strategy foresees the creation of an observatory encompassing the Electronic Government component monitoring the implementation of development activities and obtained results. It will also observe the impacts achieved in terms of the development of the information society and its contribution to the overall challenges of Angola's growth through reporting information dissemination, knowledge sharing and stimulus to participation.

1.3.
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Methodology
Literature and Comparative Studies

I started by approaching the topic with literature and comparative studies on philosophy of development, implementation, support and management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. I will also read existing material and research results around the topic.

Project Survey and Research

I visited Angola several times during this research to analyze the countries readiness and all the current framework of E-government through its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats;

Generalized acknowledgment of Information Technology as a fundamental lever for development; Young population, highly receptive to digital culture, enabling significant development in the short term; High growth indexes concerning the use of wireless technology; Strong political will to promote the development of Electronic Government; Week digital culture in public administration; Underdeveloped Technology; legal framework regarding Information

1.4.

Expected Result and Effect

Bridge the Information and Communication Technologies gap at both global and domestic level. Speed up the adoption, use and mastery of Information and Communication Technologies. Provide Guidelines for the accomplishment of a strategy for the framework of the Electronic Government.

1.5.

Outline of Research Process

Theoretical framework of the research; Data collected empirically, factual information that describes existing phenomena; Identify problems; Integrated evaluation and comparison;

Determine what others are doing with similar problems or situations; Conclusions of the findings; Thesis writing

2. Comparison of e-Government
In order to define a strategy for interoperability and implementation of eGovernment, it is important to understand the current state and trends in more advanced countries. Because ICTs are generally adopted first in developed countries, knowing the strategies and policies applied by some of these countries would save time and money, and mistakes could be avoided as well.

2.1. E-Government of South Korea

Given the painful historical similarities between Angola and South Korea in that both countries have been oppressed by a colonial power, have faced civil war and subsequent period of national reconstruction, and considering the technological advance of Korea and the increasing level of bilateral cooperation through pursuing mutual benefits that motivate active interaction between the two countries, I strongly believe that Korea could be a very positive example to follow towards the implementation of e-Government in Angola.

Since 1987, Korea has made consistent efforts to achieve strategic goals set for e-government by starting to digitize services related to matters of residence, real estate and vehicles under the National Basic Information Systems Project. The Korea Information Infrastructure (KII) Project for building an information super-highway was also launched in the 1990s, under which each ministry promoted digitization especially in the areas of patents, procurement, customs and national tax. In addition to this, the government selected 11 e8

government initiatives, and established common and integrated infrastructure among government agencies including single-window civil services, a comprehensive national procurement system, and a national finance system.

As a result of consistent efforts, the level of informatization reached the advanced stage in terms of its function and ministerial unit, and such areas as civil application, tax, procurement, and customs had begun to be processed electronically, with integrated online services partially provided.

Figure 1 Korea e-Government.

Nevertheless, such results had not begun to be felt by citizens due to the supplier-oriented and fragmented nature of informatization projects. Improving work processes had been underestimated in digitization, while offline-based laws and customs lingered on. In addition, providing seamless one-stop service to citizens seemed to confront challenges since informationsharing among government agencies was hindered in part by an unwillingness to share, which led to little contribution to e-government results as a tool for government innovation. Embracing more expectation for e-government results, the government adopted e-government as a key national agenda in 2003 [2].

To promote government innovation in a more comprehensive and systematic way, the Presidential Committee on Government Innovation and Decentralization (PCGID) was established to deal with issues such as egovernment, administrative reform, local decentralization and tax reform.

The Technical Committee on e-Government under the PCGID carried out the development, deliberation, and coordination of the e-Government Roadmap projects during initial stages. The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs (MOGAHA) provided administrative assistance while the National Information Society Agency (NIA) conducted project management along with technical advice. Each government agency was assigned to perform and implement plans that were designed by the Committee.

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Through the Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council 4 , the Korean government also operates the function of consultation and coordination of major multi-agency issues related to e-government, including the establishment and implementation of e-government related policy, joint use of administrative information, and resource management.

With the necessity to strengthen the authority and position of the ministry responsible constantly being raised for efficient and responsible e-government implementation, the development, coordination, and management of egovernment projects has been performed by MOGAHA as the projects entered into full-scale implementation. The Special Committee on eGovernment focused on advising and evaluating e-government projects.

The firm implementation of these policies gave birth to the E-Government Roadmap, designed to achieve Koreas vision of becoming the worlds best 5 open e-government 6 promoting three major goals[3]:

The Korean government has been operating the CIO Council system since 1988 for the successful implementation of e-government projects. The Minister of Government Administration and Home Affairs chairs the CIO Council, while the Head of the EGovernment Headquarters (Director General level) of MOGAHA serves as the executive secretary, with responsibility for the coordination of conflicting issues, such as the establishment and implementation of e-government related policy, joint use of administrative information and resources, pursuit of multi-agency e-government projects, and the evaluation of e-government projects. Worlds Best refers to the realization of Korea as one of the worlds most developed nations based on its recent achievements in ICT areas [3].
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Open e-Government refers to increasing citizens participation by realizing transparent and responsible public administration [3].
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1. Reform of Government Administrative Procedures: Replacing paper document processing with electronic document, while stand-alone government information systems would be integrated into a one-stop information system.

2. Reform of Citizen Service Delivery: Citizens would conveniently access government services through a single online window instead of visiting government offices.

3. Reform of Information Resource Management: Information resources, such as human resources, organizations, budget, and information systems, which were managed separately by the respective agencies in the past, will be integrated across the government by using a common standard to ensure interoperability among systems.

In the four years since 2004, the Korean Government has progressively built an e-Government system that has enabled it to provide up to 85% of public services online. Underpinning this system is Oracle Database technology; the powerful and reliable software ensures 24/7 service availability and offers the scalability needed to support growing data volumes and the introduction of more government services.

Since its introduction, the Korea e-Government System has helped improve the efficiency of administrative processes; provided the information necessary to develop and implement effective government initiatives; and enhance the delivery of services to constituents.

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Components of the Korea e-Government System include:

On-nara BPS 7, which records, processes, and manages administrative matters; A shared administration information system which reduces the need for paper documents; A system called G4C which allow citizens to request and review government documents online; UNI-PASS, a customs clearance service; A system called G4B catering to corporations; and U-TradeHub, an electronic trading system.

By expanding the range of government services available online, the Korean Government has cut the number of citizen visits to government offices to less than three times a year. As of today, it has achieved 60% of its egovernment program optimization. From a business efficiency perspective, the Korean Government is ranked in the global top 10.

Koreas e-Government is the core infrastructure based on which the future strategy of VISION 2030: Korea Advancing Together with Hope will be
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The On-nara BPS(On-line Business Process System) is an online system which is designed to systemize and standardize the process of handling administrative affairs and to establish the scientific management system of government administration. It will evolve as a backbone system that facilitates efficient linkage to other management systems, such as performance management, program evaluation, the presidents magagement agenda, etc.

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built upon [3]. The Korean Government is aiming to build a world-leading digital government that understands the public and garners support from the people of Korea.

Ultimately, Korea e-Government aims to become the Worlds Best Digital Government, by providing each of its customers with what they need. Korea eGovernment will offer services that are frequently used by the public, and help strengthen the competitiveness of businesses. It will provide a pleasant work place for public officials, and become a benchmark standard that foreign countries will study and seek to emulate.

2.2. E-Government in Africa, America & Europe

2.2.1 South Africa

Over the past few years, recognising the increasing importance and potential of e-Government, the South African government has established the eGov KnowEx 8 strategy to provide efficient service delivery to the people and meet the Information Technology challenges of the public sector.

South Africa has become aware of e-Governments potential role in improving the operations and efficient service delivery by the government. The eGov KnowEx initiative will assist in the various ways such as bringing
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The eGov KnowEx is a joint venture between the Government, represented by the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI), and SITA R&D, both agencies of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA); academia represented by the Wits University LINK Centre; and the private sector, initially represented by Microsoft, HP and Accenture[4][5].

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together government, industry and research and academic organizations to build networks and confront e-Government challenges; creating a platform for government departments to share requirements and solutions to avoid duplication; and ensuring that learning and knowledge-sharing are important parts of shaping policy and action in the implementation of e-Government.

There were a number of challenges that needed to be addressed if the information systems were to deliver on the development priorities of the new state. These included concerns about inter-operability, duplication of efforts, not achieving economies of scale, and security. In addition, the arrangements were not conducive to the creation of seamless access to government services and these will need to be assessed. There was also a realisation that departments needed to establish a post of Government Information Technology Officer (GITO) to facilitate the implementation of the eGov KnowEx strategy in order to meet the business objectives of government. In addition, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) was established in the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA).

The vision for achieving e-Government in South Africa is to render services around life episodes of the citizens that follow a series of events, from cradle to grave. Such services must be accessible to all citizens anytime, anywhere and through different access devices and media. The country adopted a 10 year horizon and a six-phase implementation approach for eGovernment [4]. The implementation process for achieving the e-Government vision is guided by the following principles:

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 Interoperable public service systems to enable seamless and one-stopshop services to the public, accessible through integrated service centers; Secure public information to uphold constitutional principles on citizens privacy and confidentiality, and to ensure unassailable continuity of public services; Leveraging the buying muscle of government for cheaper, smarter, and faster public sector ICT acquisitions; and Eliminating unnecessary duplications of ICT efforts through consolidation and coordination at the centre of the public sector.

Figure 2 South African Government Portal.

These principles provided the framework for the development and release of the Batho Pele Gateway Portal 9. The portal is a major component of the e9

URL: http://www.gov.za/

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Government Program and is intended to provide a general information resource about government activities and the national Program of Action as well as specific information about government services organized according to the life cycle of the citizens. The portal is currently being enhanced to incorporate services from all the spheres of government and is being translated to all eleven languages of South Africa [5].

The next phase of South Africas e-Government project is to focus on progressing from information dissemination to service delivery. The focus will then be placed on the services which are available, who qualifies for such services and where and how to access such services. This phase, therefore, aims to enable users to become involved in online transactions. The Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) predicted that the basic access level of eGovernment in South Africa would be in operation in the course of 2007 or 2008.

In conclusion, the future of e-Government and other mobile government initiatives is therefore inextricably linked to the creation of a sufficient ICT infrastructure, human capacity building and the creation of sustainable publicprivate partnerships. There is no doubt that South Africans have been sensitized to the value of e-Government. Future programs would focus on ICT application, together with e-Government, in improving administration and planning by the government. It is widely accepted in South Africa that future eGovernment initiatives are to be based on the vision of taking government to the people and making it accessible to all citizens. Despite the stumbling block of inadequate infrastructure, the cost of communications remains one of South Africas (and Africas) most daunting challenges. 17

2.2.2 United States

E-Government is one of the five key elements of the Presidents Management Agenda and Performance Plan. The primary goals for the eGovernment initiatives are to:

Make it easy for citizens to obtain services and interact with the federal government; Improve government efficiency and effectiveness; and Improve governments responsiveness to citizens.

Due to the changes in technology and the level of services provided for the private sector, the Federal Government has made a decision to transform the way it does business with citizens, through the use of e-Government initiatives.

The e-Government strategy defines that the government will interact with citizens (G2C), business (G2B), other governments (states and local) (G2G), and intra-government.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identified that redundant and overlapping agency activities have been major impediments for creating a citizen-centered e-Government. The OMB believes that the two major problems to overcome in order to achieve the objectives of a more responsive and interconnected government are security and system architecture. The

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OMB found that one of the main reasons for low productivity in the government is Island of Automation. 10

The OMB also found that there was significant redundancy and overlap in the operations of the different parts of the Federal Government. The OMB asserts that Government-to-Government (G2G) initiatives will enable sharing and integration of Federal, State and local data to facilitate integration of government operations [6].

To address the system architecture problem, the OMB has established the Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA 11) to define a System Architecture for each e-Government initiative and a core set of standardized technologies model to facilitate technology solutions. The OMB has established the Federal Enterprise Architecture Program Management Office (FEAPMO) to develop the FEA. The FEA is a function-driven framework for describing the business operations of the Federal Government, independent of the Agencies that perform them. To complement the FEA, a Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework (FEAF) was defined to provide several approaches, models and definitions for communicating the overall organization and relationships of architecture components required for the development of the FEA.

Agencies generally buy systems that address internal needs, and rarely the systems are able to inter-operate or communicate with those in other agencies. Consequently, citizens have to search across miltiple agencies to get service, businesses have to file the same information multiple times, and agencies cannot easily share information. 11 On February 6, 2002 the development of the Federal Eterprise Architecture (FEA) was inicated. Let by the OBM, the purpose of this effort is to identify opportunities to simplify processes and nify work across the agencies and within the lines of business of the Federal Government.

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Some important principles of the FEA and FEAF have been adopted by the Federal CIO Council in the e-Government Enterprise Application Guidelines (EEAG) [6]. EEAG establishes interoperability standards and claims that the Federal Government should adopt open standards and should acquire and integrate elements that comply with these standards. FEAFs final goal is to eliminate the use of proprietary software. EEAG requires the use of Internet technologies, especially XML 12 in order to establish interoperability.

EEAG defines that e-Government initiatives and lines of business should register their XML schemes in a Federal-wide XML registry. The registry would support the development, registration and extension of XML schemas, XML data definition and naming convention for government inherent data, but only representation of data elements and schemas would be available in the repository [7]. The actual instances of data would be retained in the host systems, to allow standardization of data leaving maintenance of the actual data at the operating level. EEAG recommends taking advantage of application standardization encouraging the development of reusable software.

The EEAG established the following data principles for e-Government interoperability:

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The Extensible Markup Language (XML) provides a critical foundation for eGovernment data structures. XML is emerging as the Industry and Government standard for moving and sharing information both among different entities and systems, and even among components of a system. XML provides an opportunity for Federal Lines of Business and external entities such as State and Local Governments. This will be particularly powerful where Lines of Business can leverage emerging industry standards such as ebXML, or join with State and Local Governments to define joint XML schemas that provide data interoperability across the tiers of government.[7]

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Avoid creating a one-size-fits-all schema; divide schemas into manageable efforts with business focused on expansion and government-wide propagation;

Register the semantics of shared data elements; Seek industry vocabularies prior to the development of custom schemas. Use these industry vocabularies as a starting point; Document service interfaces in a consistent standard way; Avoid non-standard data syntaxes.

The main technical tools to data interchange between systems define for EEAG, XML and Broker Message, 13 can be used together to achieve connectivity.

Web Service is a new alternative to integrate different systems to discover and use the capabilities of the other systems. The data interchange would be the product of the invocation of a Web Service that would act as a service for the application requesting it.

The main role of the Message Broker (MB) is to simplyfy integration. Instead of every system being directly interfaced with every other system, each system is interfaced to the MB. This reduces the number of needed interfaces, and isolates each system from changes in the others.

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Figure 3 The U.S Governments Official Web Portal.

Web Services are still in the early stages of development but have a great potential; it is expected that they will have a large impact in the future of eGovernment system connectivity.

In conclusion, the US Federal Government is in the process of finishing the definition of a common data infrastructure, to allow a better interconnection with all the agencies and organizations that belong to the Federal Government. This strategy would also facilitate the data interchange with citizens, business and other governments (State and Local). The main resource for the data integration would be publicly available standard XML schemas at the semantic level, and Message Brokers at the connectivity level.

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2.2.3 United Kingdom

The United Kingdom provides a great example of a country with a central government and a large size economy.

One of the most interesting findings in my research has been the development of the process from the global need of a more efficient government strategy to the current state of implementation.

In April of 2000 the United Kingdom Government presented the new strategic framework for public services in the information age [8]. This strategic framework aims at creating a favourable environment for the transformation of government activities by applying e-business methods throughout the public sector.

The strategy aims also at supporting the target set by the Prime Minister which defines that all public services should be available online by 2005. To this end, it challenged all public sector organizations to innovate, committing all central government departments to develop e-business strategies and challenged the government to provide the necessary common infrastructure and leadership.

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The United Kingdom e-Government strategy has the following guidelines: Build citizen-centered services; Make government services available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week where there is a demand; Foster social inclusion.

It is important to note that the e-Government Unit 14 was created to accomplish the task of putting in place the e-Government strategy. This is consistent with the assumption that without a high level of commitment and resources no strategy can be efficiently implemented.

Figure 4 Website of the UK Government.

The e-Government Unit (eGU), the largest unit of the Cabinet Office of the government of the United Kingdom, is responsible for helpong various government departments use information technology to increase efficiency and improve electronic access to government services. It is therefore deeply involved in issues of e-Government [9].
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The e-Government strategy aims to deliver high quality services that are accessible, convenient and secure, enabling people to interact with government on their own terms. Therefore, electronic public services must be joined up across layers of government and organizational boundaries, and public sector organizations must cooperate in new partnership that will deliver their services in ways that make sense to the customers. Partnerships need also to be formed with innovator in the private sector who can find new ways of meeting changing patterns of demand.

As part of the strategy the e-Government Unit with its counterparts in the respective administration in the respective administration and lead organizations will:

Promote common policies on the management of information; Support citizen-focused service integration; Establish a governmental portal; Promote shared infrastructure and applications; Lead the implementation of framework policies, standards and guidelines.

The policies and guidelines for interoperability have been defined in the eGovernment Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) 15 . The e-GIF defines the
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The e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) is an essential component of the e-Government Strategy and Sets out the policy and standards for interoperability across the

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technical policies and specifications to achieve interoperability across the public sector of the United Kingdom. E-GIF is the set of basic infrastructure and is based in the adoption if Internet and World Wide Web specification for all government systems. It is a pragmatic that aims to reduce cost and risk for government systems and align them to the global Internet revolution.

The most important characteristics of e-GIF are: It is mandatory for all the public sector of the United Kingdom; Intended to resolve and prevent (or at least minimize) problems arising from incompatible content of different computer systems; Provides support, best practices guidance, and centrally agreed schemas through the http://www.govtalk.gov.uk 16 website; Establishes the management process to assure the implementation of e-GIF; Has adopted XML and XSL as the core standards for data integration; XML schemas are defined and distributed centrally to all the public sector; E-GIF only adopts specifications that are well supported in the market place; Defines the Change Management process for e-GIF specifications;

public sector. It sets the architecture for joined-up and we-enabled government, for the UK online portal and Gateway, and for Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) [9]. 16 The GovTalk website http://www.govtalk.gov.uk is a fundamental part of the e-GIF implementation strategy. It supports the whole initiative and incorporates the management processes so that the government can consult and make decisions using the power and speed of the Internet. GovTalk provides implementation support through the production of centrally agreed, freely availabel XML schemas that can be reused throughout the public sector to reduce the costs and risks of developing data interchange systems.

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Defines compliance procedures with the e-GIF; The e-Government Unit and the Cabinet Office are the lead authorities in implementing and maintaining the e-GIF.

In conclusion, the United Kingdom has started to define the of an interoperable government, and to accomplish this, it created a strategic framework for an Electronic Government that would allow a better service based on a strategy to serve its citizens.

A key point delivering an e-Government is to allow the interconnectivity of the different parts of the public sector. The interoperability has been defined in e-GIF. The characteristics of the e-GIF are; the use of XML and Internet standards, through a centralization of XML schemas and the decentralization of the actual implementation of IT applications.

The e-GIF strategic framework is in the process of implementation and the results and effects would be soon available. I believe that it is essential to monitor the progress of this initiative with regard to the successful use of XML for standard data interface.

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2.3. Key Variables for e-Government Implementation

There are several international rankings of e-government maturity. The UN e-Government Readiness Index is among the most frequently cited. The United Nations conduct an annual e-Government survey which includes a section titled e-Government Readiness. It is a comparative ranking of the countries of the world according to two primary indicators: i) the state of egovernment readiness; and ii) the extent of e-participation. Constructing a model for the measurement of digitized services, the Survey assesses the 191 member states of the UN according to a quantitative composite index of egovernment readiness based on website assessment; telecommunication infrastructure and human resource endowment.

The following is the comparison table of countries according to the UN's 2010 e-Government Readiness Index and e-Government Strategy:

Table 1 e-Government Readiness Index and Strategy

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As a result of the analysis of e-Government implementation strategy in Korea, South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom, I came to a conclusion that this process is driven by the following key variables:

Use of a centralized organization to define data schemas and standard interfaces; Adoption of XML for data schemas definition and data interfaces; The need to provide integrated electronic services to citizens; The need to interconnect different agencies throughout the public sector to allow integrated information and improve efficiency; Emergency of the Internet and standards that provide the capabilities to interconnect; Use of standard applications across the government is recommended and encouraged; Use of standards for all the government agencies will be mandatory.

The only way to effectively provide services to citizens and improve overall efficiency is through interoperation of the different sectors of the government. Redundancy and overlapping are the major obstacle in providing fast and coherent services.

Removing the barriers to interoperability will result in more efficiency, faster and better services for the citizens, and a reduction of expenses. The use

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of technology to integrate processes and facilitate information flow would allow savings if the structure of the organizations are changed accordingly. At the same time, connectivity will reduce duplication and overlapping, as well as decrease or eliminate paperwork and errors from multiple inputs.

Governments need to define centered standards for system interfaces and data schemas for vertical domains. XML is the most recommended technology for interface and data schemas definition. XML will provide the pathway for the use of Web Services in the future.

The four countries analyzed in this thesis have the common goal of achieving a more integrated and interconnected e-Government in the near future. I believe that the experiences from these countries can be used and lessons from these processes will be crucial to avoid mistakes, save time and effectively apply resources in the implementation of e-Government in Angola.

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3. Guidelines for an Appropriate e-Government in Angola

This chapter aims to analyze the best alternatives to facilitate the creation of guidelines for a strategic framework for the implementation of eGovernment in Angola. Such framework will facilitate the development of eGovernment, increase the efficiency of ICT investments, facilitate connectivity and increase intergovernmental coordination.

One of the key parts of the strategy suggested in this thesis is to build a common interoperability framework across the public sector of Angola, to facilitate connectivity and enable the emergence of the e-Government.

Connected government needs connected information systems. The XML helps with this by providing a framework for a consistent approach to schema design. This will help understanding of schemas, promote re-use of schema components and aid system interoperability.

Some of the mandatory requirements constitute system-wide design decisions regarding integrity relationships between XML schemas. This includes specific support for architectural schemas, in other words, schemas containing reusable structures and datatypes providing reusable resources for developing schemas.

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Schemas can be generated by hand using suitable tools or generated directly by tools from suitable data models. The majority of schemas will continue to be developed by hand, at least in the short term. However, their development should be supported by a body of information architecture resources.

In addition, tool support for XML messaging and XML schema development is improving, and the management of the e-Government schema collection would evolve to meet the expected needs of a wide range of users.

This thesis specifies XML as the primary means for data integration which is driving the ongoing development of a repertoire of XML schemas. These XML schemas adhere to the XML Schema Recommendation of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) [26, 27, 28].

The W3C Recommendation allows many options for how schemas can be designed. systems. It provides specific recommendations and guidance for the development of XML Schemas for e-Government compliant applications and

In particular, the W3C XML Schema Recommendation provides several ways to reuse schema components. These need to be used selectively, and carefully managed, in the context of the e-Government. In particular, it is essential that schema reuse is easy to understand for application developers who are neither experienced abstract data modellers nor experienced XML 32

designers. Therefore, the requirements and recommendations below emphasize simplicity and ease of use rather than technical elegance.

The terms XML schema and XML schema document are often used interchangeably to refer to XML documents containing schema elements expressed in XML as described in the W3C Recommendation. There is also a more precise technical meaning for schema, as the exact abstract data structure required to schema-validate an element of an XML document (this is described in detail in the W3C XML Schema Recommendation Part 1[27]). For the purposes of this research, schema is normally used loosely, to mean a schema element within an XML document. The term schema document is used to mean an XML document containing one or more schema elements.

An XML document is a well-formed and complete piece of XML as defined by the XML Recommendation [23]. Since in the case of interoperability requirements, most documents are being sent as messages between computer systems, these are also referred to here as XML messages.

A message schema document is a schema document defining the structure and content of an XML document or message payload. The term 0message schema (rather than document schema) is used here so as not to cause confusion by having schema documents and document schemas meaning two different things.

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An instance is an element within an XML document that is schema-valid with respect to some message schema. If this document is the document element, the document is often referred to as an instance document. Note that there will not be direct instance documents of architectural schemas - they are purely for re-use within message schemas.

This thesis provides the following XML schema guidelines that must be taken into account:

Primary Schema Language

W3C XML Schema must be used as the main schema language for describing XML documents. It is important for interoperability that all government systems use the same schema language since otherwise syntaxspecific definitions of common components will not be re-usable. XML Schema is suggested because of its support for namespaces, data typing and modular schema design.

There will be cases where schemas need to be tailored for different uses. When a schema is developed for general use, it does not constrain instance documents as much as one developed for a specific use. In some cases, there is a need to apply additional constraints whilst ensuring that the instance documents are valid to the original schemas. In this case, Schematron 17 may be

Schematron is a rule-based validation language for making assertions about the presence or absence of patterns in XML trees. It is a simple and powerful structural schema language expressed in XML using a small number of elements and XPath [29].

17

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used to supplement XML Schema and provide a means of applying application-specific constraints.

Schema Complexity

The less common facilities available with XML Schema should not be used where there are simpler alternatives. As suggested in this thesis, schema developers should look at examples of other e-Government schemas, particularly those developed centrally, to help determine appropriate style. Schema developers should take into account the testability of their schemas.

This is perhaps the most important rule. XML Schema allows enormous power and flexibility in the way schemas are defined. In most cases, schemas can be made simple or complex while achieving the same aim. Since these are new technologies, many people who will be looking at the schemas will have little experience, it is recommended to try to keep them simple.

Schema development and testing tools have errors, mainly in the less frequently used aspects of XML Schema. Simple schemas are not only intrinsically simpler to test, but are also less likely to cause confusion by exposing the weaknesses of commonly-used tools.

Model Data not Forms

XML schemas should model the underlying data needed for an application, rather than existing forms or existing message formats. While existing forms

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and message formats are often a good starting point, they should not dominate the final message design.

There are two reasons for this: first, a well designed form is designed for use on paper, not on a computer screen (a significantly different medium in many ways) and an existing message format may or may not accurately the underlying information requirement. Second, a schema design should follow from information models and activity models of the whole e-Government service and that should be designed in its own right, rather than blindly following legacy processes and systems.

Use of Namespaces and Qualifiers

If your schema document has a target namespace, any default namespace for the document must be the same as the target namespace. The W3C XML Schema namespace must be qualified with a prefix of either xsd or xs. A suitable qualifier must be used for other namespaces.

There is never a disadvantage of making the default namespace of a schema document the same as the target namespace. However, any other approach can cause problems if another schema document with no target namespace is <include>d in the document being developed.

Since this means that neither the XML Schema namespace nor any other can be the default, they require a prefix. Schema development tools invariably

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default to using to using either xs or xsd as the prefix for the XML Schema namespace, so these are provided as options.

This makes the usage of namespaces more explicit, and allows schema designers more flexibility in using namespaces within the schema as shown in the example bellow.

<xs:schema targetNamespace="http://www.egovernment.gov.ao/taxation/VAT200" xmlns="http://www.egovernment.gov.ao/taxation/VAT200" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" elementFormDefault="qualified" attributeFormDefault="unqualified" version="1.0" id="HMCE-VAT100">

Multiple Schema Documents in a Single Namespace

Since this file is just incorporating other schema documents that should have associated metadata, it is not necessary to include the full set of metadata. However, the version attribute of the xs:schema element should be set to provide version management.

The XML Schema Recommendation is ambiguous on the handling of multiple schema documents with the same target namespace. The result of this 37

is that if such documents are incorporated into another schema document using xs:include or xs:import, implementations of XML processors are inconsistent in their approach. Some will allow this, some will raise an error and some will process just the first xs:include or xs:import. It is simple instead to use xs:include to create a single document that incorporates the multiple documents, then use xs:include or xs:import to incorporate this instead.

Since this file is just incorporating other schema documents that should have associated metadata, it is not necessary to include the full set of metadata. However, as shown in the example bellow, the version attribute of the xs:schema element should be set to provide version management.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <xs:schema targetNamespace= "http://www.egovernment.gov.ao/people/AddressAndPersonalDetails" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns="http://www.egovernment.gov.ao/people/AddressAndPersonalDetails" elementFormDefault="qualified" attributeFormDefault="unqualified" version="1.3" id="apd"> <xs:include schemaLocation="apd-v1-3/AddressTypes-v1-3.xsd"/> <xs:include schemaLocation="apd-v1-3/PersonalDetailsTypes-v1-3.xsd"/> </xs:schema>

Use of elementFormDefault and attributeFormDefault

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elementFormDefault must be set to qualified and attributeFormDefault should be set to unqualified.

The exception to this is if you are defining attributes that will be attached to elements from other namespaces. XLink 18 is a good example of this - the linking information is provided in attributes from the XLink namespace that are attached to elements from the namespace of the source documents.

This ensures that a developer reading or reusing a schema can rely on the visible prefixes and namespaces, instead of having to trace the detailed internal structure of a schema.

In this case, the attributes will not be attached to elements from other namespaces, and so must be qualified:

<xs:schema targetNamespace="http://www.egovernmentgov.ao/taxation/VAT200" xmlns="http://www.egovernment.gov.ao/taxation/VAT200" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" elementFormDefault="qualified" attributeFormDefault=unqualified" version="1.0" id="HMCE-VAT100">

18

The XML Linking Language, or XLink, is an XML markup language used for creating hyperlinks in XML documents. XLink is a W3C specification that outlines methods of describing links between resources in XML documents, whether internal or external to the original document [24].

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In this case, the attributes might be attached to elements from a different namespace:

<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" targetNamespace="http:// www.egovernment.gov.ao/gms" elementFormDefault="qualified" attributeFormDefault="qualified"

Use of Sample Instance Documents

When publishing schemas, at least one sample valid instance should be included. Sample instance documents have several uses. Firstly, one or more sample instance documents help others to understand a schema. Secondly, the action of generating a meaningful instance can often show up bad style in a schema that makes instance documents hard to generate, to read or to process. And finally, most tools will carry out more checks on a schema when it is used to validate an instance document than they do when it is just being treated as an XML document during creation or validation of itself.

Messages and Schemas

A message schema should describe a single kind of XML message. The key aim here is to enable reuse of common message parts without having overcomplex message schemas.

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Although it is tempting to use the flexibility of XML Schema to provide sophisticated schema definitions covering groups of related messages, this temptation should be resisted for the sake of simplicity and ease of use. In particular, avoid designing a schema where making a change affecting just one message in one e-service involves re-issuing a schema document used to validate messages in other e-services.

Where a group of messages uses very similar content, a design choice needs to be made between creating one message schema for the group, and creating a local architectural schema to contain the common parts.

Data Type and Element Declarations

In many cases, there is a choice of defining a re-usable component as either a data type or as an element. A component must be defined as a data type if either: It is to be used with different element names in different contexts; or It is expected that further data types will be derived from it.

A component should be defined as an element if: There is no intention to derive new components from it; and The element is to be used with its name unchanged

There are many circumstances in which an element should be used with its name unchanged. For example, if a Unique Tax Reference (UTR) always has

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the name UniqueTaxReference, its semantics will be known and two systems using the same element will be known to be using the same definition. It is therefore possible to build a dictionary of element names with known interoperable semantics.

However, there are other circumstances where it is not appropriate to allocate a name to an element at the time an architectural schema is developed. For example, an address could have several meanings and so be used with different names, such as CorrespondenceAddress, HomeAddress, BusinessAddress, ElectoralAddress etc. An address should therefore be defined as a global data type.

The other circumstance for choosing between an element and a data type to define a component is if there is an intention to derive other components from it. By only using data types in this case, we simplify understanding of schemas by only having a single inheritance mechanism and avoiding use of xs:redefine for this purpose.

In some cases in an architectural schema, it is appropriate to define both a data type and an element. The element is then available with known fixed semantics for re-use and the data type available for appropriate modification. However, it should be borne in mind that any globally-defined element may be used as the document element of an instance document.

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The declaration of a component that will always be used with the same name and will not have other components derived from it:

<xs:element name="UniqueTaxReference"> <xs:simpleType> <xs:restriction base="xs:string"> <xs:pattern value="[0-9]{1,10}"/> </xs:restriction> </xs:simpleType> </xs:element>

The declaration of a component which will be used with different names:

<xs:complexType name="InternationalAddressStructure"> <xs:sequence> <xs:element name="IntAddressLine" type="AddressLineType" minOccurs="2" maxOccurs="5"/> <xs:choice> <xs:sequence> <xs:element name="Country" type="AddressLineType"/>

<xs:element name="InternationalPostCode" type="InternationalPostCodeType" minOccurs="0"/> </xs:sequence> <xs:sequence> <xs:element name="InternationalPostCode" type="InternationalPostCodeType"/> <xs:element name="Country" 43

type="AddressLineType" minOccurs="0"/> </xs:sequence> </xs:choice> </xs:sequence> </xs:complexType>

Global Definitions Schema documents should only make available globally those

component definitions that either: Re-used within the schema; To be made available for re-use in other schemas; or Are intended to be used as the document element of instance documents.

The main reason for this approach is to limit the effect of change. By keeping component definitions local, it is easy to control who else uses these definitions and so limit the impact of change. Also, a key attribute of message schemas is that they are easily readable and maintainable. If a schema is generated from a metadata repository or some other database, the requirements for this change. However, the schema still needs to be readable.

Common Definitions and Namespaces

A set of definitions specific to Government must be defined within a suitable namespace. The resulting architectural schema is then accessed from other architectural schemas or message schemas using the xs:import 44

mechanism. All references to the architectural schema will then use the namespace for that schema. Architectural schemas which are maintained using a distinct business process should have their own target namespace.

Where generic components are being declared, these may be defined in a schema with no target namespace. The resulting architectural schema is then accessed from other architectural schemas or message schemas using the xs:include mechanism. This results in all the definitions of the included schema being in the target namespace of the including schema.

By generic I mean terms that are not specific to Government or a single application. Thus the definition of a National Identification Number is specific, but that of an email address is not, and so does not belong in a Government namespace. In many cases, the division is not obvious. For example, Government might use a specific format from a choice of several, in which case that definition, effectively a restriction based on a non-Government definition, belongs in a Government namespace.

The use of architectural schemas without a target namespace (chameleon schemas) simplifies the use of namespaces in instance documents. However, when components have defined semantics specific to Government, they should reside in a Government namespace. This keeps Government namespaces for Government data, without making excessive use of difference namespaces in instance documents.

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However, the XML Schema Recommendation is ambiguous about treatment of a chameleon schema that is <include>d into another schema that is itself <include>d into a third. As a result of this, tools treat this situation differently, and so care is required with chameleon schemas.

Element and Attributes

Schemas must be designed so that elements are the main holders of information content in the XML instances. Attributes are more suited to holding ancillary metadata simple items providing more information about the element content. Attributes must not be used to qualify other attributes where this could cause ambiguity.

Unlike elements, attributes cannot hold structured data. For this reason, elements are preferred as the principal holders of information content. However, allowing the use of attributes to hold metadata about an element's content (for example, the format of a date, a unit of measure or the identification of a value set) can make an instance document simpler and easier to understand.

A date of birth might be represented in a message as: <DateOfBirth>1979-05-09</DateOfBirth>

However, more information might be required, such as how that date of birth has been verified. This could be defined as an attribute, making the element in a message look like: 46

<DateOfBirth VerifiedBy="View of Birth Certificate">1979-05-09</DateOfBirth>

The following would be inappropriate: <DateOfBirth VerifiedBy="View of Birth Certificate" ValueSet="ISO 8301" Code="2">1979-05-09</DateOfBirth>

It is not clear here whether the Code is qualifying the VerifiedBy or the ValueSet attribute. A more appropriate rendition would be: <DateOfBirth> <VerifiedBy Code="2">View of Birth Certificate</VerifiedBy> <Value ValueSet="ISO 8301">1979-05-09</Value> </DateOfBirth>

Indicating Value Sets

Representation of value sets should use the mechanism to be adopted by UBL 19 and UN/CEFACT 20 and described in Code List Task Group Final Report [30]. Once the UBL proposal is ratified by OASIS and UN/CEFACT,

UBL (Universal Business Language) is a library of standard electronic XML business documents. UBL was developed by an OASIS Technical Committee with participation from a variety of industry data standards organizations. UBL is designed to plug directly into existing business, legal, auditing, and records management practices. It is designed to eliminate the re-keying of data in existing fax- and paper-based business correspondence and provide an entry point into electronic commerce. 20 The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) has a mission to improve the ability of business, trade and administrative organizations, from developed, developing and transitional economies, to exchange products and relevant services effectively - and so contribute to the growth of global commerce.

19

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new applications must use this standard and existing applications should be upgraded.

Value sets, both internationally accepted (such as the ISO 4217 set for currency codes) and Government defined are frequently used to aid interoperability. It is important to understanding to indicate the value set in use, and useful to the reader if further information is available. By using a standard representation for value sets, sets maintained by suitable organizations can be used.

Note that the UBL representation of value sets uses fixed attribute values without a required attribute as discussed bellow in the section Use of default and fixed attributes. Care must be taken to ensure that the required information is archived with any document that uses value sets.

Note also that it may be necessary to archive a value set with an instance to ensure that the instance can be understood in the future.

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Schema extract: <xs:schema xmlns:curr="http://example.com/iso4217CurrencyCodeSample"> <xs:import namespace="http://example.com/iso4217CurrencyCodeSample" schemaLocation="../codelists/4217-v0-3.xsd"/> <xs:element name="CurrencyCode" type="curr:CodeType"/>

Instance without explicit attributes: <CurrencyCode>AOA</CurrencyCode>

Instance with explicit attributes: <CurrencyCode listAgencyID="8" listID="ISO 4217" listVersionID="0.3">AOA</CurrencyCode>

Representing Alternative Conditions

Alternative conditions should be represented using element or attribute values rather than by the presence or the absence of an element.

As a matter of XML style, some implementers use the presence of an empty element to mean yes and the absence to mean no. Others prefer to always have the element present, and use character data or an attribute to indicate the presence or absence of a condition. This makes understanding an instance document and any code processing it easier for the human reader, and so is the preferred option.

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This guideline is intended to cover simple conditions, such as yes and no. In other cases, such as descriptions of motoring convictions, an element may have a cardinality of zero to some positive value, the absence of the element meaning that, in this case, there are no convictions.

Commenting Schemas

In documenting a W3C XML schema, the documentation element must be used rather than XML comments.

The documentation sub-element of the annotation element exists to help us document our schemas. The advantage of using this element rather than putting text into XML comments is that, being part of the content of the schema document, the text can be processed easily with a stylesheet, for example to prepare user documentation. Information in comments does not have to be passed from the XML processor to an application such as an XSLT processor, and so can be lost.

However, annotation content does add processing overhead in the XML processor. Because of this, schemas that will be widely used can exist in documented and undocumented form provided that the two are kept in step automatically.

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Use of Schema Reuse Features

Use of xs:redefine should be avoided. This is to avoid pervasive sideeffects in reused components, and to increase clarity and readability.

xs:import must not be used without a namespace attribute. This feature allows unqualified reference to foreign components with no target namespace. This would lead to schemas which are difficult to debug and to update - and for which the reuse dependencies were invisible.

Naming Conventions

The names of complex data types should end with the text string Structure. The names of simple data types should end with the text string Type. Because of this, avoid these endings for element names. This gives consistency of naming, while allowing simple differentiation between simple data type names, complex data type names and element names.

Abbreviations should not be used. Extremely long names should be avoided by designing concise and informative names. Well known abbreviations, including the use of initial letters only, may be used. However, a well known abbreviation to one community may be incomprehensible to others who need to use the same message and who do understand the full name. This is intended to make names comprehensible across Government and so aid understanding of schemas.

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All names must use upper camel case. That is, names start with an initial capital, and then each new word within the name starts with an initial capital. Where an all uppercase abbreviation or a digit is incorporated into a name, the following word should start with a lower case letter. This is one of many possible naming conventions, but adopting one provides consistency. This helps when referring to names since the capitalization is known and so does not have to be remembered.

Enumerated values should use lower case throughout. Where the value is a proper name or an abbreviation or acronym that normally is used with different capitalization, the usual capitalization should be used. The important thing about enumerated values is consistency in the use of case. We therefore use lower case throughout for these unless they are names that properly start with a capital letter. Thus we use yes and no, but would use Inland Revenue, for example in an enumerated type containing names of Government departments.

Government Data Standards Guideline

A Government data standards guideline must be used as a reference document for data type and element definitions unless a domain-specific schema has been agreed for a specific use. Where there are centrally-defined schemas defining these datatypes, these must be used. Where these schemas do not exist, schemas should be designed so that it is easy to replace these interim local schemas with the Government data standards guideline schemas when they become available.

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This helps interoperability by ensuring that items defined with their semantics in the Government data standards guideline are used where possible. In some instances, domain-specific schemas might be in general use. An example is the use of XBRL 21 for business reporting. In these cases, these domain-specific schemas can be used within their domain, but data transferred outside this domain should use the Government data standards guideline. Submitting schemas defining Government data standards guideline items will help to ensure contact when any central definition is being designed.

XML Schema Inheritance (extension and restriction)

If an existing definition does not meet the exact requirements, we may use the XML Schema inheritance mechanism to define a new data type based largely on an existing one. In some cases a data type enumerates all permitted values, or defines a standardized data format such as a postcode whose importance for interoperability goes beyond XML messages. In these cases, inheritance should only be used to restrict the possible values of the data type, so the values allowed under the new definition are a subset of those allowed in the definition on which it is based. In other words, we should make sure the modified definition still complies with the underlying data standard.

The inheritance mechanism allows the derivation of new types to be made obvious to the user, and allows tools to identify the dependencies between

eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) is an open standard which supports information modeling and the expression of semantic meaning commonly required in business reporting. XBRL is XML-based. It uses the XML syntax and related XML technologies such as XML Schema, XLink, XPath, and Namespaces to articulate this semantic meaning. One use of XBRL is to define and exchange financial information, such as a financial statement.

21

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definitions. Care is required since this introduces a binding between definitions that is not present if new definitions are produced instead.

There are four types of inheritance available using extension and restriction. These are: Restriction of a simple data type Extension of a simple data type Restriction of a complex data type Extension of a complex data type

Note that, where a complex type is restricted, the XML Schema syntax duplicates the full definition of the base type. This can make it hard to identify changes required to derived types if the base type is changed. For this reason, restriction of complex data types should be used with great care.

default and fixed attributes

The default attribute should not be used to add important information to either elements or attributes in the instance.

The fixed attribute should not be used to add important information to either elements or attributes in the instance except for attributes when used in conjunction with the use=required attribute.

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These two attributes allow a schema-aware processor to add information to an instance document based on the content of the schema. In many cases, this is extremely valuable. For example, it allows a schema to insert its version number into an instance document, or for a codelist to identify itself without forcing the instance document to be fully aware of the information required to identify the code in use.

However, the disadvantages are the following: XML processors that are not schema-aware will not be able to access this information; People looking at the instance will not be aware that they need to look at the schema as well to see the full information; and Archive of the instance will also need to store the schema to archive the full set of information.

In general, the benefits of allowing a schema to insert information during parsing are out-weighed by the dangers.

Data Content of Elements

Optional elements which are designed to have content should not be allowed to occur empty. The schema should ensure that they are either absent or populated. If we have optional elements, lack of data can be signified by omitting the element from an instance document. Some implementers find it easier to provide an empty element than leave the element out for example, we can use the same code for populated and unpopulated items for legacy

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system information going into XML, and so make the code simpler. However, this is considered to be less important than keeping the interoperability layer clean and concise; empty-but-present optional items occupy system resources, and there are many cases within Government when these resources may be hard pressed.

Mandatory elements which are designed to have content should not be allowed to occur empty. The schema should ensure that they are populated. If an element is mandatory, there is a good chance that the business rules for the document also require it to contain data. If this is the case, the relevant XML Schema mechanism should reflect this. For this reason, there is a centrally defined PopulatedStringType that enforces at least a single character to be present, and this should be used in preference to xs:string.

Local and Global Attribute Definitions

In general, attributes should be given a local scope by defining them within the context of their owning element. This keeps things simple and easy to understand, while avoiding possible namespace issues since the attribute form should normally be unqualified. If an attribute with a similar definition is used in several places, define a data type or attribute group and reuse this. If discussions about data in attributes are suggesting solutions more complex than this, then the data in the attributes should probably be in elements instead.

Text and Codes

Codes should not be used in place of text without some means of identifying the meaning of the code. This may be done by including both the 56

text and the code or by referencing a document that provides additional information. In the latter case, the additional information should be available to both humans and automated systems.

XML documents tend to have the conflicting aims of being both machine and human readable. Accompanying machine readable codes with humanreadable text (or references to such text) not only helps prevent errors of interpretation, but also allows simpler display of the document using stylesheets should that be required.

In some circumstances, there might not be a 1:1 mapping between code and text. For example, an XML processor might produce a single error code for a validation error, while an accompanying description might be more specific as to the error type, depending on the processing context in which the error occurs.

Use of Mixed Content Model for Data

Elements within XML documents can be broadly divided into two types the text-centric, such as those in the report of a public enquiry, and the datacentric, such as those in a tax return. In a data-centric element, the mixed content model where an element contains both other elements and character data should be avoided.

Usually, a complete document will be either data-centric or text-centric. However, this is not always the case, for example, when a data-centric 57

document includes documentation coded in XHTML. Thus, although the guidance above relates to elements, it will usually apply to complete documents. In a data-centric document, it is important to be able to extract data from the document in as simple a way as possible. It is easier to extract an element's character data when this is the only element content. This does not apply to text-centric documents, where the mixed content is an inherent part of the document structure, and will be processed accordingly: <Paragraph>This is an example of a <Emphasize>mixed</Emphasize> content model in a text-centric document, and is acceptable.</Paragraph>

The following is acceptable in a data-centric document: <DateOfBirth VerifiedBy="View of Birth Certificate">1979-05-09</DateOfBirth>

While this is not: <DateOfBirth>1975-06-03 <VerifiedBy>View of Birth Certificate</VerifiedBy> </DateOfBirth> Versioning of Schemas

In accordance with current W3C practice, schemas must indicate a schema version number using the version attribute of the schema element. This version is assumed to apply to all components defined within the schema document. Where this is insufficient, the version may also be indicated by putting a date code at the end of the target namespace to indicate year and month and optionally day of publication.

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Indicating the version of a schema is good practice and helps prevent problems caused by people accidentally working with incorrect schema versions. In most cases, indicating the version using the version attribute is sufficient. However, there are cases where it is hard for an instance document to make it clear which version of a schema it is using. This is particularly true for an architectural schema if the instance document is not using the schemaLocation to identify the schema. In these cases, versioning the namespace ensures that the version of a specific component in use is unambiguous.

Indicating Schema Versions in Data

Schemas must require that their version is indicated in instances. The version should be indicated by one of the following:

Enforcing an element, usually the document element of the instance, to include the version using a SchemaVersion attribute. This attribute may use a fixed value in conjunction with the required attribute; or

Using a versioned namespace defined as the target namespace in the schema.

Many XML instances will be persistent documents, outliving the schema version for which they were developed. Indicating the versions of schemas used in the document indicates which versions were used as the model for development.

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Similarly, although XML messages are not generally persistent, the applications that generate them are, and might use out of date schema versions. By indicating the schema versions in the message, a receiving application can decide whether to accept the message as it is, process it in some special way or reject it with a suitable error message.

In the schema with the following schema element: <xs:schema targetNamespace="http:// www.egovernment.gov.ao/taxation/VAT100" xmlns="http:// www.egovernment.gov.ao/taxation/VAT100" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" elementFormDefault="qualified" attributeFormDefault="unqualified" version="1.0" id="HMCE-VAT100">

The declaration of a VAT element might be: <xs:element name="VAT100"> <xs:complexType> <xs:sequence> <!-- element content goes here --> </xs:sequence> <xs:attribute name="SchemaVersion" type="xs:NMTOKEN" use="required" fixed="1.0"/> </xs:complexType> </xs:element>

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The id Attribute in the schema Element

The id attribute of the schema element should be used to indicate the identity of the schema. It is good practice to provide an identifier for a schema and the use of the id attribute is more generic and should be used as well. <xs:schema targetNamespace="http://www.egovernment.gov.ao/taxation/VAT100" xmlns="http:// www.egovernment.gov.ao/taxation/VAT100" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" elementFormDefault="qualified" attributeFormDefault="unqualified" version="1.0" id="HMCE-VAT100">

In conclusion, compliance to the mandatory requirements is required for all XML schemas to be approved under an e-Government. When schemas are reviewed in the course of the e-Government process, then both the requirements and the recommendations will be applied in the course of the review. Recommendations are expected to be followed unless there is sufficient reason to do otherwise in a specific case.

3.1. Technology Gap

Being a developing country generates a gap in time between the moment technology starts to be used in more advance countries and the time where technology is used in a less developed country. This gap is created because of the cost of the technology, the skills needed to manage and implement it, and the specific needs that less developed countries have.

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The technology gap creates at the same time the exceptional opportunity to study and understand much better from the experience of the countries that have already implemented it. The wise use of this technology gap implies:

Learning from the experience of countries that have been using the technology. Taking advantage of the reduction of cost that occurs as technology matures. Reducing the risk of using low quality technology. Selecting the right standards to adopt.

Advantages and disadvantages have a trade-off that can be synthesized in two key variables: time and cost. The more time progresses, the cheaper technology is. It also becomes obsolete on the other hand. Therefore, correct timing is a key factor for technology adoption in Angola. Management of information technology based on this principle can save resources and increase the success in the use of ICTs as well.

In order to minimize the risk and accelerate the implementation process, this thesis suggests an active approach; it consists of the study of the actual state and evolution of technology used in developed countries, and the implementation of technology as fast as possible, using pilot cases to develop skills and learn by doing so. If the government defines this as a policy, different groups can be coordinated to share results and experience in the

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implementation of ICTs. This would allow a better use of resources, connectivity and interoperability in public sector.

3.2. E-government Services

An Electronic Government refers to the use of ICTs by the government to give access to and deliver government information to the different parts of the government, citizens, business, employees, suppliers, and other agencies and governments [14]. E-Government is the set of services delivered electronically. Interoperability is the enabling instrument to deliver services. To achieve a full-scale e-Government, interoperability must be built first.

From the analysis in the previous chapters, building an e-Government is not a simple task due to the size of the problem, complexity and general changes that it brings to public organizations. When delivering e-Government services, the following five development stages must be considered as shown in Figure 1:

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Percentage of Angolas public organizations in the respective development stage.

Figure 5 - Different Stages for Electronic Government Evolution

Emergent Presence Delivery of basic information with a limited scope. Consolidated Presence Delivery of current and historic information on politics, laws and regulations, data bases, etc. Interactive Presence Unidirectional delivery of interactive services (e.g. Form Downloading). Transactional Presence Bidirectional delivery of interactive services (e.g. Tax Payment). Integrated Presence Improved level of online service delivery (Integration of G2G, G2C and C2G).

The e-Government conception reflects the public service agencies working across portfolio boundaries to achieve a shared goal and an integrated 64

government response to particular issues.[16] The distinguishing characteristic of this e-Government approach is that government agencies and organizations share objectives across organizational boundaries, as opposed to working solely within an organization. It encompasses the design and delivery of a wide variety of services that cross organizational boundaries. [16]

Within the ambit of e-Government services approach, the focus of egovernment initiatives has to shift from the simple provision of services to the use of ICTs to increase the value of services. As Figure 2 indicates, with the appropriate implementation of e-Government the approach to public sector service delivery evolves over time from the traditional model of government dispensing services via traditional modes to an emphasis on e-government services, to an integrated approach for enhancing the value of services to the citizen. As analyzed in chapter 2, in many countries around the world public sector development strategies are being revisited to address the question: how can the value of the public services be enhanced?

Figure 6 Evolving Approach to e-Government Service Delivery

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A corollary of the focus on the services for citizen is the recognition that an increase in the value of services is not possible without consolidating the way the back-end systems and processes work to bring about the front-end of service delivery. This approach maintains that genuine cost savings and quality improvements will occur only if there is a re-engineering of the traditional structures and processes of the administration. There is a growing recognition that using a broader spectrum of delivery channels enabled by ICT is better suited to delivering individually-tailored, high-quality services to users while at the same time, allowing for the harvesting of efficiency gains through effective service delivery.

Despite a shift in the approach, however, it should be borne in mind that the goal remains the same: better service delivery for the citizen. The emerging paradigm shifts the focus from the traditional provision of service delivery to electronic provision of service delivery with value. In other words, the new approach is about government for more with less.

3.3. Strategic Framework for e-Government

The proposed strategic framework is a theoretical construct that enables us to organize concepts in a coherent and logical way to represent a specific phenomenon. The strategic framework represents a set of assumptions, functions, relationships and practices that constitutes a way of viewing a given reality. The framework comprises the elements described below: 66

A set of assumptions underpin the conceptual framework. These assumptions inform our understanding of the causal relationship that describes outcomes being investigated.

It is assumed that if ICTs are adopted, deployed and used in local governments it will bring about:
(a)

an improvement in the internal business processes of the municipality through the development of different and new forms of organisation and work practices.

(b)

an improvement in service delivery (with specific reference to local economic and social development) through increasing access and outreach as well as the levels of satisfaction among users.

(c)

an improvement in the nature and extent of consultation and participation users in service design and delivery

Furthermore, it is assumed that an improvement in internal business processes and service delivery as well as increased participation by users will lead to better governance outcomes through:
(a) (b) (c)

increased accountability transparency responsiveness

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Input

Process

Output

Outcome

Improved business processes

Forms of organisation Work practices

Accountability

ICT Adoption, Deployment and Use

Improved service delivery

Access and Service quality

Transparency

Increased consultation

Improved participation in service design

Responsiveness

Figure 7 - Underlying assumptions

Angola is behind the developed countries in building an e-Government. As described in Chapter 2, e-Government in developed countries is evolving very quickly, especially during the last ten years. Most developed countries have set an objective to build a fully electronic integrated government within the next few years. So far no significant advance has been made in building egovernment in Angola due to the civil war, which began after the end of the war for independence from Portugal in 1975 and ultimately evolved into a prominent Cold War conflict featuring two warring Angolan factions, formally brought to an end in 2002.

Today, the public sector in Angola is in the first stage of e-Government, with Internet technology used mainly to publish information through the different parts of the public sector. Except for a few public organizations, the 68

Internet is not used for interactions or transactions. As an example, XML is not used in almost any part of the government and integration on a large scale is not yet available.

The first task in order to build an e-Government is to explain to senior government officials what e-Government is and what implications such a transformation would have. Once senior political leaders and public officers realize the need for e-Government, the first battle will be over, but this would be only the beginning of a continuing and progressive indefinite process for building the e-Government.

To establish the basis of e-Government, four major foundation steps have to be completed:

1. Standardize data schemas and systems interfaces to facilitate connectivity 2. Define an IT infrastructure to allow interoperability. 3. Base on a common infrastructure and standards, start to interconnect the different parts of Angola public organizations in an incremental way. 4. Build on the IT infrastructure the applications to work across government organizations to interact with the citizens and the private sector electronically.

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The size of this task is enormous, but there is no other alternative if Angola wants to be part of the developed world in the future.

3.4. Software Architecture and Security

Software architecture refers to the high-level organizational structure of a software system. A well planned, secure and flexible e-government platform is necessary for governments to meet the growing demands for services delivered via the Internet and future delivery channels. Building a common architecture for e-government requires secure and trusted interoperable systems that will adopt existing Internet and World Wide Web standards for all government agencies, at all levels. This is a pragmatic approach that reduces the costs and risks of operating information technology systems while keeping the public sector in step with the global Internet revolution. The idea of an interoperable system within one government means that agencies can easily talk to one another, whether by sending email or exchanging information, without any technical problems that hinder the smooth operation of government.

Defining the software architecture is the foundation for an interconnected government. On the other hand security and privacy have to be assured to allow the use of ICTs across public organizations. The definition of software architecture has to be done by a very competent, centralized organization in order to allow the use of the same architecture across the whole public sector.

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1. Software Architecture This architecture is a set of definitions of the components of the different layers that will facilitate the final infrastructure. In this infrastructure any government information system can be plugged in to interchange information with any other system connected to such infrastructure. This interconnection has to follow the standards in a structured way that would be shared by all information systems, allowing the interchange of information in a common language regardless of the local semantic and syntaxes of the information system.

There are several possible ways to define such architecture but the following are the most significant.

Figure 8 - Enabling e-Government via XML

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I.

Application Architecture is the definition of how the infrastructure interchanges information with the application of the different parts of the government. This will allow the standardization of applications and common functions that can be shared and reused throughout the public sector.

II. Data Architecture will standardize the semantic for data interchange in the different domains where the public sector acts. It will consist in publicly available data vocabulary and data definitions that will allow the interchange of information across the public sector.

III. Technology Architecture Will define the software, hardware and communications to provide the actual system connectivity at the logical and physical level.

2. Security

Another important condition in achieving interoperability across the public sector is the creation of a reliable level of security. Security generally refers to the protection of information system assets and control of access to information. Security policies and strategies are context and information specific.

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Figure 9 - Security Policy and Strategy

Without a good level of security, it would be impossible to use to use connectivity in a large scale to build an e-Government. Security at a large scale of the interconnected government has to assure:

Access of information only by authorized persons Interchange of information assuring that no third parties have access to the content. Transactions would be done only for authorized parties and processes.

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All of the above need to be secured in a large, highly interlinked and dynamic environment. The correct technology and policy has to be defined and changed when needed to assure the principles defined.

Finally, privacy of information must be assured, to give citizens and business the confidence that their information will remain out of the reach of third parties, including their own government.

3.5. Leaderships Role to the Success of e-Government

Strong political leadership is critical to the success of e-government because it ensures the long-term commitment of financial resources, personnel and technical expertise in the design, development and implementation of egovernment projects. Strong leadership means garnering support for the projects at all levels of government, involving the public and meeting their needs and expectations, acting as a catalyst for intergovernmental collaboration, being willing to share the power and credit, establishing and meeting milestones, and maintaining a sense of urgency to complete the e-government project.

Government must establish clear parameters for working with the private sector. Outsourcing requires government to use and develop new types of 74

contracts that will not only ensure the delivery of goods and services, but also measure the performance of vendors and the quality of services received. More important, the bureaucracy needs to be trained in how to negotiate and draft such contracts.

Empirical evidence recognizes the critical role of the private sector as often a partner and vital integral actor in a countrys ICT component in the development efforts and progress of ICT in general. In a capital intensive industry like ICT, the government has found itself a partner in the private sector. This is also true of e-Government. Having the private sector fully participate in e-government has many advantages. It could means passing off the costs of design, development, maintenance, and risk to the implementing firm.

Moreover, by using private partners, state governments can build egovernance systems at greatly reduced costs, for start-up and ongoing operations. At the same time, more services can be delivered on a fee-forservice basis, with the private partner being paid from the fee revenues. Thus, e-government can be a tool for moving certain government services from taxbased financing to user fees, where only those actually using the service pay for it.

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4. Conclusions and Future Work

Various models are used to assess the progress governments make toward achieving e-governance. E-Governance maturity models that represent progress according to different phases of maturity have been adopted widely [5]. The phases refer to a sequence that starts with an initial web posting of government information, increasing over time in quantity, quality, and presentation. It is followed by the addition of some interactive features and capabilities for users moving progressively towards offering more or less full transactional capabilities. Although slightly different names have been given to the phases they all have the same basic structure as indicated in the table below:

PHASE

DESCRIPTION

Information dissemination or one-way communication Phase 1: Presence regulations, static content. Moves from publishing to interaction or Phase 2: Interaction two-way communicating. Ability for government to request and receive information such as electronic data interchange and email capability. such as the posting requests of for important dates,

proposals. Consists of basic web technology and

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Provides online services and financial Phase 3: Transaction transactions. For example, license renewals, payment of fines, tax returns, etc. Has electronic filing system, digital signature, interoperable technology capabilities. Services are integrated vertically (interPhase 4: Integration governmental) and horizontally (intragovernmental) such as multi-channel, one-stop service delivery. This requires the integration of online and back-office systems and technologies. Phase 5: Political participation Promotion of web-based political

participation such as voting online, public forums and opinion surveys.

A broad range of indicators have been developed for measuring egovernance. Five categories can broadly be identified. Input indicators try to measure the resources countries have invested in e-government. Output indicators measure the amount of e-government applications realized. Usage indicators measure the usage of applications by citizens and businesses. Impact indicators try to measure the impact e-government has had. The last category of indicators is concerned with assessing the degree which a country is ready for e-government and its consequences. The categories of indicators with examples are highlighted in the table below:

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CATEGORY

EXAMPLE Amount of financial resources dedicated to e-government

Input indicators

IT spending as a percentage of GDP Amount of research devoted to Research and Development Amount of public resources devoted to internet infrastructure Number of online services for citizens/ businesses Percentage of government departments that have a website Percentage of government websites that offer electronic services Number of individuals/ businesses that have made use of electronic services available

Output indicators

Usage indicators

Percentage of citizens that have visited government websites to search for information

Number of businesses that have made payment online Reduction of waiting time at government counter Decrease in case processing time at government organization Citizen/ business satisfaction levels

Impact indicators

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concerning e-government

Readiness indicators

IT penetration rates IT infrastructure IT literacy

The successful implementation of e-governance depends on how readily accessible government is via the Internet, i.e., the supply of e-government. This is however, only one side of the coin. It also depends on how citizens can be convinced and whether they have access to electronic means to interact and transact with government, i.e., the demand side.

A number of factors impact the extent to which supply and demand for egovernance is matched is often approached from an access perspective. Those without access to ICTs are left behind and are not in a position to exploit the rewards of increased income, better quality of life, and the associated cultural and political advantages. Several access frameworks have emerged in recent times to explain the critical components necessary to provide access for the effective use of ICTs. Some of the components pertinent to this study are highlighted below:

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What telecommunications service infrastructure is needed to support the application being undertaken? What are the appropriate and required volumes and capacities of bandwidth to be provided by broadband, dial-up, Carriage Facilities WiFi, satellite or other networked telecommunications services? What will it take to ensure that a supportive technology infrastructure is available in the form and quality (bandwidth, error rates, etc.) necessary to accomplish the purpose to which it will be put? In this context effective use is application specific certain applications will require broadband while others may only require dialup, but in either case, effective use is only possible with the appropriate carriage infrastructure. Services/ Access Provision The skills that people need to take full advantage of Social Facilitation ICT, together with the learning facilitation and resources required. There is be the need for coordinated planning and design, for training at all levels and for animation of the supporting structures to make the service usable. Governance How decisions are made concerning the The organizations that provide network services and access to users.

development and operation of the infrastructure.

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[14] Homes, Douglas, e-Gov, e-business strategies for government. Brealey Publishing, 2001. [15] Jovan Kurbalija, Internet Governance: Issues, Actors and Divides, DiploForum, 2005. [16] Eduardo Gelbstein, Crossing the Executive Digital Divide: DiploFoundation, 2006. [17] Gene Rowe, Public participation methods: A framework for evaluation, Science, Technology and Human Values, 25(1), pp. 3-29, February, 2000. [18] Elsa Estevez and Tomasz Janowski, Building a Dependable Messaging Infrastructure for Electronic Government, ARES 2007. [19] CXO, Guide of Information Technology, CXO Nov. 2007. [20] OECD, Information Activities, Electronics and Telecommunications Technologies: Impact on Employment, Growth and Trade. Paris: OECD, 1981. [21] Clift, S. (2003) E-Governance to E-Democracy: Progress in Australia and New Zealand toward Information-Age Democracy, http://www.publicus.net/articles/edempublicnetwork.html [22] AISI (2004), Africas Digital Agenda, African Information Society Initiative, http://www.uneca.org/aisi [23] XML Path Language (XPath) Version 1.0 http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath/ [24] XML Linking Language (XLink) Version 1.0 http://www.w3.org/TR/xlink/ [25] DeltaXML http://www.deltaxml.com/ [26] XML Schema Part 0: Primer, W3C Recommendation2001 http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-0/ [27] XML Schema Part 1: Structure, W3C Recommendation2001 http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-1/

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[28] XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, W3C Recommendation2001 http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/ [29] The Schematron - An XML Structure Validation Language using Patterns in Trees http://www.ascc.net/xml/resource/schematron/schematron.html [30] Code List Task Group Final Report (draft 2) OASIS http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/download.php/3493/codeproposal2-20030911.html

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