My E-government

This project has sought to complete priority tasks in preparation for implementation of e-government. It is hoped that the deployment of this website will accelerate the roll-out of online information and services by all government agencies, and thereby enhance public service quality and promote the development of relevant e-government and e-commerce applications and industries.

1. To provide the public with a unified website (http://www.gov.tw) containing links to all government websites and allowing rapid searches for all information on government agency webpages.

2. To provide the public with multiple directory and query systems, and, in accordance with the e-government action plan timetable, to eventually provide 1,500 e-forms for download and 400 electronic service delivery services.

3. To provide, via the Internet, a unified channel by which the public may communicate their opinions to the government.

The main services of the "My-E-government – The E-government Entry Point of Taiwan" (MyEG; http://www.gov.tw/) include information queries, electronic service delivery, and interactive communication between citizens and the government:

1. Information queries: The MyEG website provides a powerful Internet search engine capable of retrieving more than 3 million online documents. The website allows classified queries of over 4,500 agency websites and provides over 4,500 items of agency contact data. In addition, in order to boost citizens' understanding of and support for their government, and protect their right to know and participate in the decision-making process of the government, the MyEG website is designed to strengthen public awareness of important government administrative information and basic national facts and knowledge.

2. Electronic service delivery: The MyEG website initially provided 135 electronic service delivery services and 1,000 application documents and forms for download. The website's goal for the next three years (2003~2005) is to provide 400 application services and 1,500 application documents and forms for download. It is hoped that the website will help realize the ideal of a single service window and one-stop service.

3. Interactive communication: The website provides a public forum, an online public opinion survey, an online public feedback mailbox and query system, a government news webpage, and agency activity calendars. The intent of this service is to expand public participation in administrative affairs and better communicate the will of the people.

The government entry point (MyEG) has already attained its 2002 goal of providing services more than 1 million person-times per month. The target for the next three years is to raise the average monthly service load to at least 10 million person-times.

The government has committed a staff of at least 30 persons to perform entry point management work. Fund of more than NT$34 million has been spent on system development and management, and on related advertising and promotion work, during 2001 and 2002.

1. Deployment of the government entry point is a long-term undertaking. As far as technology is concerned, the government will constantly review and assess the usefulness of emerging technology, and will attempt to provide even more convenient and innovative service.

2. With regard to the comprehensiveness of services, the government has directed all agencies to actively promote online public services in line with their areas of authority. These online services are to be provided via the government entry point, facilitating public query and use.

3. The future will see increasing service integration between existing agency websites and the government entry point, ultimately achieving the ideal of a single service window and one-stop service.

Executive Summary

In accordance with the Knowledge Economy Development Plan passed by the 2,718th Executive Yuan conference on January 17, 2001, the government drafted the "Integrated e-Government Entry Point Development Plan" (January 2002) to guide implementation. An interdepartmental government portal task force was then established on the basis of the Development Plan to formulate a preliminary task and service function plan.

Bid request tasks in connection with the "Integrated e-Government Entry Point System Deployment and Management Outsourced Service" were completed by August 2002. The private firm Digital United Inc. was hired to deploy and manage relevant government entry point application systems.

The following is a breakdown of main service items, including system development and management:

After its formal inauguration on March 20, 2002, the government entry point began providing services under the name "My E-government – The E-government Entry Point of Taiwan."

1. Information queries: The MyEG website provides a powerful Internet search engine capable of retrieving more than 3 million online documents. The website allows classified queries of over 4,500 agency websites and provides over 4,500 items of agency contact data. In addition, in order to boost citizens' understanding of and support for their government, the MyEG website is designed to strengthen public awareness of important government administrative information and basic national facts and knowledge.

The government entry point is designed to provide services via a web browser. Anyone who has a browser may obtain services via the Internet at any time and in any place. In addition, some specific services can be accessed via other channels, such as PDA, wireless mobile devices, information kiosks, and digital TV, etc. Furthermore, to address the service needs of disabled citizens, the government plans to develop interfaces for the disabled in 2003.

To maximize its service effectiveness, the government entry point has placed particular emphasis on the customer-oriented and user-centric service concepts. Full use is made of such IT technologies as single sign-on, customization, and personalization.

Deployment of the government entry point is a long-term undertaking. As far as technology is concerned, the government will constantly review and assess the usefulness of emerging technology, and will attempt to provide even more convenient and innovative service. With regard to the comprehensiveness of services, the government has directed all agencies to actively promote online public services in line with their areas of authority. These online services are to be provided via the government entry point, facilitating public query and use. The future will see increasing service integration between existing agency websites and the government entry point, ultimately achieving the ideal of a single service window and one-stop service.

Project Content

1. Project Scope

The purpose of establishing an e-government online portal is to provide online, computerized information retrieval services and a channel for interactive communication with the government. The common inter-system platform integrates back-office application service systems at different agencies, and provides electronic service delivery. (Fig. 1)

Government entry point system development and management includes the following tasks: (Fig. 2)

2. Goals and Objectives

This project seeks to achieve the following goals with regard to service functions:

1. To provide the public with a unified portal to all government agency websites, and allowing access to all government agency webpage information and services.

2. To provide the public with multiple directory and query systems. In accordance with the e-government action plan timetable, to eventually provide 1,500 e-form download and electronic service delivery services.

3. To provide the public with a unified channel for voicing their opinions to the government.

As for service quality, the government entry point will strive to provide real-time, high-speed, diversified, comprehensive, and high-quality services to the public:

1. Real-time access: The portal website and all linked government agency websites must update service information in real-time, and thereby provide the most up-to-date information and services.

2. High-speed service: The portal website provides a convenient and easy-to-use user interface facilitating the fastest possible access to the desired information and services.

3. Diversified content: The portal website provides links to all online information and services available at government agency websites, allowing convenient public access.

4. Comprehensiveness: The portal website provides many different levels of service, in terms of both breadth and depth, satisfying users' different information and service needs.

5. Service quality: The portal website is expressly designed to provide high-quality service. User satisfaction surveys and improvement measures will be implemented on an ongoing basis.

3. Challenges

The portal website's main function is to provide convenient information retrieval and query functions to the public, allowing citizens to obtain information and services provided by government agencies at all levels. A successful, easy-to-use portal website unquestionably requires a powerful search engine and directory scheme, as well as comprehensive and user-friendly interface. Even more importantly, all levels of government must actively place information and services connected with their areas of authority on the Internet, facilitating the portal website's classification, retrieval, and integration tasks.

To facilitate use of the portal website, the government will continue to coordinate resolution of the following challenges with all concerned agencies:

1. Government agencies at all levels must increase their commitment of resources to online information and services.

2. The network knowledge of government personnel at all levels must be improved in order to enhance their network service application ability, improve public service quality, and raise administrative performance.

3. The service content of government agency websites must be steadily improved, strengthening electronic service delivery.

4. Common interdepartmental, inter-system standards and platforms must be developed to facilitate interagency service integration.

5. Emerging information technology must be utilized to provide innovative services.

4. Strategies

The following five strategies have been formulated to address the items of organizational aspects, resource integration, implementation items and timetable, interagency coordination, and implementation approach:

1. Establishment of a mission-oriented organization to bear responsibility for implementation.

2. Integration of existing resources; integration of system deployment and management.

4. Coordination of enhanced online deployment of information and services by government agencies.

5. Utilization of information industry outsourcing to undertake system development, routine management, and relevant promotional tasks.

5. Methodology

The implementation measures described below have been formulated on the basis of this project's five implementation strategies:

5.1. Establishment of an Implementation Organization

The establishment of a mission-oriented implementation organization is the first step in accomplishing relevant tasks. The implementing organization consists of two levels: a working group and a system development and management team. The Working Group is composed of representatives of ministry-/council-level agencies, and is responsible for drafting government entry point (MyEG) implementation work items. The Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) is responsible for implementing the Working Group's administrative and staff functions. The System Development and Management Team has been organized by the contractor Digital United Inc. (also known as SEEDNET) and its strategic partner Yam Digital Technology Co. Ltd. SEEDNET (http://www.seed.net.tw/) is Taiwan's leading ISP; Yam (http://www.yam.com/) is one of Taiwan's leading e-commerce portals.

5.2. Deployment and Management of Entry Point System

The government entry point's main work items can be classified under system development and management categories (Fig. 3). System development tasks include core/basic services, user interface, customer-oriented service, application services, platform services, and integration services. For its part, management services include advertising and publicity, training and e-learning, data and systems updates, system management, and customer services.

5.2.1. System Development

5.2.1.1. Core/Basic Services

The government entry point's three primary core/basic services are information retrieval, electronic service delivery, and interactive communication (Fig. 4). These three services are based on a common inter-system platform.

System functions are explained below with regard to the three aspects of information retrieval, electronic service delivery, and interactive communication:

The website provides a search engine, a directory service, an information guide arranged by topics, and a real-time image (WebCam) service.

1.1 Search engine technology is used to construct a government agency website retrieval system using a keyword approach. This system can search more than 3 million pieces of information on agency and organization websites.

1.2 Each agency website may use the search engine interface, and doesn’t have to separately acquire a search engine.

1.3 "Smart Agent" information retrieval technology is employed to raise the efficiency of data search and retrieval.

2 Directory service: Uses the LDAP directory application standard. The website's directory service enables classified retrieval from commonly-accessed websites, electronic mailboxes, and agency phonebooks, etc.

2.1 Government agency directory: Allows retrieval of over 9,000 pieces of agency contact information.

2.2 Website directory: Allows retrieval of over 4,500 pieces of government agency website information.

3 Topical information guide service: Provides basic information on the country and government, important administrative and policy documents, and other information of relevance to people's lives for public query.

4 Real-time image (WebCam) service: During the early period, the real-time WebCam application system provides 24-hour live views of important national landmarks, scenic places, and local weather. In the future, the WebCam system will be linked with local traffic control systems to provide real-time views of road conditions.

1.1 Agency news: All agencies may issue press releases in real-time via the entry point system and management center.

1.2 Real-time news: Real-time news is purchased from the Central News Agency and posted on the website.

1.3 News photos: Real-time news photos are purchased from the Central News Agency and posted on the website.

1.4 Electronic bulletin: An electronic government entry point bulletin is issued once every two weeks. This publication, which is intended for registered entry point members, helps users to keep up-to-date concerning the portal's newest service information

2 Event Service: All agencies can post their most up-to-date activity news on the website via the entry point management center.

3 Online public e-mail query system: The system allows the public to e-mail their questions to government agencies and organizations at all levels, facilitating contact with government.

5 Online public opinion survey: Regular online surveys are taken of registered government entry point users in an effort to expand public participation.

6 Online vote counting: An online vote-counting service is provided at election time.

1 Primary services include download of application forms and documents, electronic service delivery services, and links to relevant service website.

2 The government entry point website initially provided 135 electronic service delivery services and 1,000 application documents and forms for download. The target for the next three years is to provide 400 application services and 1,500 application documents and forms for download. It is hoped that this will realize the ideal of a single service window and one-stop service.

3 "e-Forms" are an important part of government agencies' online services. The government entry point will continue to develop new e-form functions, while facilitating electronic service delivery work by promoting the standardization of that forms used by different agencies.

4 Beyond filling out the required e-forms, more complex or involved electronic services may also require a high degree of service processing integration. The government entry point will continue to expand its process management functions, enabling the public to obtain services from all agencies via consistent procedures