A key thrust of the authorities' digital map for the next five years - which was unveiled by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday - is ensuring that the information and applications that will be available are not just the exclusive domain of the Government.
Speaking at the e-Gov Global Exchange - which brings together senior e-Government policy-makers and practitioners from around the world - Mr Teo, who is also Minister-in-charge of Civil Service: "Today, Apple does not design and build its applications in-house but provides the platform and tools for the highly talented and motivated developer community to create great applications for its customers.
"The Singapore Government is already looking at how we can develop collaborative platforms that foster the creation of new ideas."
To that end, the Government will share useful data through a new data.gov.sg portal - one of two portals it launched yesterday. For a start, more than 5,000 datasets from 50 agencies can be accessed, including for research.
Already, new apps are being developed using government data.
The Parks "Live" app, for instance, displays information for visitors to Pasir Ris Park. Created by Nanyang Polytechnic students using map data from Singapore Land Authority and park data from National Parks Board, it shows the attractions available, the distance from one's current position, and a map to get there.
And the Government hopes to make this a trend, like the private sector has done. A new wave of e-government services is also being fuelled by another recent trend.
With smart phones comprising 72 per cent now of all mobile phones here, more users are getting information at their fingertips anytime, anywhere, and that is where the Government's other new portal, mGov@SG, comes in.
Customised for easy use on a range of smart phones, the site brings together more than 40 mobile websites and apps developed by Government agencies. For example, users can check the latest Build-To-Order projects launched by the Housing and Development Board or plan their journey using public transport.
"The private sector is already capitalising on this trend and many companies are actively pushing out services via mobile apps and websites," Mr Teo said.
"Similarly, Government agencies can roll out mobile services to reach customers who want to transact with the Government while on the move."
But the benefits of mobile applications are not just going one way.
Information, Communications and the Arts Minister Yaacob Ibrahim noted that smart phone apps "allow the community to give feedback on issues in their neighbourhood".
"Such contributions have allowed the Government to enhance our policies to ensure that they remain relevant and sufficiently robust to accommodate these developments," he said at the opening of the seventh Ministerial Forum on ICT.
For the full potential of an information society to be realised, though, governments must consider ways to also use the ICT to generate "vital business opportunities that will help the economy move up the value chain and stay competitive in the global market", Dr Yaacob said.
So the Infocomm Development Authority is now working with key partners in both the public and private sectors to better integrate infocomm solutions with business operations and client management processes.
Over the next five years, the Government will also build up its e-infrastructure, to enhance cross-agency collaboration.
It will be tapping on cloud computing for efficiency and cost savings. This will replace the current system of individual servers maintained by the various agencies.
---
Autor(en)/Author(s): Joanne Chan
Quelle/Source: TODAYonline, 21.06.2011
Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit:
