There's even better news for the portal's first online applications. So far, the state has processed about 2,700 driver's license renewals and 3,500 hunting and fishing licenses via online applications. And while there are only about 1,500 architects and landscape architects in the whole state, the portal has processed about 560 professional licenses for its Board of Architecture, he said.
The portal which did not have any online transactional services before this summer also offers online voting registration, permit applications for the Department of Environmental Quality and a link to purchase motor vehicle reports.
Mississippi officials are trying to get the word out about the portal and online services, conducting a strategic outreach by speaking at organizations, presenting sessions at high-tech conferences and even setting up a booth at a state fair.
Orgeron said a statewide broadband network which connects all libraries, schools and government agencies is helping this initiative, but the digital divide remains a serious concern.
"One of the things we're looking at heavily is the use of interactive voice response [IVR] technology because the latest report I saw on the Internet showed that 90 percent of households have telephones," Orgeron said. "If you can leverage that to provide access to government, you'd be much more inclusive. I feel like there's going to be a big interest in IVR."
With the e-government infrastructure already in place, he said the state needs an IVR strategic plan. Next week, the ITS department is meeting with several agencies interested in using such a solution.
And despite grappling with revenue shortfalls, Mississippi officials are planning to develop more applications, such as allowing employees to view their W-2 forms and pay stubs online. Orgeron also predicted that there would be collaboration with local governments on future e-government projects.
IBM Corp. developed the state's e-government infrastructure, which included front-end Web-based applications linked to the state's legacy systems, for the $5.4 million portal project. The project included redesigning the site, developing five pilot applications and implementing IBM's Tivoli monitoring and security software, Siebel Systems Inc.'s help desk software, and EzGov Inc.'s payment engine software, integrated with the state's finance and administration department.
RELATED LINKS
- Mississippi government portal
- Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services
- "State blankets site with forms" [Government E-Business, Sept. 10, 2002]
- "Mississippi goes to AOL@School" [Government E-Business, July 23, 2002]