Online availability of basic services in Dubai is higher than in Europe

These findings are featured in a study on "Dubai Knowledge Economy 2003-2004" carried out by the Dubai-based Madar Research Group, based on a methodology adopted by the European Commission, for evaluating the level of online availability of EU basic public services. The study covered 19 basic services - 9 for individuals and 10 for businesses-provided by Dubai eGovernment through the Internet as on October 31, 2002, after surveying 226 services.

The study placed Dubai's online availability of basic public services at 76.4 per cent, against Finland's 76 per cent. Further, the online percentages of basic public services provided to businesses stood at 85.2 per cent and to individuals at 67.7 per cent. Some 30 per cent of Dubai government's basic services to individuals got scores that correspondent to the highest possible level of online availability, while 44 per cent of services provided to businesses also achieved full score. The study showed that 66.7 per cent of the basic services provided by Dubai's free zones to their partners were available online.

"The recognition earned by Dubai eGovernment in different surveys and studies, both local and international, is a reward for the hard work the eGovernment team has put in over the past two years," said Salem Al Shair, Director eServices, Dubai eGovernment. "It is no small achievement to outperform the highly advanced European countries which have had a headstart of several years. The fact that we have not only caught up with them, but in some cases even surpassed them is a reflection of the e-vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, in providing the right direction and the commitment of our staff to turn dreams into reality."

"Dubai eGovernment is poised to register new successes in eServices. The objective of providing online services through the Net is now being extended further by channels like mDubai, which makes use of mobile devices to reach customers. We are aggressively working toward motivating the community to acquire greater competency in computers through special online and classroom learning. In this regard, our e4all project is helping thousands of people hone their computer skills with the help of competitive packages," Al Shair added.

"The year 2004 will see Dubai eGovernment adding a host of more innovative services and reaching closer to the goal of seamless integration, the ultimate image of any e-government," said Al Shair. "We will launch the final stage of the community outreach programme to increase the number of users of eServices. We will also strengthen our presence in community involvement by actively participating in major events and initiatives of the Government."

The 'online percentage' of a service is determined by the extent to which it is possible to carry out a service electronically. The scores were given on the basis of the classification in the four stages of e-government: online information, downloading of applications, two-way interaction, including authentication, and transaction, including handling, decision and delivery.

The online services covered in the community category were visas, job search, payment of utility bills, personal documents, car registration, declaration to the police, public libraries, birth & marriage certificates, enrolment in higher education and health-related services.

The business services included visas, local fees collection, engineering services (construction), company registration, legal services, customs declarations, environment-related permits, public procurement and free zones establishment.