eServices portal updates Heads of eGovernment teams in government departments on progress of eServices

During the meeting, the eServices Portal team, consisting of Anas Haddad, Content Manager, Mahmoud Al Bastaki, Consultant, IT Systems Engineering, Rehab Lootah, eServices Provisioning Manager, Okan Geray, Strategic Planning and Implementation Follow-up Manager, Dr. Fawaz Hazaa, Senior Business Process Re-engineering Consultant and Marwan Al Naqi, Community Outreach and Marketing Officer briefed the attendees on the current and proposed eServices, such as the Content Management System, ePay, Contact Center, eJob, eIntegration, mDubai, eLibrary, eJawaz and eDelivery.

'The most challenging stage in Dubai eGovernment is ahead of us. Committed and proactive action from each Dubai government department has to be complemented by efforts to create wider community awareness of integrated services,' said Al-Shair. 'The real test is to work in a concerted manner to make the eServices user-friendly and involve the community in the implementation of the final and crucial phase of eGovernance.'

The Content Management System (CMS) used by eServices Portal is an advanced solution catering to the requirements of all government departments by providing a secure hosting environment, and efficient tools that will make integration into the eProcess quicker and easier. It also offers additional tools like search engines and a system to publish advertisements and obtain statistical information for on site visitors. The CMS will reduce costs of setting up, maintaining and managing an individual website by 90 per cent.

'Dubai Municipality has always been an active participant in all Dubai eGovernment's activities and the CMS solution is a good opportunity for all government departments to migrate to more advanced systems as part of efforts to enhance eServices. Dubai Municipality is going full-steam ahead to offer online payment facilities for our eServices and this project will be completed by the end of 2003,' said Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, Head of eGovernment Services Section, IT Department, Dubai Municipality.

The ePay facility presents to customers at one viewing the utility bills of all government departments subscribing to the eService. The customers also get an instant notification via email about the arrival of a new bill or payment confirmation. ePay has been successfully implemented at Dubai Municipality for paying parking fines, and at Dubai Police for payment of traffic fines. The new service provides different payment options in a secure environment, in addition to a daily report on the amount collected by each department.

'Such innovative initiatives by the Dubai eGovernment will pave the way for further awareness of e Services. The integration of all the processes of the various government departments into one single process will be very beneficial to customers,' said Adel Hassan Al-Ali, IT Planning Leader, IT Strategy and Planning, Information Systems Department, Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation.

The integration service offers the possibility of exchanging data and information electronically between government departments, regardless of the system used by each department, in a very secure eEnvironment and through the highly advanced Government Information Network (GIN). In addition to facilitating the updating and refining of the information each department owns, the service gives the customer the ease of accessing precise information without taking the trouble of navigating individual websites.

The eJob is an electronic platform that allows fresh graduates and other job seekers to search for job opportunities at Dubai government departments by submitting their Curriculum Vitae (CVs) electronically through a single portal, which can be accessed by all the departments. The applicants can also track the response to their application.

The eLibrary service aims to establish a unified portal that will link all libraries of Dubai government departments as well as public libraries through an electronic system for a more efficient library management, in terms of indexing, lending and classification. This service offers the possibility of searching for books in all libraries of government departments and public libraries simultaneously.

The programme of evaluating the eServices is a key initiative aimed at upgrading standards of assessment, in terms of performance, efficiency, usage and security. This programme will present to government departments quarterly reports detailing their successes and weaknesses in the delivery of services, in addition to advanced tools for monitoring customer feedback.

'This has been a very successful meeting which provided the government departments with an insight to eServices being provided by Dubai eGovernment. Facilities such as ePay, eLibary and the soon to be launched mDubai, (a project that delivers information through a mobile portal) will enrich the services provided by the Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Department on its website. More importantly, Dubai eGovernment's initiatives will reduce the burden on our IT infrastructure, allowing us to concentrate on our core functions and responsibilities,' said Omar Al-Khateeb, Manager of Public Relations and Administration, Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Department.

The corporate website of Dubai eGovernment is designed to boost eServices awareness and enhance the image of Dubai eGovernment. It serves as a major data centre and media mobile bank as well as an archive for the sub-committees in Dubai eGovernment.

During the meeting, the action plan for participating in GITEX 2003 was also unveiled. Dubai eGovernment attaches great important to GITEX because it provides an ideal opportunity to promote all eServices. Different government departments will showcase their services at special kiosks within the Dubai eGovernment pavilion.