The CNM publishes a reflection on technology and administrative modernization

The National Confederation of Municipalities of Brazil (CNM) that holds the Vice-presidency of the Committee has recently published a reflection on municipal management in the matter of "Technology and administrative modernization: from the electronic Government to the connected governance".

The objective of the publication is to present key questions and pertinent considerations that can help the public manager to support their technological decisions.

The document presents the last subjects treated in Geneva on the evolution in the government, through real examples of the Brazilian municipalities and worldwide, and it identifies directives on how to guarantee the maturity of discharge in the development process and management of the technology.

The publication does not try to have all the answers, but it tries to be a guide who helps the new administrators so that they are able to make the correct questions against the challenges that will find in their mandate.

The guide is accessible in Portuguese in the section of documents of the page Web of the committee.


The Secretariats of the Committees meet in Barcelona to contribute to the strategic planning of UCLG

On the 22nd and 23rd of February took place in the Head Quarters of the World Secretariat the annual meeting of the secretariat of the Committees.

During 2010 UCLG started consultations for a redefinition of strategic priorities of our organization. This exercise that seek to promote contributions from all the partners in the process of t the Strategic planning of UCGL, started with consultations of the Secretaries General of the UCLG Sections and the UCLG Advisory Board.

This dynamic Workshops Addressed to the Secretariats of the Committees and Working Groups was part of this process. The workshop revised the results of the exercise and decisions to date and gathered concrete inputs on the long term general work programme of the organization, the priorities and the products to be developed. The workshop also provided the opportunity to share the progress made in the implementation of the work programmes of the different committees and working groups.

We encourage the members of the Committee to take part of the redefinition process of the priorities of UCGL by answering the following survey: UCLG Survey


The safe mobile payment becomes reality at the Mobile World Congress

The safe mobile payment has become a reality that can be exploited commercially when banks and operators so desire, as revealed at Mobile World Congress, held in Barcelona.

GAD, a multinational company specializing in the safety and well known in the world of money by making legal tender notes, presented their solutions to pay by phone safely via NFC contactless technology, which apparently has emerged as the standard to be used anywhere in the world. But it also provides security when conducting financial transactions with sophisticated systems that protect data and communications between machines.

The company, which is used by some governments to encrypt mobile phone conversations of senior executives, also shows this technology in the MWC. These security solutions to address all the changes that are occurring in the mobile world with the advent of broadband, which allows more sophisticated services that require data protection.

Dual core

Other highlights include dual-core processors, which comes to smart phones, computers becoming sophisticated, closer to the world of computing. The first consequence is that the market for high-end phones will be downgrading to reach the general public, say executives from Qualcomm, the largest multinational chips in the mobile world.

These mobile processors make faster, more efficient and longer battery life. Qualcomm executives say their dual-core processor is a fundamental difference: each of its CPU works separately, so that only combined if necessary. So there is more efficiency and battery saving, they say.

This manufacturer, which calls its processors with the name of Snapdragon, has taken another step in this conference to introduce the quad-core processor that will allow using devices and heated less and have more features and lesser extent.

Source: Reuters


Barcelona implements the electronic processing of records

Barcelona City Council has established a platform for information management as part of a project that aims to meet the objectives of the current mandate of the council relating to eGovernment, where the implementation of the electronic record is key. In the same vein, and to achieve the aforementioned objective, the Barcelona City Council has adopted a platform which makes available management tools and organizational processes and storage of records but supports the Document Management and Digital Asset Management file.

The investment project has represented a party of 600,000 euros, for a few concepts that include the acquisition of hardware infrastructure and Documentum suite licenses.

The different phases of implementation have been developed taking into account a number of factors. As explained by Lluís Olivella, "first, have been identified by staff of the Barcelona City Council file a classification scheme and associated metadata, to allow, from the beginning of a file, can proceed final classification and to provide it information that will subsequently facilitate the life cycle of records. " But on the other hand, the IMI has made the development of a software (Framework document) that facilitates the interaction of different records management applications with the Records Management Subsystem (Documentum). This allows developers do not need to know the API (Application Programme Interface) and wean Documentum specific application development for a particular product.

Finally, we have developed various records management applications (EOBR, eOcupación of Public Roads, Inspections, eContrato, eSubvenciones, ...) using the framework document.

The benefits are seeing are related, in the words of Lluís Olivella, with the fact that technological infrastructure is being pivotal in the implementation of the different local electronic records, and is impacting positively not only in reducing the role, but also a reduction in processing times, "is estimated to save more than 20 tons per year in paper generation and that will reduce internal processing time by 30% on average," the official said.

Keep in mind that until the last two years, records management, including processing flows (workflows), was done by developments in client / server technology tailored by the Institut Municipal d´Informàtica de l´Ajuntament de Barcelona .

Technology Plan

The document management project based on EMC Documentum is part of the Technological Plan Ajuntament de Barcelona. He describes the manager, who said "has done a great deal of internal transformation in recent years. This effort plasma exchange in Barcelona 2.0 Plan, which defines a new model of management and which includes different areas of municipal management and process redesign, and where, indeed, seen as one of the driving forces of e-Government Plan and the Plan Information Systems and Telecommunications, which is key electronic record and all common services management electronics, such as electronic document. "

Among the innovative projects under way also contains a comprehensive e-Government strategy that includes, besides the electronic file, the common development of eGovernment services for different records, electronic signatures or Portafirmas, as a clear example. Furthermore, and from the standpoint of interaction with citizens and businesses, we have tried to enhance the multi-channel in attention, launching ever more fully electronic services, the processing of building permits is an example of this, and offering simple steps via mobile.

It also provides the manager of IMI other data, is that, in addition to the electronic record and all procedures are available through the portal of more than 800 Procedures-processing options, "has fostered the exchange of data and other certificates government, estimated at more than 295,000 a year. "The interoperability platform means not only saving time for governments but also for individuals and businesses avoiding travel documentaries and multiple inputs," says Olivella, who emphasizes the beginning "of a strategy of proactive services, integrating or making arrangements simple, the service of ´Welcome to Barcelona´ integrated into one intended citizen, the change of address, more than 10 procedures commonly associated with this management. "
As the number of internal users who must serve as the solution goes to the heart of municipal activity, impact on virtually all council staff, central departments, districts and autonomous bodies, about 8,000 people.

The Manager of the Institut Municipal d´Informàtica de Barcelona City Council wants to highlight how the City is continually innovating in terms of new needs identified in the different municipal areas and the evolution of technology. In the area of ​​application development, is committed to Java technology. Net and SAP (and most important), and takes into account open source software solutions.

The ICT budget of the consistory, counting the ICT staff, current expenditure and investment, is about 60 million euros per year on average in the mandate from 2008 to 2011. This item enables to carry out initiatives considered as pioneers. Thus, as pointed Lluís Olivella, "The City Council has pioneered the launch earlier this year its second data processing center, which we consider key to support the growing needs of processing capacity, as establish systems for redundancy and continuity of services, essential in e-Government projects, which require levels of availability much more stringent than at the time of paper. "

WiFi Project

The public agency has launched one of its flagship projects which basically consists of the introduction of two paths for the deployment of WiFi networks, one for citizens, Barcelona WiFi, and other municipal staff, WiFi Public Roads. "With WiFi SmartCity streets or have deployed a network access municipal WiFi Mesh, which complements the existing fiber optic backbone and local organization provides the base for the development of municipal broadband in the street, key intelligent management of municipal services, which has been called the Smart-City "says Olivella. In turn, highlights some other benefits of the services that operate broadband network, "that increase the quality, performance, flexibility and reliability, and, therefore, favor an objective improvement of the services the Barcelona City Council offers the public. "

Source: computing.es


Internet users between 45 and 64 narrow the digital divide

The population of this age increases its presence in the network more than the average

The elders do not take full advantage of internet potential

The digital divide between generations which is the difference by age of the use of new technologies is becoming closer. In its latest report, Telefónica concluded that the population between 45 and 64 is the sector that contributed to the advancement of information society in 2010, with inclusion rates above average. This helps to alleviate some suffering and loneliness that keeps them intellectually active

The current concern, says expert in information society José Manuel Robles, has less to do with joining the network but with the "difference of uses" that make young people and adults in the possibilities of the Internet. Beyond that show even greater reluctance to join social networks usually do not take full advantage offered by the network to interact with management and purchase items without scrolling. Most are content to seek information and communicate, "but not beyond, " he explains.

Source: elperiodico.com