Government Interoperability Frameworks Research Articles

On federated single sign-on in e-government interoperability frameworks

We consider the problem of handling digital identities within service-oriented architecture (SOA) architectures. We explore federated, single sign-on (SSO) solutions based on identity managers and service providers. After an overview of the different standards and protocols, we introduce a middleware-based architecture to simplify the integration of legacy systems within such platforms. Our solution is based on a middleware module that decouples the legacy system from the identity-management modules. We consider both standard point-to-point service architectures, and complex government interoperability frameworks, and report experiments to show that our solution provides clear advantages both in terms of effectiveness and performance.

A fuzzy rule-based system to assess e-government technical interoperability maturity level

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to present a system called NEBULOSUS, which is a fuzzy rule-based expert system for assessing the maturity level of an agency regarding technical interoperability. Design/methodology/approach – The study introduces the use of artificial intelligence and fuzzy logic to deal with the imprecision and uncertainty present in the assessment process. To validate the system proposed and demonstrate its operation, the study takes into account the Brazilian technical interoperability maturity model, based on the Brazilian Government Interoperability Framework (GIF). Findings – With the system proposed and its methodology, it could be possible to increase the assessment process to management level and to provide decision-making support without worrying about technical details that make it complex and time-consuming. Moreover, NEBULOSUS is a standalone system that offers an easy-to-use, open and flexible structuring database that can be adapted by governments throughout the world. It will serve as a tool and contribute to governments’ expectations for continuous improvement of their technologies. Originality/value – This study contributes toward filling a gap in general interoperability architectures, which is a means to provide an objective method to evaluate GIF adherence by governments. The proposed system allows governments to configure their technical models and GIF to assess information and communication technology resources.

A critical survey of selected government interoperability frameworks

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present such an analytical framework for analyzing Government Interoperability Frameworks (GIFs) and to do a comparative analysis of a set of GIFs using the analytical framework. Based on the comparative analysis, the paper presents a set of recommendations useful for new GIF initiatives.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on literature and personal knowledge and experience, an analytical framework is proposed for qualitative comparison of GIFs. The analytical framework is based on three core areas of interoperability frameworks – context, content, and process. A total of 21 GIFs are analyzed and evaluated against the framework. The primary sources of information for the study are the interoperability framework documents. In some cases, published articles, brochures, etc. are used as additional sources of information.FindingsThe comparative analysis shows that the analytical framework adequately covers all the features of the GIFs. Comparative analysis also shows that most of the GIFs concentrate mainly on technical and syntactical aspects only. Organizational and semantic issues are covered only by a handful of GIFs. At the policy level, most common interoperability policies are found to be: the universal adoption of common specifications used on the internet and world wide web, use of XML for data integration and data management, and use of open standards for all public sector information systems. Regarding management of GIF, it is found that German, Greek and New Zealand GIFs document the process of standards life cycle management in a much better way, whereas UK e‐GIFs' coverage of management and compliance mechanism of GIF is excellent. Overall, it is found that the UK e‐GIF is one of the most mature and exhaustive on all counts. German – Standards und Architekturen f¨r eGovernment‐Anwendungen on the other hand is found to be a unique effort. It incorporates features of both an enterprise architecture and those of an interoperability framework.Originality/valueThe contribution of the study is substantial for academia and practitioners. For academics, this framework can be used in future research as a tool to benchmark and grade GIFs. The practitioners, on the other hand, can use the study, to identify various essential features of a GIF which can be very useful for new GIF initiatives. The six‐layered e‐government technical architecture discussed here can be used to check the current status of technical interoperability in an organization and to identify gaps in the technology coverage.

Electronic Government Interoperability

Interoperability is a crucial issue for electronic government due to the need of agencies’ information systems to be totally integrated and able to exchange data in a seamless way. A way to achieve it is by establishing a government interoperability framework (GIF). However, this is a difficult task to be carried out due not only to technological issues but also to other aspects. This research is expected to contribute to the identification of the barriers to the adoption of interoperability standards for electronic government. The article presents the preliminary findings from a case study of the Brazilian Government framework (e-PING), based on the analyses of documents and face-to-face interviews. It points out some aspects that may influence the establishment of these standards, becoming barriers to their adoption.

E‐Governance Policies for Interoperability and Open Standards

AbstractInformation and communication technology standards are increasingly intertwined with functions that are paradigmatic responsibilities of governments. The degree of openness in technical standards can have public policy implications in several areas: a nation's innovation and competition policy; the ability of governments to efficiently and cost effectively perform services such as national security, disaster response, and e‐Health administration; and the ways in which standards serve as a form of regulation making decisions such as the extent of user privacy on the Internet. Because of these possible policy implications, governments have a vested interest in promoting open technical standards adhering to principles of transparency, cost efficiency, and interoperability. This paper examines various possibilities for governments to engage with information and communication technology standardization (e.g., development, regulation, funding, adoption) and ultimately recommends that governments, as significant parts of technology markets, can exert market influence, as well as provide efficient e‐Governance functions, through procurement policies that promote open standards, often through electronic government interoperability frameworks (e‐GIFs) specifying information technology standards for e‐Governance infrastructures. These procurement policies are the least interventionist of possible roles for governments in standardization because they do not mandate that private industry adopt particular standards and do not intervene directly in the standards‐development process. Drawing from roundtable discussions with government officials at the United Nations Development Programme's Global Meeting on Government Interoperability Frameworks in Brazil, this paper surveys a number of existing government interoperability frameworks (Brazil, the European Union, Japan, and South Africa) and recommends best practices for these emerging e‐Governance frameworks.

E-Governance Policies for Interoperability and Open Standards

Information and communication technology standards are increasingly intertwined with functions that are paradigmatic responsibilities of governments. The degree of openness in technical standards can have public policy implications in several areas: a nation's innovation and competition policy; the ability of governments to efficiently and cost effectively perform services such as national security, disaster response, and e-health administration; and the ways in which standards serve as a form of regulation making decisions such as the extent of user privacy on the Internet. Because of these possible policy implications, governments have a vested interest in promoting open technical standards adhering to principles of transparency, cost efficiency, and interoperability. This paper examines various possibilities for governments to engage with information and communication technology standardization (e.g. development, regulation, funding, adoption) and ultimately recommends that governments, as significant parts of technology markets, can exert market influence, as well as provide efficient e-Governance functions, through procurement policies that promote open standards, often through electronic government interoperability frameworks (e-GIFs) specifying information technology standards for e-Governance infrastructures. These procurement policies are the least interventionist of possible roles for governments in standardization because they do not mandate that private industry adopt particular standards and do not intervene directly in the standards-development process. Drawing from roundtable discussions with government officials at the United Nations Development Programme's Global Meeting on Government Interoperability Frameworks in Brazil, this paper surveys a number of existing government interoperability frameworks (Brazil, the European Union, Japan, and South Africa) and recommends best practices for these emerging e-Governance frameworks.

A review of electronic government interoperability frameworks: patterns and challenges

e-Government Interoperability Frameworks (e-GIFs) outline the essential prerequisites for joined-up and web-enabled e-government, providing the basic standards that every public authority must adopt. Today, their scope has been extended to facilitate the seamless exchange of information and the deployment of interoperable systems in Central and Municipal Government. In the scope of this paper, the interoperability frameworks released by eight countries are presented, and a comparative analysis among their findings is conducted to indicate the similarities and differences in their philosophy and implementation, resulting in a set of recommendations for any interested party willing to create or update an Interoperability Framework.

정보화 생명주기 및 전사적아키텍처(EA) 기반의 전자정부 상호운용성 프레임워크 연구

전자정부는 기관 및 업무의 경계 없이 정부를 하나로 연결하고, 국민에게 최상의 정부서비스를 제공하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 해외 전자정부 선진 국가들은 명확한 상호운용성 프레임워크를 수립 및 운영함으로써 전자정부의 목적을 달성하고자 노력하고 있다. 그러나, 우리나라는 정보화 관련 법제도 내에 상호운용성과 관련된 사항들이 명시적 또는 묵시적으로 정의되어 있을 뿐, 체계화된 전자정부 상호운용성 프레임워크가 부재하여 전자정부 상호운용성을 확보하는데 한계를 보이고 있다. 이에 본 연구에서는 EU, 영국, 미국 등 주요 해외국가들과 우리나라 간의 전자정부 상호운용성 프레임워크를 분석하고 정보화 생명주기 전체에 걸쳐 상호운용성을 관리하고 업무에서 정보기술까지를 상호운용성 범위로 포괄하는 EA기반의 한국형 전자정부 상호운용성 프레임워크(K-GIF)를 제안한다. The purposes of e-Government are to connect government agencies without boundary, and to deliver better quality e-services to citizens. The frontier countries try to reach the e-Government goals using Government Interoperability Framework(GIF). Even though Korea also has interoperability regulations, that is obscure. So we have some limitations to take the e-Government interoperability advantages. This study analyzes the cases of advanced countries (EU, U.S., U.K., and Australia), and reviews Korea's regulations. After that, we suggest EA based Korean e-Government Interoperability Framework(K-GIF), that is to manage the interoperability from business to information technology over the whole IT life cycle.