E-government Unit

E-government Unit

The EGU has developed tools, standards and guidelines to help agencies with Internet initiatives and projects to provide online information and services. The EGU co-ordinates and carries out research and surveys to collect information about agency e-government initiatives, and to gauge the public's use and expectations for e-government.

E-government standards

The EGU has contributed to the ready access goal by creating infrastructure and standards that other agencies can use and build upon. Infrastructure and standards include the Strategy, the
e-GIF, the NZGLS for metadata used on the portal, the Government Web Guidelines, the Secure Electronic Environment and news syndication.

EGU standards and guidelines address common Internet issues that all agencies face. For example, websites that fully comply with the Government Web Guidelines will be accessible to anyone who has an Internet connection, regardless of disability or connection speed. Additionally, people will not have to download third party software to view government information.

The E-government Strategy

The Strategy has been developed to provide direction and co-ordination for agencies with the implementation of the e-government programme. The importance of the Strategy's three outcomes as the characteristics of successful e-government has not changed since the Strategy was first adopted.

The e-GIF

The e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) gives agencies a coherent set of policies, technical standards and guidelines to use when sharing or integrating data and information, or supporting information systems or business processes. Using the e-GIF is mandatory for Public Service departments:

• It helps government agencies work together more easily.
• It allows systems, knowledge and experience to be shared between agencies.
• It reduces the effort required to deal with government online by encouraging a consistent approach.

Agencies are required to adopt the e-GIF and observe its standards when selecting and implementing new IT systems, particularly those which involve interfaces with other agencies. Organisations in the wider State sector (such as Crown entities and state-owned enterprises) are encouraged to adopt the e-GIF, and local government organisations are invited to use it.

Some agencies with established information-sharing networks, which existed before the
e-government programme, are intending to transition to e-GIF standards over a longer period. While this may suit existing information-sharing agreements between agencies, it makes it difficult for other agencies to share information and data or access established networks.

The NZGLS

The New Zealand Government Locator Service (NZGLS) Metadata Standard is the official New Zealand Government standard for creating metadata in the public sector. Archives New Zealand is the custodian of the NZGLS.

NZGLS is one of the first e-government standards to be delivered through the e-government programme. The Government has directed Public and non Public-Service departments to create NZGLS-standard metadata records, to ensure that their services and relevant information sources (both online and offline) are easy to find through the portal at all times. From June 2002 onwards, each agency has had an ongoing responsibility to ensure it complies with the NZGLS.

Agencies are responsible for creating standard, consistent metadata to ensure people using the portal can find the information or services they want. The EGU helps metadata teams in agencies to create quality metadata. The EGU has developed Metalogue specifically for enabling agencies to create standardised NZGLS-compliant metadata. Metadata creators attend training seminars and can ring or email a helpdesk for support. Additionally, quality assurance checklists provide guidance to agency metadata teams on creating quality metadata in a standard form. A Metalogue Users' Group gives agencies the opportunity to share their experiences and best practice in creating and managing metadata.

The standard is regularly updated to ensure its continued alignment and contribution to the related standards internationally, such as the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set and the Australian Government Locator Service (AGLS).

Government Web Guidelines

The Government Web Guidelines set minimum requirements for public sector website technology, design and content. The Guidelines' major focus is accessibility, to ensure that people's access to online information and services is equitable and not prevented through disabilities such as eyesight, or for technical reasons such as slow Internet connections.

The Guidelines offer practical ways to provide economical and equitable access to trustworthy information and services, reflecting the core values of the Public Service in New Zealand. The agencies directed to implement the Government Web Guidelines are the Public Service departments, the New Zealand Police, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Parliamentary Counsel Office, the Parliamentary Service, the Office of the Clerk and the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service. The remainder of the public sector is encouraged to ensure their websites comply with the Guidelines.

The Government has directed that all new or revised content produced for existing websites after 1 April 2004 should comply with the Guidelines as closely as possible:

• Existing websites should become compliant with Version 2.1 of the Guidelines by 1 January 2006.
• All Public Service websites must comply with at least version 2.1 of the Guidelines by 1 January 2006.

News syndication

The EGU has piloted a technical standard for the publication and syndication of government agency news and media releases on the Internet. The standard enables agencies to subscribe to a news-feed that can be displayed on their own websites. A 'news fetch' operated by the EGU, collects and aggregates news stories for publication on the portal.

The news-feed is provided in Rich Site Summary (RSS), an extensible XML-based schema. RSS is widely used, as it is an effective format for delivering summaries of regularly changing web content. In practice, RSS enables people to quickly view summaries of the latest government news without having to visit a number of individual websites. It improves ready access to information by reducing the cost and improving the reliability and circulation of government news and information.

RSS also allows the syndication of lists of hyperlinks, along with metadata. For example, RSS can be extended to cover a range of government activities such as consultation, vacancies and opportunities to get involved in government. At present, it is proposed that the RSS standard become a Recommended Standard in the e-GIF, before being made mandatory in the future.

Developing standards

Many of the standards and guidelines developed by the EGU are of necessity, relatively technical. For example, xNAL (name and address standard) requires technical expertise and an understanding of how technology is applied in each agency. A number of agencies have said that this presents problems for them interpreting e-government standards and guidelines, as they do not have the necessary resources or staff skill level to do so.

The EGU needs to ensure that agencies understand the e-government standards and guidelines and their implications, and can contribute to their development. This is particularly important for smaller agencies without sufficient resources or technical understanding. The EGU plans to hold technical workshops and have one-on-one discussions with agency staff to help to address this.

Moderation

Moderation is the process of assessing the suitability of an Internet website name (the URL address) and determining whether the proposed name is appropriate in relationship to other websites and the purpose of the website itself.

Moderation of the govt.nz domain name protects the credibility of government websites and email addresses. It ensures only government agencies use websites with the govt.nz domain, and that agencies have logical and relevant website addresses. The Wired for Well-Being study showed people were confident that any website address containing govt.nz is official.

Moderation of the govt.nz domain name is the joint responsibility of the State Services Commission and the Association of Local Government Information Managers (ALGIM).