Publications

Electronic Government (e-Government) provides a means to good and better government facilitating citizen engagement, effective service delivery and improved efficiency in government functions. E-Government’s potential for contributing to good government is dependent on strong e-Leadership that is formalized in executive IT leaders and Government Chief Information Officers (GCIOs). After presenting the motivation for e-Leadership and GCIOs, the paper introduces the evolving role of GCIOs and discusses main issues for defining a GCIO system, such as readiness assessment, legal and regulatory framework, institutions, and GCIO education and development. The experience of five countries in establishing a GCIO system is presented, analyzing the regulatory framework, capacity-building programs and organizational support defined as part of such systems. Based on country experiences and the importance of national mechanisms and policies to coordinate efforts of CIOs in government through cross agency institutions and programs, the paper proposes a framework for instituting a GCIO system. The main contribution of the paper is a step by step approach for developing a GCIO system in the public sector.

The methodologies for agile software development are fundamentally based on the collaboration with software users during the entire development process, the simplicity to adapt the product to changes in requirements, and on the incremental product delivery. Based on the Agile Manifesto, they have been accepted and are successfully used in projects where the detailed requirements are unknown at first and are identified during the development process from the interactions with the users and the feedback thus obtained. In this paper, we propose an evaluation framework for the methodologies for agile software development. This framework is applied in detail to two of them - Scrum and eXtreme Programming (XP). The definition of this quantitative framework is innovative, especially because it allows the evaluation of how the agile methodologies satisfy the basic principles defined by the Agile Manifesto, thus it can be used when deciding which methodology to adopt in a particular project. 

Las metodologías de desarrollo ágil se basan fundamentalmente en la colaboración con los usuarios de software durante todo el proceso de desarrollo, la facilidad para adaptar el producto a cambios en requerimientos y en la entrega incremental del producto. Basadas en el Manifiesto Ágil, han sido aceptadas y son utilizadas con éxito en proyectos donde los requerimientos detallados son inicialmente desconocidos y se van construyendo durante el proceso de desarrollo a partir de interacciones con los usuarios y de la retroalimentación obtenida a partir de las mismas. En este trabajo se propone un framework de evaluación para las metodologías ágiles de desarrollo, y se aplica a dos de ellas – Scrum y eXtreme Programming (XP). La definición de este framework cuantitavio es novedosa, especialmente porque permite evaluar en cuánto las metodologías ágiles satisfacen los principios básicos definidos por el Manifiesto Ágil. Su utilización es recomendada al momento de decidir una metodología a adoptar.

 The paper presents a formal model for a knowledge repository shared by members of a Virtual Community of Practice (VCPs), describes how the repository can be used to underpin collaborative problem solving, and how to build computer support for such processes. The repository comprises the resources used and developed by VCPs particularly through problem solving. As a case study, the paper illustrates how the problem solving process and the underlying repository can be applied in disaster prevention and handling. The repository and the process are formally described using the RAISE Specification Language

We present a model for collaborative problem solving in Virtual Communities of Practice. The model applies a repository, comprising resources, properties and statements, to underpin the process of problem-solving. The process allows for formulating, exploring, matching and gradually refining abstract problem descriptions (one kind of resource) into the corresponding concrete solutions (another kind of resource), expanding the underlying repository with new resources, properties and statements in the process. The model is defined formally, its usefulness is argued with a simple case study and a possible implementation is described using Semantic Web.

 We present a model for collaborative problem solving in Virtual Communities of Practice. The model applies a repository, comprising resources, properties and statements, to underpin the process of problem-solving. The process allows for formulating, exploring, matching and gradually refining abstract problem descriptions (one kind of resource) into the corresponding concrete solutions (another kind of resource), expanding the underlying repository with new resources, properties and statements in the process. The model is defined formally, its usefulness is argued with a simple case study and a possible implementation is described using Semantic Web.

A policy framework is the backbone of public governance and a major contributor to its quality. Such a framework is particularly required in the areas where public governance seeks technology support, as is the case for Electronic Governance (e-Governance). This paper explains the need to put in place a comprehensive set of policies, and presents a model for policy interventions supporting e-Governance development. The model comprises a classification of policies based on their nature and applicability, and describes core areas for which policy interventions are required. The paper also presents three major scenarios for using the model: (1) a tool to help design and analyze critical policy interventions by developing and transition nations, (2) a template to understand different alternatives for interventions, and (3) a checklist to review all niche areas to be regulated. In particular, applicability of the model in India is discussed.

 A policy framework is the backbone of public governance and a major contributor to its quality. Such a framework is particularly required in the areas where public governance seeks technology support, as is the case for Electronic Governance (e-Governance). This report explains the need for a comprehensive set of policies, and presents a model for policy interventions supporting e-Governance development. The model comprises a classification of policies based on their nature and applicability, and describes core areas for which policy interventions are required. The report also presents three major scenarios for the use of the model: (1) a tool to help design and analyze critical policy interventions by developing and transition nations, (2) a template to understand different alternatives for interventions, and (3) a checklist to review all niche areas to be regulated. In particular, the application of this model to the Indian context is discussed.

Nowadays, governments are adopting Web 2.0 technologies for interacting with citizens, empowering them to share their views, react to issues of their concern and form opinion. In particular, social media play an important role in this context, due to their widespread use. For governments, a major technical challenge is the lack of automated intelligent tools for processing citizens’ opinion in government social media. At the same time, during the last decade, argumentation theory has consolidated itself in Artificial Intelligence as a new paradigm for modeling common sense reasoning, with application in several areas, such as legal reasoning, multi-agent systems, and decision support systems, among others. This paper outlines an argument-based approach for overcoming such challenge, combined with context-based information retrieval. Our ultimate aim is to combine context-based search and argumentation in a collaborative framework for managing (retrieving and publishing) service- and policy-related information in  government-use social media tools.

e-Appointment services improve the accessibility of public services that require face-to-face interactions. Given a high number of services that requiring appointment scheduling across government, government-wide e-appointment services are clearly preferred over agency-specific solutions. The paper presents a case study of a one-stop e-Appointment service proposed as part of software infrastructure for e-Government. Relying on appointment-related information maintained by individual agencies, the service enables applicants to seamlessly arrange appointments to visit government agencies or service centers through a one-stop government portal. We define a generic business process underpinning the delivery of such a service, propose an approach for implementing each of the business process steps, and present a concrete software solution to support the process.

This paper focuses on the challenge of sustaining Electronic Governance (EGOV) initiatives in developing countries to ensure their real impact on the society. While the challenge is well-recognized in the international development community, there is little evidence of research that discusses this challenge and how it could be addressed. This paper attempts to fill this gap by presenting a comprehensive approach which directly addresses the sustainability issues as part of the EGOV development lifecycle, and demonstrates how this approach was applied in a real-life project context in Afghanistan, aimed at addressing country-specific EGOV sustainability challenges. In view of this experience, the paper also discusses the adequacy of the approach to meet a range of sustainability challenges, with concluding remarks to guide developing countries in their endeavors to sustain EGOV programs.

 The ability of governments to develop and effectively manage knowledge assets is now considered a critical capability for electronic governance. Good Knowledge Management (KM) practices in government are usually driven by clear vision and objectives which are part of KM strategies. Developing such government-wide KM vision and objectives requires inputs from individual government agencies and other stakeholders on their needs and priorities (so-called demand-side). However, while there is significant literature on models and tools for measuring KM capabilities (so-called supply-side) and impact of KM practices, very few scholarly work is available on assessment of specific KM needs of individual agencies or other stakeholders. This paper presents an Integrated KM Assessment Model which measures both the demand and supply sides of KM in government. The model was used for assessing the KM needs and capabilities of government agencies in Macao SAR as part of a study for determining the readiness of government as a whole for KM. Results from our study show that innovation in government operations is considered by agencies to be the most KM demanded area, while KM capability for task-specific activities was found to be the weakest KM capability area. In addition, document-intensive and high-volume transaction agencies, such as educational, financial, electronic data interchange agencies have relatively higher KM awareness and capability.

 The paper presents the development of a dependable messaging infrastructure for Electronic Government. Based on a few simple concepts like messages, members and channels, the infrastructure was developed to facilitate the exchange of messages by government agencies in a dependable and automated way. The dependability requirement was addressed on various levels: design, development and application. Considering design, the infrastructure comprises a small core offering plain messaging services, a repository of extensions to provide additional services, and a development framework to rigorously specify, implement and verify messaging extensions. Considering development, the infrastructure was build through rigorous use of modeling and analysis in various development stages. Considering applications, government agencies can use the infrastructure to exchange messages through carefully managed logical communication channels and the prudent use of necessary extensions, including extensions to implement required security measures. The paper presents the development and explains why the outcome satisfies the dependability requirement.

 Electronic Governance (EGOV) research studies the use of Information and Communication Technologies to improve governance processes. Sustainable Development (SD) research studies possible development routes that satisfy the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. Despite substantial progress in advancing both domains independently, little research exists at their intersection – how to utilize EGOV in support of SD. We call this intersection Electronic Governance for Sustainable Development (EGOV4SD). This paper: 1) proposes a conceptual framework for EGOV4SD, 2) proposes EGOV4SD research assessment framework and 3) applies both frameworks to determine the state of EGOV4SD research. The main contribution of the paper is establishing a foundation for EGOV4SD research.

Many public services require face-to-face interactions with government officials and their designated representatives. In order to improve the delivery and accessibility of such services, to standardize government processes and to avoid the duplication of efforts by government offices, on-line appointment scheduling (e-appointment) can be employed. The paper presents a complete solution for a one-stop e-appointment service, built upon software infrastructure for e-government. Offered through a one-stop government portal and relying on appointment-related information maintained by individual agencies, the service enables applicants to seamlessly arrange appointments for visiting government offices responsible for the delivery of various public services. The paper proceeds by: (1) identifying the challenges for delivering appointment services on-line, (2) describing existing solutions; (3) proposing a new solution for a one-stop e-appointment service including technical (software) and organizational (business process) aspects; and (4) validating this solution against the challenges and existing solutions. In particular, the paper describes step-by-step implementation of the business process and the development of software, from requirement and modeling, to design, implementation and deployment.

The paper presents the development of a dependable messaging infrastructure for Electronic Government. Based on a few simple concepts like messages, members and channels, the infrastructure was developed to facilitate the exchange of messages by government agencies in a dependable and automated way. The dependability requirement was addressed on various levels: design, development and application. Considering design, the infrastructure comprises a small core offering plain messaging services, a repository of extensions to provide additional services, and a development framework to rigorously specify, implement and verify messaging extensions. Considering development, the infrastructure was build through rigorous use of modeling and analysis in various development stages. Considering applications, government agencies can use the infrastructure to exchange messages through carefully managed logical communication channels and the prudent use of necessary extensions, including extensions to implement required security measures. The paper presents the development and explains why the outcome satisfies the dependability requirement.

Effective Information Technology (IT) leadership is critical for achieving a good alignment between business needs and IT means of an organization. In the public sector, IT leadership is increasingly realized through the Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO) function, typically established by governments based on local circumstances and emerging needs. This makes peer-learning about the working of such systems and their transfer between different government contexts challenging. To address this concern, the authors introduced earlier a GCIO System - a set of inter-related activities to guide governments in gradually establishing, operating and sustaining the GCIO function. Based on a common conceptual model of the GCIO function, this paper defines a methodology for conducting the readiness assessment part of the GCIO System. The methodology comprises a set of assessment areas and a step-wise process to conduct assessment in these areas. The paper also shares the experience in applying this methodology in practice, and proposes how the assessment could inform the execution of other activities of the GCIO System.

 Electronic Government offers a great potential for improving performance, increasing quality of services and reducing costs in the public sector. In order to gain these benefits, organizational changes and re-engineering of administrative processes within and between public agencies has to take place. This, in turn, requires strong government leadership. Countries considered the worldwide leaders in e-government have all created central coordination offices to lead, manage and promote e-government initiatives. In this paper, we present the experiences of Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Singapore and the United States in e-government coordination, as well as discuss the best practices in organizational structures for managing e-government. We also present some recommendations for establishing a central coordination office for Macao.

 Social media is one of Web 2.0 tools that governments are adopting for interacting with citizens. Through their use, citizens are able to share their views, react to issues of their concern and form opinion. However, despite the infusion of such tools in citizens’ lives, governments face several challenges to fully benefit from their adoption. One technical challenge is the lack of automated intelligent tools for processing citizens’ opinion in government social media. This paper presents a project - DECIDE 2.0, focusing on the provision of a framework, including a software tool, for overcoming such challenge.  The aim of the project is to combine context-based search and argumentation in a collaborative framework for managing (retrieving and publishing) service- and policy-related information in government-use social media tools. For developing the framework, the research work is underpinned by artificial intelligence and software engineering techniques. The developed framework will be applied for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of citizens’ opinion on a specific policy issue. A pilot test of the framework is planned to be carried out in collaboration with a local government. The project is executed by two universities in Argentina and Mexico.

Seamless Government is a new paradigm for public administration that promotes collaboration and networking between government agencies and between public, private and voluntary sectors as a way to better respond to the needs of citizens, businesses and other arms of government. There are many benefits of collaboration in government. One is the delivery of Seamless Public Services, made available through one-stop access points, both electronic and traditional, according to the needs of customers and not the internal structure of government. Another is improved efficiency in government, aiming at eliminating duplicate efforts and making better use of scarce public resources. However, the paradigm presents numerous implementation challenges: (1) Legal - recognizing electronic processes as equivalent to paper-based processes; (2) Financial - funding multi-annual, cross-agency projects; (3) Social – building human capacity able to utilize new technologies; (4) Organizational - establishing processes that seamlessly cross organizational boundaries; and (5) Technological – building solutions that integrate software and processes across organizational and administrative boundaries, able to adapt to changing legal and organizational requirements.

This thesis presents the concept and foundations of Programmable Messaging – a paradigm for automated exchange of messages between collaborating entities to respond to diverse communication needs of complex and dynamic collaborative environments, such as the environments characterizing Seamless Government. It also presents a concrete realization of Programmable Messaging – Government-Enterprise Ecosystem Gateway (G-EEG). G-EEG is a high-level communication and coordination platform to support collaboration across multi-organizational processes and applications. The requirements for G-EEG were identified following two studies: on the nature of collaborations between agencies, following a survey of public administration system in Macao, and on available technical solutions to enable such collaborations. In order to implement these requirements, G-EEG comprises three components:

1) G-EEG-CORE - a run-time messaging framework that enables asynchronous exchange of messages between registered members along dynamically created and subscribed channels;

2) G-EEG-EXTEND - a repository of horizontal (process-independent) and vertical (process-dependent) extensions and a mechanism to dynamically enable such extensions on top of G-EEG-CORE; and

3) G-EEG-DEVELOP - a development framework to rigorously specify, design and verify messaging extensions, from the scratch or from existing extensions.

G-EEG was designed to be: minimalist – based on the smallest possible number of concepts; extensible – the rich functionality required by applications is available through extensions in the G-EEG-EXTEND repository or through the G-EEG-DEVELOP development framework; dynamic - communication structures can be dynamically created and modified at run-time; and reliable – parts of the framework are based on a formal model, enabling rigorous development of new extensions. G-EEG can be used by government agencies to exchange messages through carefully managed logical communication channels, with necessary extensions enabled over them. Based on G-EEG concepts, a research prototype was built through rigorous use of modelling and analysis in various development stages.

The main contributions of the thesis are: (1) the concept of Programmable Messaging, (2) the definition, formalization and implementation of G-EEG as a concrete realization of Programmable Messaging, (3) a formal model for XML and XML family of technologies resulting from the formalization effort; (4) a comprehensive survey of the concepts and challenges of Seamless Government, (5) rigorous assessment of G-EEG with respect to Seamless Government, and (6) a framework for assessing organizational, technological and foundational solutions to Seamless Government.