DEREK TICKNER
G-Government describes the combination of GIS and Web 2.0 technologies to improve government services. It is a subset of e-government. Government agencies host map web portals so that citizens can readily find information. Increasingly, individuals are uploading data and ideas to the government. As with Wikipedia, you can consume and contribute information.
The term ‘G-Gov’ first appeared in the US in 2000. Al Gore, then vicepresident, envisaged its potential: ‘We have an unparalleled opportunity to turn a flood of raw data into understandable information about our society and our planet. If we are successful, it will have broad societal and commercial benefits in areas such as education, decision making for a sustainable future, land use planning, agricultural and crisis management.’
All three levels of government in Australia are increasingly using e-government in its various guises. It is the use of information and communication technologies to supply better services to the public. E-Gov has three components: government to citizen (G2C); government to business (G2B); and government to other government levels or departments (G2G).
These terms imply a two-way interaction, so G2C also means citizen to government. A good example of this is e-tax. An individual finds the information they need from the Australian Tax Office website, does their own data entry and uploads it, saving the government and taxpayer time and money.
Australia.gov.au is the principal web portal for the public and businesses to access all the government websites (800 links) and resources. It’s run by the Australian Government Information Management Office, whose brief is to encourage and oversee the effective use of ICT by Australian government departments. Rolling out e-Gov is a substantial part of AGIMO’s brief.
The numbers of Australians using the internet and taking advantage of the benefits of e-Gov are increasing, according to AGIMO’s 2008 report, Interacting with Government – Australians’ use and satisfaction with e-government services.
Its main findings are that four out of five citizens are using internet services, with the biggest rate of new users now being the 55-plus age group. The internet is the most common way that citizens communicate with the government. Broadband use has risen to 68 per cent.
With so many Australians now online, e-Democracy is becoming more viable. E-Democracy goes beyond electronic voting, polling and campaigning. It has the potential to influence the decision makers and open up the process of policy making. The more citizens are involved, the more democratic society will become, proponents argue. Government will be more accountable and transparent. A genuine, multi-lateral process becomes a real possibility.
On Radio National’s Future Tense program about e-Gov on 5 April last year, finance minister Lindsay Tanner commented: ‘You’ve got the opportunity to have a kind of open public space discussion, with different people putting their points of view and the government responding. It’s taking things on board.’
So how does spatial technology fit into this brave new world of e-Gov?
Most government data has a geographic component: defence, taxation, business planning, resource management, meteorology, emergency services, crime statistics, environmental assessment, Census collection and transportation. At local authority level, examples include water, sewerage, amenities and waste collection. A map served via a web portal is an efficient way to organise and display this deluge of data so it can be readily understood by the public.
Finding the required information from a long list of links can be dauntingly time-consuming for the average citizen. With the advent of online street maps, Google Earth and in-car nav systems, the public are becoming more adept at using e-maps. A map served on a familiar web browser gives a graphic overview of what’s available, and gives seemingly random data a connection.
G-Gov is growing with the shift towards common standards, licencing and interoperability. The process of publishing maps on the web is also becoming simpler with the advent of enterprise GIS systems.
However, one of the main issues slowing the advance of G-Gov is the painful progress towards a fully functioning and comprehensive Australian spatial data infrastructure (ASDI).
ANZLIC is a strong supporter. In its vision, it says that: ‘Australia’s and New Zealand’s economic growth and social and environmental interests are underpinned by spatially referenced information that is current, complete, accurate, affordable, accessible and can be integrated.’
Progress with ASDI can continue if all government departments support the shift to interoperable software and consistent data. This is vital. ASDI will not be a central database, but a federation of distributed information stores, so searching it requires that all elements be formatted correctly.
The aim is for the government’s spatial data to become even more accessible to the public and business community. It is these taxpayers who fund the collection and administration of the data in the first place.
As Gary Nairn, former Liberal minister responsible for AGIMO, commented in Position 39 (Dec-Jan 2009; page 9), ASDI is a no-brainer. He argues that ASDI should be near the top of Infrastructure Australia’s list of essential national projects. Nairn made the analogy: ‘Without Commonwealth investment and leadership, Australia could end up with the digital equivalent of our original different railway gauges.’
In October last year, the Australian Spatial Information Business Association (ASIBA) made a formal submission promoting ASDI to Infrastructure Australia.
The submission recognises how maps can enable e-Democracy: ‘Spatial information provides the means by which governments interact with citizens on planned projects, programs and policies, enabling better presentation of plans and direct feedback.’
It goes on to say: ‘The potential for the use of spatial information in areas such as social and economic research, and in fields such as epidemiology, is yet to be fully tapped.’
An example of this potential is to use spatial analysis across jurisdictions. Data from different departments – such as health, welfare and crime – can be layered over geographic locations. Patterns of interaction between these sectors can be identified, and indicators of the overall wellbeing of the communities recognised. Map web portals will allow the public not only to view the results of the analysis, but also contribute to the process.
Before the advent of mass communication, citizens would meet in the town square to listen to (and heckle) their governors and discuss issues of the day. G-Gov can give the nation’s citizens a vast, interactive and virtual town square.
Derek Tickner is a freelance writer and photograher and GIS officer with the Herbert Resource Information Centre.
Issue 40; April-May 2009
