E-Government a Case Study Gyandoot IIM Ahd

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eGovernment A case study Gyandoot IIM Ahd

INDEX

Sl # Particulars Page

1 Introduction 3

2 Selection of the Alternative Model: 3

3 Model Type Selected 3

4 Design methodology in model 4

5The underpinning benefit of the transaction basedeGovernance model 4

6 Weaknesses of the existent system in Gyandoot 5

7List of Issues that contributed to the failure of Gyan-doot 7

8 Proposed System Benefits 8

9 Key Business Process and Data requirements 9

10 Data requirement for the processes 10

11 Sensitive, Privacy and Security of information 11

12 Functional and Non-Functional requirements 12

13 Lo-fidelity prototype 15

14 Reference: 16

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Introduction:

The main crux of eGovernance is captured as expressed by the former President

of India Sri A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, In a democratic nation of over one billion

people like India, eGovernance should enable seamless access to information

and seamless flow of information across state and central government in the

federal set up. No country has so far implemented an eGovernance system for

one billion people; it is a big challenge for us. [1]

The development of the information technology era and its positive impact on the

governance is seen in the development of various models of eGovernance

across the nations. Since the start of the 20 th century various eGovernance

models have been proposed by international organisations.

a) Selection of the Alternative Model:

Gyandoot was implemented in the year 2000 in the rural district of Dhar in

Madhya Pradesh. The use of an interactive service model coupled with the

available information technology bought about the implementation of Gyandoot.

The basic requirements that was met by this eGovernance model was a set of 20

activities that included the issue of birth certificates, death certificates, land

records copy, marriage certificates etc. However, the system failed to achieve the

desired result of providing Information and Communication technology (ICT)

based solution to the poor.

After a detailed analysis of the model implemented for Gyandoot and going by

the facts of the case, the suggestion for a newer model with more robustactivities is proposed. The suggestion is as below:

1. Model Type Selected : The new eGovernance system should be based

on a Transactional model. In the words of Coursey, D, & Norris, D (2008)

the eGovernance model proposed by Wescott (2001) which initially em-

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ploys the web and email as an internal network in the first step, moves

ahead to enable the access from public and other organisations in the

second step. The model covers a two way communication following which

there is an exchange of value leading to the evolution of digital democracy

which is integrated across all state governments. The Transaction model

typically draws all the steps that are proposed in the Wecotts (2001) mod-

el of eGovernance.

Fig 1: The Models Steps [2]

2. Design methodology in model :

The Transactional model based on Wescotts (2001) model design has 5 steps as

seen in the figure 1. The design of the model follows the 6 steps of

1. Step 1: Email and internal network: This step includes the communication

between the internal government departments that are on the intranet

where the eGovernance model is implemented.

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2. Step 2: The model enables the access of data and other resources on the

intranet to other governmental departments and the public. This is in the

form of a website, where information is is imparted.

3. Step 3: Two- way communication: In this step there is a bridge that facilit-

ates the interaction both ways by the public with the model and limited ac-

cess to the database for queries. An example would the request for a birth

certificate and the same being accepted and its subsequent issue.

4. Step 4: Exchange of value: This step in the transaction model is unique

and not seen in the service oriented model. There is a monetary transac-

tion across the requestor and the government via the system, thereby

building a level of trust with the requestor. The trust so build creates value

exchange.

5. Step 5: Digital Democracy: In the transactional model a reasonable inde-

pendence is made available to the requestor thereby providing the re-

questor an opportunity to provide feedback about the service experience.

This feedback system is associated with the democratic way of gov-

ernance.

6. Step 6: Joined up Government: This is the final step where there is integ-

ration both horizontal and vertical across various governmental depart-

ments enabling access to centralised data across the government.

3. The underpinning benefit of the transaction based eGovernance

model :

The transaction based eGovernance model encapsulates all the features of the

Service oriented model along with further benefits which increases the scalability

of the eGovernance across the time to come.

Below are a few salient reasons in selecting this model as an alternative to the

Service oriented model of Gyandoot are is:

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1. Its a holistic approach which extends beyond just the service to the level

of building trust. It effectively realises the opportunity of synergy that is

available in the eGovernance model [3].

2. The transactional model fully integrates the with the other government-

al sites by enabling institutional inter-linkages in its purview [3].

3. Enables transparency across the system as a whole. The model facilit-

ates for Government transparency by way of primary channels which be-

ing the active sharing of governmental information, the availability of gov-

ernmental information on demand and by interacting with the public on an

ongoing basis (Piotrowski, 2007) [4].

4. The robustness and flexibility offered by a transactional eGovernance

model offers a marginal benefit to the users and the government. The be-

low picture shows the structural design of a transactional taxpaying sys-

tem in an eGovernance environment [5]

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Fig 2. System Architecture model [5]

b) Weaknesses of the existent system in Gyandoot:

The prevalent Gyandoot system was based on the intranet access from PCs

Kiosks that were located at various designated locations in the villages. The

Kiosks were service points for 20 different services that were used often. The

survey conducted by the CEG-IIMA survey revealed startling results indicating

very low usage of the Gyandoot systems. The poor for whom the system was

meant contributed to 31 percent of users while the rich people contributed to 77

percent of users. (Cecchini, S, & Raina, M (2004)

At many instances, the prevailing prices in the grain market (mandi) was

promptly and easily found out by calling the merchant in the city rather than

obtaining a report from Gyandoot for Rs.10.

There was no stipulated time or scheduled time of opening and closing of the

kiosk that led to an erratic approach to the availability to the service. The survey

also revealed a strong decline of users from 848 in 2001 to 77 in 2002 revealed

the depleting confidence levels in the system.

Apart from the above issues, listed below are other issues that contributed to the

failure of the system [6]:

List of Issues that contributed to the failure of Gyandoot [6]

Sl # Weaknesses Disadvantages

1

A digital from end but a

paper back end

The front end of Gyandoot was a digital one,

however the interaction with the back end

process was a non-digital paper office thereby

erasing all the benefits of Gyandoot

2Two model approach of

Panchyat and Private

It bought about completion across each other,

where in the private owners exploited the poor

for reports

3 No administrative

powers to the Samiti

The Gyandoot Samiti was able to harness the

opportunities locally, but, due to the hierarchy,

it did not have powers to resolve issues at the

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higher level and therefore they failed

4

Technological issues

The use of dial up networks which were very

slow, the frequent power outages which would

stretch up to 6 hours in a day

5

Technical support issues

The support for the WiLL by CorDECT was not

efficient. During frequent breakdowns,

technical support was not available for weeks

together.

6

Very low usage by the

villagers

The services provided by Gyandoot were not

publicised effectively across the village. The

presence of such service was unknown to

people who lived beyond 10 kms from Dhar.

7Operational level of

kiosk

On a survey done by CEG-IIMA revealed that

only 74% of the kiosks were operational and

only 42% were open at the time of survey

8Knowledge about the

service to the poor

The rich in the village contributed to 77% of the

usage of services and the poor contributed

31% of usage

9

Gender Bias in the

usage

There was a gender bias with only 8% to 17%

was the women representation during the

survey. The cultural drawbacks of looking

down upon women were pre-dominant in

bringing this bias.

10Distance of travel to use

the services

Of the 13 blocks only 9 blocks had access to

Gyandoot; the other 4 blocks did not have

access to Gyandoot systems.

11 The Grievance was a

paid service and most of

the time remained

unresolved

Grievance redressed system was pathetic, with

70% of respondents being unhappy with the

service provided. The issues remained

unresolved.

Proposed System Benefits:

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The proposed system would render the following benefits over the Gyandoot

system and would appraise the trust and value in the system:

1. Transparency in the system and easy access :

Creating effective transparency in the system by integrating the request with

mobile message service to provide a real time update to the requestor. This

would build in further trust and value in the system.

The implantation of the obtaining the rural property records by village

residents across India has been effective in reducing the bribes being

accepted by the local officials which was very prevalent (Bhatnagar, 2003) [7].

2. Revenue model being turned to a social support model.

The revenue expectation for self sustenance of Gyandoot would dissolve the

purpose of the eGovernance model.

3. Trust based service through accurate information coupled with

speed

Building a higher level of trust in the minds of the people by providing them

instant and accurate information. In-depth research into the matter of trust

have revealed that governments that intend to implement a eGovernance

system should focus their strategies in the achieving a meaning proposition

around the usefulness, acceptability and compatibility and trust in the eyes of

the users. (Hung, S, Chang, C, & Yu, T 2006) [8].

c) Key Business Process and Data requirements:

1. Key business processes of new system:

Based on the survey conducted by CEG-IIMA (2002) the usage statistics reveal

that there are few key services that the villagers use by engaging with Gyandoot.

Also based on the pro-poor service model the new system would be deployed to

focus on the popular services that are widely requested across.

The list of 5 key services are:

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a. Agricultural prices checking

b. Advisory module

c. Grievance redressal

d. Caste certificate

e. Driving licence

Source: Cecchini, S, & Raina, M 2004 [6]

The process of capturing and processing the transaction is as shown in the fig 4.

The process flow captures the general input through output processes of a

transaction based eGovernance model.

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Source : http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/webservices/library/ar-procmod2/

Process- Oriented modelling for SOA

2. Data requirement for the processes:

The key services by the new system would require the user to input vital data

that pertains to the authentication of the user and to maintain security of the

data. The use of location as a parameter to track the data would be beneficial

to address frequent request of similar data. The list below specifies the kind of

data that is required to ensure a successful transaction between Gyandoot

and the user:

1. The details of the users and the document pertinent details.

2. The date criteria for the details requested

3. The location information

4. The payment method and the details to process the payment

5. Use of payment gateway and the internet PIN to process the payment

6. The contact details of the user

This data would be stored in the repository to facilitate a chronological access

record of the user and the request made.

3. Sensitive, Privacy and Security of information:

The use of cloud computing which would enable faster processing is

contemplated. Various cloud computing features would be employed to

ensure sensitive data is secured (Zissis, D, & Lekkas, D 2011). The measures

drawn for the safety of the user data are :

1. Software as a Service (SaaS) : Use of SaaS provides users to use and

access their data despite being mobile. The user can access the informa-

tion through a client interface using a web browser.

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2. Community cloud: Thecommunity cloud provides the flexibility of sever-

al government organisation to link up with the Gyandoot information and

vice versa. This enables a smooth interaction with the other governmental

data centres and timely updates. The advantage of community cloud is

that is offers effective security to user data.

Fig 5: Showing the cloud architecture to be followed for Gyandoot system

Source : http://www.infosys.com/infosys-labs/publications/Documents/e-

governance/ict-e-governance.pdf

d) Functional and Non-Functional requirements: The functional and non

functional requirement are :

Functional Requirements:

Should provide data synchronization with the central database

Support the various requirement of multilingual interface and language re-

quirements

Scalability of system should be available to the ensure that new processes

can be appended to the existing list

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Back up of Operational data should be planned in the requirement

Voice and auditory options for input and output to be made available in

multi-language option

A help option to users must be provided to enable them to negotiate when

they are caught with a question

The colour, look and feel should be made in consideration to the physic-

ally challenged users

Despite a slow internet connectivity, a basic version of application must

perform to maintain continuity of access

A list of FAQ to be maintained based on the most asked questions

All input and output, website design should be in accordance to the

guidelines provided by the NIC

Non-Functional Requirements:

The system to use the rule based authentication system (RBAC) and Role

based authentication system (RBAC) (Zinkewicz, P 2004).

The system would provide segregation of duties based on the user access

rights

The system would provide for audit checks and audit trails along with auto

back up of data on a frequent basis

The system would provide the user with error prompts when there are er-

rors done. Meaning full description to the errors would be provided.

The system would perform auto checks at the back end to ensure data

and user profile security. It would auto detect fraudulent access attempts

and lock the user.

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The system would have capabilities to provide reports and other database

query based results to the user based on user rights.

Sl # Deployment in India Deployment in UK

1

The presence of a Soochak is

imperative as the population of users is

mostly illiterate

The user in UK is mostly literate

and majority are equipped with

internet access

2

The use of kiosk is necessary as the

economic condition of the user from the

village does not permit him/her to own

a computer or a mobile internet device

The majority of users in UK have

access to internet through either

computers or by way of mobile

connectivity

3

The use of multi-lingual language

support is imperative as the users of

Gyandoot vary in their language skills

The use of English is prevalent inUK and therefore with a minimum

additional languages, the system

can be deployed

4

The power back up system must be

robust and function 24 x 7 to ensure

that the connectivity is available to the

user

There is no such power back up

issue.

5The political clearances at both centraland state levels is a must

The central clearance is sufficientto deploy the system

6

The use of simple language is

essential. The use of translators and

interpreters is required to a great extent

The use of translators and

interpreters is not required to a

great extent

7

Data input in local language has to be

converted into other languages so as to

make it user friendly for other

Governmental department

The input in English is sufficient

for all departments in UK

8

There is a dire need to campaign about

the new system using Radio,

Television, road shows, visits by school

children to ensure that there is

sufficient awareness of the new system

There is minimum need of

publicity. However,

advertisements in mobile phones

and message alerts can convey

the existence of such system

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9

The bureaucratic interference should

be curtailed to ensure transparency

There is an open system in UK.

However, political interference

should be kept away

Reference:

[1] http://egov.eletsonline.com/2011/12/tryst-with-e-governance/[2] Coursey, D, & Norris, D 2008, 'Models of E-Government: Are They Correct?

An Empirical Assessment', Public Administration Review, 68, 3, pp. 523-536,

Business Source Premier,

[3] Preparations For UN E-Government Survey 2012' 2011, Journal Of E-

Governance, 34, 3, pp. 130-131, Business Source Premier

[4] Bertot, J, Jaeger, P, & Grimes, J 2010, 'Using ICTs to create a culture of

transparency: E-government and social media as openness and anti-corruption

tools for societies', Government Information Quarterly, 27, 3, pp. 264-271,

Business Source Premier

[5] Vassilakis, C., Laskaridis, G., Lepouras, G., Rouvas, S., & Georgiadis, P.

(2003). A framework for managing the lifecycle of transactional e-government

services. Telematics and Informatics, 20(4), 315-329

[6] Cecchini, S, & Raina, M 2004, 'Electronic Government and the Rural Poor:

The Case of Gyandoot', Information Technologies & International Development,

2, 2, pp. 65-75, Business Source Premier

[7] Bertot, J, Jaeger, P, & Grimes, J 2010, 'Using ICTs to create a culture of

transparency: E-government and social media as openness and anti-corruption

tools for societies', Government Information Quarterly, 27, 3, pp. 264-271,

Business Source Premier,

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[8] Hung, S, Chang, C, & Yu, T 2006, 'Determinants of user acceptance of the e-

Government services: The case of online tax filing and payment system',

Government Information Quarterly, 23, 1, pp. 97-122, Business Source Premier

[9] http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/webservices/library/ar-procmod2/

[10] Zissis, D, & Lekkas, D 2011, 'Securing e-Government and e-Voting with an

open cloud computing architecture', Government Information Quarterly, 28, 2, pp.

239-251, Business Source Premier

[11] Zinkewicz, P 2004, 'IT: SECURITY PRIORITIES . . . TOP LEVEL

CONCERNS', Insurance Advocate, 115, 21, pp. 2-27, Business Source Premier

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E-Government a Case Study Gyandoot IIM Ahd

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