Summary & Context

The local e-government environment varies tremendously across the North Sea Region of the EU, with municipal strategies being shaped by very different national, regional and local policy contexts and political and technological agendas. This series of reports summarises the local e-government environment in six municipalities from six different countries who are participating in the Smart Cities Interreg IVb project. The reports allow project partners to review their local e-government context, and helps us identify to common factors across project partners, along with areas of difference between partners. This report summarises the e-government context in Bremerhaven, based on interviews with staff from the city, and identifies factors that they feel shape their local e-government context and their involvement in the Smart Cities project.

As well as a narrative description of the context, this report contains two diagrams and a supporting table:

• The main policy drivers for Bremerhaven • Those projects most relevant to Smart Cities in Bremerhaven • Details of the entities mentioned including links to source material,

in English where available.

The information in this document is derived from publically available descriptions supplemented by desk-based research and information from Bremerhaven.

The Smart Cities Project

Figure 1 illustrates the organisations that Bremerhaven has identified as being significant to the City’s involvement in the Smart Cities project, showing the strategies and drivers.

The main top level driver for Bremerhaven’s participation in the project (along with all project partners) is the INTERREG IVB North Sea Programme, funded by the European Union (EU).

The INTERREG initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion throughout the European Union, by fostering the balanced development of the continent through cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. A principal aim of the Programme is to expand the scope of territorial cooperation and focus on high quality projects in innovation, the environment, accessibility, and sustainable and competitive communities.

The 2007-2013 Programme connects regions from seven countries around the North Sea, incorporating policy level planning and the long lasting and tangible effects of projects. The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 works with cutting edge policy areas in regional development through transnational projects.

Smart Cities is one of the projects funded through the programme. The general aim of the Smart Cities project is to create an innovation network between governments and academic partners leading to excellence in the domain of the development and take-up of e-services. Bremerhaven’s involvement in the project’s work is divided between 2 work packages: customer services (WP3) and wireless services (WP4). Bremerhaven is not taking part in the WP5 workpackage, customer profiling.

Project Context Map

No.1

Understanding e-government

in Bremerhaven

Key Facts:

Bremerhaven

City within federal state (Land) of Bremen in Germany

(a federal republic).

Populations:

City – 115 000State – 664 000

Germany – 81 758 000

Fig 1:Main drivers underpinning Bremerhaven’s involvement

NB All items are linked to or supporting Smart Cities

Bre

mer

hav

enL

and

Bre

men

Ger

man

yE

uro

pe

Fed. Commissionerfor IT

Bürgerservice

BoS:Bremen online

b.i.t

BIS

● Data Protection● Prevention of crime

● Governance

ADV KoopA

Smart Cities

European Union

Regional DevelopmentINTERREG IVB

Fed. Ministryof the Interior

TESTACompleted 2008

DeutschlandOnline

Reductionin bureacracy

Free HanseaticCity of Bremen

FinanceICT Management

OSCIControl Centre

eGovernmentStrategy

City of Bremerhaven

BremerhavenUAS

eTropolis

● Governance● Effectiveness

● Digitisation

● Wireless City● Virtual City

● Effectiveness● Digitisation

National / Federal level - Germany

The Federal Ministry of the Interior is responsible for two of the pillars on which the information society rests: the comprehensive use of information technology to modernize the public administration, and the security of information technology. An investment in IT use in public agencies is an investment in modernising the state. Federal programmes to modernise the public administration and to reduce bureaucracy rely on the use of modern information technology. Secure communication is a major driver, with the eGovernment Strategy being influenced by the results of the TESTA project which completed in 2008.

The Commissioner for IT is responsible for national e-government strategy will create a common umbrella of a federal e-government in Germany. The cooperation of federal, state and local levels plays an equally important role, concerning the issues of trust, security on the Internet, effectiveness and efficiency, privacy, transparency, and e-participation.

State (Bundesland) of Bremen

The State of Bremen consists of the two cities: the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and the City of Bremerhaven, with about 70 km distance between them. The State of Bremen is surrounded by the state of Lower Saxony. This “2-cities in 1 state structure” is unique in Germany. The Senat is the government of Bremen; the Mayor is president of the Senat and has the function of a prime minister.

The Centralised IT management and e-government unit located within the departments of the Senator of Finance is central to E-government and is responsible for policy issues, strategic issues and for overall coordination with the Unit, “New Media” at the Senator for Finance.

The Cooperation Committee ADV (ADV KoopA), a Federal project of all German States, is a body that is jointly agreed on common principles in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) and major ICT projects in public administration.

Bremen online Services (BOS KG), is a public company owned by the State of Bremen, providing software for legally binding and secure transfer over the internet of data relating to public administration, justice and economy.

City of Bremerhaven

Bremerhaven’s Smart Cities involvement resulted from the INTERREG IIIB eTropolis project, a concept study to explore the virtual community as a reflection of the real city with the assumption that on the basis of a shared service and communication environment, citizens, businesses and organizations should be able to exchange information, ideas and resources and develop joint projects.

Figure 2 illustrates that within the City Council (Magistrat), Magistratskanzlei Dpt. 6 is responsible for policy issues, strategic issues and for overall coordination with the ICT Unit. The city-owned company b.i.t. is the Department MK5 at the Magistrat Bremerhaven and works closely together with BOS KG.

The Bürgerservice (Citizens Services) is a list of online services offered by the City Administration

The administration of Bremerhaven relies on b.i.t to support the core business is the operation of economic enterprises of the municipal network, and the care of about 1500 users. The b.i.t. also brings technologies and services to the free market where its main activities are e-government solutions for the digital signature card.

Unit

Programmes &Projects

Strategy

Commissionerof IT

Bremen State

BoS

OSCI Control Centre

BremerhavenUAS

Bremerhaven

Magistrat-Kanzlei

b.i.t

Department of Economic Dev.

BIS

Reduction in Bureaucracy

eGovernment Strategy

eTropolis

● Sustainability

● Target Groups

● Social City

● Competitiveness

● City of Science

Online Services

iArchitecture

Wireless City

Smart Cities WP3

Smart Cities WP4

BIS (the Bremerhaven Economic Development Company) is the key contact for all companies in the city, for investors and for start-ups. BIS is supported by both the city of Bremerhaven and the State of Bremen. There are 3 divisions within BIS:

• business development • infrastructural development • tourist development/marketing

Fig 2:Projects in Bremerhaven linked to Smart Cities

Source information

The table below gives descriptions of projects and bodies related to Bremerhaven’s involvement in Smart Cities, together with links for further information (some may be in German).

Name: Smart Cities

www.smartcities.info

The project aims to understand which e-services services work best and why; it will facilitate transfer of e-Government successes across national borders; it will identify and support the real transformational impacts of such transfer of good practices on local government; it will equip decision makers with the knowledge and ambition to achieve further innovation in the delivery of e-enabled public services; and will engage national authorities in this ambition. At the European level, the project will support the creation and growth of communities of practice across the NSR building organisational commitment to and capacity for inter-regional government service sharing. Smart Cities will raise the bar in many aspects.

Name: INTERREG IVB North Sea

www.northsearegion.eu/ivb/home

The Interreg initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion throughout the European Union, by fostering the balanced development of the continent through cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation.

The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 works with cutting edge policy areas in regional development through transnational projects.

A principal aim of the Programme is to expand the scope of territorial cooperation and focus on high quality projects in innovation, the environment, accessibility, and sustainable and competitive communities.

The 2007-2013 Programme connects regions from seven countries around the North Sea, incorporating policy level planning and the long lasting and tangible effects of projects.

Name: (S)TESTA

www.ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/2097

The need for tight security may sometimes appear to clash with the need to exchange information effectively. STESTA constitutes the European Community’s own private network, isolated from the Internet and allows officials from different Ministries to communicate at a trans-European level (up to EU restricted) in a safe and prompt way.

Name: The Federal Ministry of the Interior of Germany

www.en.bmi.bund.de

The Federal Ministry of the Interior is responsible for two of the pillars on which the information society rests: the comprehensive use of information technology to modernize the public administration, and the security of information technology. An investment in IT use in public agencies is an investment in modernising the state. Federal programmes to modernise the public administration and to reduce bureaucracy rely on the use of modern information technology.

Table 1

Details of significant entities

Name: Federal Government Commissioner for Information Technology

www.en.bmi.bund.de

The Federal Ministry of the Interior is responsible for two of the pillars on which the information society rests: the comprehensive use of information technology to modernize the public administration, and the security of information technology. An investment in IT use in public agencies is an investment in modernising the state. Federal programmes to modernise the public administration and to reduce bureaucracy rely on the use of modern information technology.

Name: Deutschland Online

www.deutschland-online.de/DOL_Internet/broker

Germany’s national eGovernment strategy pursued by the federal government, federal-state governments and municipal administrations.

Name: Free Hanseatic City of Bremen

www.bremen.de

Federal State (Bundesland) of Bremen, consisting of the two cities Bremen and Bremerhaven with about 70 km distance between them. The State of Bremen is surrounded by the (much bigger) state of Lower Saxony. This “2-cities-building 1 state- construction” is unique in Germany.

Name: Senate of Bremen

www.rathaus.bremen.de/sixcms/detail.php?gsid=bremen54.c.2331.de

The Senat - is the cabinet, the government of Bremen. In the State of Bremen, the president of the Senat has the function of a prime minister, mayor beeing the offical title.

Name: Senator of Finance

www.finanzen.bremen.de/sixcms/detail.php?gsid=bremen02.c.742.de

Unit “Centralised IT management and e-government” located within the departments of the Senator of Finance is central to E-government: Responsible for policy issues, strategic issues and for overall coordination with the Unit, “New Media” at the Senator for Finance.

Name: ADV KoopA

www.koopa.de

A federal project of German Länder, The Cooperation Committee ADV is a body that is mutually agreed on common principles in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) and major ICT projects in public administration.

Name: Bremen Online Services GmbH & Co. KG (BOS KG)

www.bos-bremen.de

Public company producing software for legally binding and secure data transfer via internet concerning public administration, justice and economy.

Name: OSCI control centre

www1.osci.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=1181

The OSCI control centre is an organisational unit within the administration of the State of Bremen, who perform on behalf of KoopA-ADV and Germany as part of a series of online tasks in the context of cross-OSCI.

OSCI was developed in Bremen as part of the Federal Government’s MEDIA@Komm promotional initiative. The specification is maintained and developed by the OSCI control centre based at the Senator of Finance in Bremen.

OSCI is a security protocol characterised by its facility to introduce various security levels and different communication roles, e.g. back-end (appropriate public authority), client (customer) and intermediary (intermediate agency with protocol and test functions). The “double envelope principle” prevents the intermediary from accessing content data, creating a scenario where this role can (but need not!) be transferred to external service providers.

Name: MEDIA@Komm

www.mediakomm.difu.de

National project offering multimedia in cities and towns: communication and information, development and testing of pilots and models. Free Hanseatic City of Bremen won the inter city competition with a concept for customer focus through the integration of electronic services for citizens and businesses from a single source, based on OSCI.

Name: Govello

www.govello.dewww.bos-bremen.de/de/produkte/governikus/229415

Govello is a client application based on the Governikus application, and is offered by BOS. It offers authorities and customers the possibility to communicate with each other in a legally binding way in conformance with German signature law.

Name: City of Bremerhaven /Magistratskanzlei, Dpt. 6

www.bremerhaven.de

www.bremerhaven.de/buergerservice/aemter-einrichtungen/stadtverwaltung/magistratskanzlei/informations-und-kommunikationstechniken.10180.html

www.bremerhaven.de/buergerservice

Local Government Dept responsible for policy issues, strategic issues and for overall coordination with the ICT Unit b.i.t. is the Department MK5 at the Magistrat Bremerhaven. The “Bürgerservice” (Citizens Services) is a list of online services offered by the City Administration.

Name: MEDIA@Komm

www.mediakomm.difu.de

National project offering multimedia in cities and towns: communication and information, development and testing of pilots and models.

Free Hanseatic City of Bremen won the inter city competition with a concept for customer focus through the integration of electronic services for citizens and businesses from a single source, based on OSCI.

9 781907 576119

www.smartcities.infowww.epractice.eu/community/smartcities

Name: b.i.t. (Bremerhaven ICT Development Company)

www.bit.bremerhaven.de

The core business is the operation of economic enterprises of the “municipal network”, and the care of about 1500 users. The administration of Bremerhaven is relying on b.i.t. which is a public company. The b.i.t. also brings technologies and services to the free market. Main activities are e-government solutions for the digital signature card.

Name: MEDIA@Komm

www.mediakomm.difu.de

National project offering multimedia in cities and towns: communication and information, development and testing of pilots and models.

Free Hanseatic City of Bremen won the inter city competition with a concept for customer focus through the integration of electronic services for citizens and businesses from a single source, based on OSCI.

Name: ETROPOLIS Bremerhaven - the digital city

The virtual community as a reflection of the real city. Citizens, businesses and public institutions will become a self-contained, but together outwardly open digital communications platform.

On the basis of a shared service and communication environment, citizens, businesses and organizations should be able to exchange information, ideas and resources and develop joint projects.

The Smart Cities project is creating an innovation network between cities and academic partners to develop and deliver better e-services to citizens and businesses in the North Sea Region. Smart Cities is funded by the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme of the European Union.

Smart Cities is PARTLY funded by the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme of the European Union. The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 works with regional development projects around the North Sea. Promoting transnational cooperation, the Programme aims to make the region a better place to live, work and invest in.