Exploring e-services development in local government authorities by means of electronic document management systems

Abstract

Estonia is a well-known example of a tech-savvy nation, especially when it comes to e-governance. Here, the government provides its citizens with public services online. Within a decade, the level of pervasiveness and technology acceptance reached a point where interaction between government and citizens is perceived to be a given. An integral part of the e-state is the digitalization of the public sector and, in particular, its basic routines that involve processing of documentation with an enormous amount of data. In this paper, we examine aspects, activities and outcomes of the development of e-services in local governments based on the use of electronic document and records management systems and their further co-existence. We provide an example of one of the Estonian local governments where the implemented conceptual interoperable framework has been validated. Moreover, we elaborate on interoperability solutions.