M-Governance: Smartphone Applications for Smarter Cities—Tapping GPS and NFC Technologies

Abstract

Providing easy and convenient access to government services when and where required is the hallmark of a Smart City. In an age of smartphones and User Experience, this is where the rubber meets the road. Using the right tools, technology and deployment channels to deliver government services and foster civic engagement through mobile devices is becoming a criterion to evaluate the degree of smartness and getting star rated. This is the virtual equivalent of a visitor chair, service desk, counter, suggestion box, officer’s face, voice and the warmth of service delivery. Welcome to the era of 24x7 government services anytime, anywhere at your convenience! M-Governance signifies the delivery of services via mobile communication devices, i.e. a tool and method that facilitates communication and transaction between Government to Government (G2G), Government to Employee (G2E), Government to Business (G2B) and Government to Citizen (G2C) with agility and ubiquity. With one in five people having smartphones in the world today and this figure doubling every year, the delivery of services on smartphones is fast becoming a norm. For those smartphone have-nots, M-Governance services have to be extended by engaging middle tire enablers, as has been the case with egovernance services. This chapter aims to describe GPS (Global Positioning System) and NFC (Near Field Communication) technologies that are built-in smartphones and to explore their potential applications in M-Governance. Embedding GPS technology on smartphones has made ‘Location’ easy to know and measure, just how wrist watch has made knowing and measuring ‘time’ easy. Today, GPS technology is used by a common man without even knowing its definition and thanks to web mapping technologies that gives context to a GPS location. The GPS technology section will explore Location centric M-Governance applications that are currently used and explore new applications. NFC Technology is a close sibling of GPS where by ‘Proof of Presence’ Is used to manage mobile work forces of government in offering government services and to monitor contractors adhering to service provisions. The NFC technology section will focus on various NFC applications on Government to Employees and contractors.