Mobile governance framework for emergency management

Abstract

Mobile Technologies (MT) have dramatically transformed the nature of communication across the globe and have profoundly impacted every field of human activity. They have opened up new vistas allowing instant communication and collaboration on anywhere, anytime basis, allowing rapid transfer of information and services across the globe sans geographic boundaries. Many governments across the globe have started harnessing the potential of MT’s. The adoption of MT’s have not only benefited the end-users but also has enabled governments to reinvent themselves by replacing obsolete and less efficient processes with improved efficient systems and practices. In order to provide a bouquet of advanced mobile services to its customers, viz., citizens, intergovernment departments, employees, businesses, and tourists, governments have started establishing service delivery platforms by deploying next generation networks and cloud-enabled data centres resulting in convergence of many technologies. This paper describes how a cloud-based interoperable framework based on Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and web service-based technologies were developed for delivering multi- farious public services on mobile devices. It discusses the various technological components required for developing a mobile service delivery platform (MSDP) and its role in providing greater agility in synchronizing two or more disparate e-governance applications, allowing a group of departments/organizations to pro- vision and consume services as a shared infrastructure. The paper also illustrates a case study on how MSDP was leveraged for provisioning emergency management services.