IT innovation for municipalities
Thanks to assistance from Redpill Linpro’s Java experts, Kommuneforlaget’s new services will make it easier for Norwegian municipalities to achieve their digitalisation and simplification objectives. Open Source software means that the sector can make technological quantum leaps without breaking the bank.
Thanks to assistance from Redpill Linpro’s Java experts, Kommuneforlaget’s new services will make it easier for Norwegian municipalities to achieve their digitalisation and simplification objectives. Open Source software means that the sector can make technological quantum leaps without breaking the bank.
Norwegian municipalities can free up considerable resources to provide better services if manual processes and procedures are replaced by new technology.
This is the challenge that Kommuneforlaget has set itself to assist in solving. The new Java-based framework provides a standardised system for administration, in the first instance linked to processing of alcohol licensing cases. In autumn 2009 and winter 2010, systems were also launched for administration regarding motor traffic on uncultivated land and the subsidy scheme.
”The use of free software provides us with endless potential for scaling. Our customers gain simpler, more reasonable solutions that can be specifically adapted and integrated, and we can rapidly expand our offers with more services,” says Per Olav Nyborg, Product Manager at Kommuneforlaget.
There are few projects of this type in the public sector. Usually, a system is developed to meet a need. The new e-services integrate several services which the municipalities need, into a single system.
Municipal e-services are a huge challenge for most western European countries, and one of the focus areas for the EU administration. In Sweden, Sambruksgruppen, an association of a number of municipalities, has shown that an average municipality requires around 80 municipal e-services to handle the basic municipal tasks electronically.
”In Norway, it seems as if the municipalities have even more wide-ranging areas of responsibility, and thus more services. It is not unusual for a municipality to have 150 specialist systems,” comments Nyborg.
Potential for saving billions
Margrethe Gleditsch, supervisor for Redpill Linpro Java Solutions, believes that KF Fagsystemer is a useful tool for solving these challenges in Norwegian municipalities:
”If Norway’s 430 municipalities were to purchase, develop and implement e-services individually, the total costs would be enormous.”
”The solution we have developed for Kommuneforlaget is a flexible framework in which the municipalities can develop these processes and use an integration framework to link together existing systems. As the solutions are also based on free software as a whole, this makes it possible for the municipal sector in Norway to save billions overall,” she says.
Meeting municipal challenges
The solution is based on a free software database and the framework uses ready-made free software components such as an application server, process and rules engines and service bus for integration from JBoss. This has created a flexible framework that can be further developed quickly and in a cost-effective way.
Development of the framework is much more reasonable and flexible than with a proprietary solution, and offers greater potential opportunities for cost-effective scaling.
”We chose Redpill Linpro because they could deliver the best product at the best price. They are extremely competent, and we are very satisfied,” says Nyborg.
Kommuneforlaget can see that the municipalities are now seeking free software, due to price, sharing options and functionality. There is also political pressure from the highest level to use this type of solution where possible.
”There is a huge need in the market for solutions that make administration more effective. We believe that, together with Redpill Linpro, we have developed a solution that helps municipalities with these challenges” says Nyborg.
”We work in a market where our customers are not competitors. The culture of sharing associated with the free software environment is a perfect match for the public sector. It was also a requirement for this project that the solution be based on free software,” explains Nyborg.
Finally, KF also wants to further develop the applications and organise even better sharing between the municipalities. The public sector is changing in the direction of a stronger sharing culture.
”We are continuously evaluating the use of free software in order to adapt to the market,” says Nyborg
Municipal internet cloud
Although not all the services have been launched yet, Nyborg is sure that the product will be well received.
”Based on our experience with this type of solution, I believe that we will have ten customers using this solution by the end of 2010. During 2011, that will increase tenfold,” he predicts.
Municipalities that implement the system will save both time and money in the form of quicker, more uniform administration. The winners are the municipality’s users, who will get quicker responses to their applications.
”It will lead to more correct processes and better quality decisions,” says Nyborg.
Municipalities will be able to install the solutions locally, or simply purchase them as an internet cloud service.
The municipal administrators will add information to forms in the solution’s web interface, which will communicate with underlying systems. The Java middleware from JBoss takes care of all communication with underlying systems, such as archives and documents, so that updates are registered in the systems immediately.
”We would never be ready to launch such cost-effective and innovative services without free software,” concludes Nyborg.