Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Political Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Political Sciences, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Introduction
In recent years, the development and digitization of various government sectors and the necessity for smartening processes have garnered significant attention. These transformations have led to the evolution of smart government as a subsequent step to e-government, mobile government, or open government. One of the components that holds great importance in smart government is the utilization of modern metadata standards. Data management standards in smart government are deemed essential to ensure stability, interoperability, and security within digital government systems and services. One of these standards is the Government Information Locator Service (GILS), the applicability of which in smart government has been examined.
Research Question(s)
In this research, the following questions were considered:
- What are the main components of smart government?
- What elements and layers do the Government Information Locator Service (GILS) have?
- What is the applicability of the Government Information Locator Service (GILS) in smart government?
Literature Review
Many studies have been conducted regarding GILS, each examining various aspects of this standard. Notable works include those by Kalantari and Shahpari (2016); Karimi Isfahani and Khani (2022); Torabzadeh and Poureisa (2022); Irhamni et al. (2015); Pasek (2017); Guo et al. (2017); Battista et al. (2017); Kaplan and Gunter (2020); and Andrews and Duhon (2021). For instance, in their research, Torabzadeh and Poureisa (2022) examined the role of the National Information Exchange Model in smart government. Likewise, Anders and Duhon 2021) focused on the integration of location-based public information services with new data from the U.S. government in their study.
Methodology
This research is applied in nature and was conducted using qualitative content analysis. The statistical population of this study consisted of the components of smart government and the elements of location-based public information services. For gathering the necessary data, both documentary and observational methods were utilized. In the documentary method, relevant research and documents were reviewed to identify the components of smart government. By consulting reliable citation and information databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, the Iranian Scientific Journals database (Magiran), and searching for keywords like smart government, government modernization, smart government components, innovation, digitization, smart city, and others, combined with Boolean operators, relevant studies were identified. Initially, 178 articles were identified. After filtering the identified research, removing duplicates, and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria (such as the relevance of the article's subject, eliminating non-research sources, reviewing article abstracts, etc.), suitable sources for extracting the components of smart government were identified, resulting in 43 articles being analyzed. In the observational phase, by examining various sections and components of GILS, the main and detailed elements of this standard were identified. Subsequently, using a checklist tool, the alignment between the elements of GILS and the components of smart government was established.
Results
The findings of this research showed that the main components of the smart government are grouped into 18 axes with 75 partial components. To create a smart government, components such as information technology, cyber security, transparency and access, digital identity, privacy and data security, interoperability, ethical and legal considerations, appropriate policy, technical infrastructure, and digital empowerment have been proposed. The elements used in the GILS standard are placed in eight general categories, which are: simple description elements, subject description elements, URIs, resource formats and technical features, administrative details, administrative metadata, source/reference, and access/copyright conditions. Each of these categories consists of several main and sub-elements. Also, the findings of the research revealed that the Government Information Locator Service can be used in the development of a smart government in various dimensions. One of the strengths of this standard, which increases its functionality in the smart government, is the use of appropriate descriptive and management metadata to access government data. Determining and describing the required metadata (such as the title, creator, format, data type, etc.), using metadata, storing metadata, managing and maintaining metadata, and determining access and permissions are among the most important applications of the Government Information Locator Service in the smart government. Since registering appropriate metadata and facilitating access to information needed by citizens is one of the main components of a smart government, the government information service finder can play a significant role in data management and identification of related data and their protection.
Discussion
The findings of this research indicated that GILS has a high functionality in data management, and metadata management, employing uniform methods for metadata registration, enabling access to necessary data, maintaining privacy and data security, as well as ensuring data transparency. On the other hand, the research findings revealed that GILS, by increasing transparency and facilitating easier access to government information, can enhance the communication between the government and citizens and build public trust in smart systems. The GILS standard plays a significant role in improving access to government data. Furthermore, the findings of this study highlighted that privacy is a crucial aspect of GILS; one of the objectives of this standard is to protect individuals' privacy and safeguard personal information. Under this standard, governments are required to provide access to public and governmental information while paying special attention to individuals' privacy. Authentication is another vital factor in GILS. It involves verifying the identity and credentials of an individual or organization seeking access to government data or information. This is crucial because ensuring that the individual or organization in question is authorized to access government information holds high importance.
Conclusion
Overall, it can be stated that the structuring of government processes through the use of metadata standards can facilitate and expedite the development of smart government. The findings of this research indicated that providing efficient technological infrastructure and establishing appropriate information systems for government communications and service delivery to citizens, as well as developing security systems to protect sensitive governmental data and information, are among the essential requirements of a smart government. This is because a smart government needs a strong digital infrastructure to support online service delivery, data management, and communication with citizens. Another component of a smart government is transparency and access to information. To this end, creating systems to enhance transparency and ensure easy access to government information for citizens and the media, along with providing online services, plays a significant role in smart governance.
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