Smart Regions

Studies proved the feasibility for a web-based software solution which meets the requirements of a digital browser-based internal and external data exchange. Following proper procurement procedures a German software company developed a software module for online information and online participation processes. The system was installed in August 2007.

A germany county council transfers major responsabilities to a remotely located municipality. The new service aims at offering a wider range of better services as well as at saving in driving distances and time. Again, data transmission goes via fibreoptics from city hall to county hall, where data is processed and stored centrally. The new municipal car-registration service started to work in August 2006, the take-up amongst the political committees and the citizens has been very good.

Landkreis Rotenburg-Wümme and its municipalities installed a user-friendly web-enabled software solution aimed at registering new start-up businesses. The objectives were to avoid redundant data and have all business registration data stored on a server in one central database. The data collected by the municipalities is transmitted via internal glass fiber network to that server. Depending on different user rights, every authority involved in the business registration workflow is able to see and use the data. External authorities get access via a secure internet interface.

In 2005 a glass fibre connection between Rotenburg and Bothel was established. This laid the basis for a new generation of government-to-government services built upon shared databases. The construction of the connection triggered a political decision to create a fibre optic network which connects all town halls and the county hall and consequently enables every municipality to participate in e-government projects and services. All participating towns are able to access business databases, web services and the GII technology.

One of the main aims of the LoG-IN project is to improve the exchange of data between local and higher administrative levels by using technical networks. This serves to optimize the quality of local government administrative services for regional business by way of electronic services, with a resultant increase in competitiveness. The supply and processing of spatial data has a central role to play in the project. The LoG-IN Generic Information Infrastructure is a powerful internet infrastructure shared by 35 local authorities from 3 countries.

The South Estonian Hospital provides healthcare for the county's inhabitants, but also some services for the whole region (South-East of Estonia). The hospital has initiated a 'Radiological Info System (RIS) of South-Estonian Hospital' project. An RIS-system that makes digital x-rays and sends them to the hospital for radiologists to analyze. Doctors give an answer and then send pictures to a digital archive. Doctors have access to the archives and they can look at the x-rays without having the patient physically present.

The function of a helpdesk is to act as front office, as contact point for the customers and also to discharge the downstream areas in their communication to the customer as intermediary. The more distinct this task is, the further its processes extend to other core processes of the IT Management. With the aim of being consumer-friendly - offering a fast, friendly and professional solution - the HelpDesk has the important task of dealing with and solving a large number of disturbances and consumer inquiries directly.

In rural areas, the lack of broadband access results in competitive disadvantages for the business community and enormous educational and informational disadvantages for the people in these areas. Efa shows that it is possible to provide rural areas with broadband internet access using standard technologies, even when the major internet providers on the market show little goodwill in this regard.

While large-scale enterprises have already completely transferred to broadband, local area networks and many small and medium sized enterprises often still have to catch up with developments. Rural areas in particular are not completely covered by broadband infrastructures. In our digital economy the absence of broadband internet means a significant location disadvantage which finally can lead to a decrease of business tax payers as well as a decrease in employment in the communes.

A decisive and prominent trend in recent years has been the shift from global to local use of internet. The same trend is seen in TV-media. The regional IPTV turns television into an internet platform for all county citizens and border regions. It allows the user a quick and extensive summary of the county's infrastructure, refers to additional interactive possibilities in the county and acts as a portal for the regionally produced internet TV. To achieve this our IPTV becomes a multimedia communicator for the town and region.