Rapid Progress in Web-Based Administration

The future Espoo resident is a cyber citizen who can browse the City's web page at www.espoo.fi and find a wide variety of information about every aspect of life in Espoo. Through the Internet, the Espoo citizen will be able to use services, run administrative errands as well as participate and exercise political influence.

In Espoo, these future scenarios are rapidly taking shape already today. We are introducing new web-based services, updating our communication and information functions, and improving the citizens' influence and participation possibilities through a major Web-service project. The objective is to turn the Espoo site by 2005 into a comprehensive service portal which provides versatile e-services to meet the different needs of individual users. The development work involves not only every sector of the City's administration but also a growing number of other public and private actors.

Simply having more services or the existing services accessible through the Web is not enough, nor is it sufficient to provide the citizens with the access to a computer. What we need are services that are not dependent on time or place and that can be used flexibly over the Web. Should the citizen have no Internet access at home or at the office, the libraries, joint service outlets or numerous youth premises provide the possibility to use computers linked to the Web.

The largest challenge is to provide two-way, interactive e-services. At this moment, the Espoo residents can use the Internet to leave an application for a day-care place for their children, or for a place to dock their boats. They can also look for advice through the web-based mother-and-child health clinic. In the near future, an Espoo-based GP can send the medical prescription electronically to the pharmacy, or the citizens can book city-owned premises for their uses through the Web. There are also several inter-administrative services to intensify their mutual operation.

The Internet is also used to improve the openness of the City administration and decision-making. Already now the Espoo citizens can follow the progress of decision-making. In the future the entire administrative itinerary from the first initiative to the final implementation will be made visible. The Web pages provide the citizens with a forum for discussion and expression of opinions on currentn issues, plans and outlines. Through the Internet, the citizens can also give feedback on the services or make questions.

Espoo has also made open-minded initiatives in introducing new forms of political influence. During the youth city council elections of 2001, the young Espoo inhabitants between 13 and 20 years of age could cast their votes through the Internet

In the city administration e-administration will call for a change in the whole organisation in the long run. Simply adding the letter "e" to a service does not automatically mean that we are dealing with e-administration. We need to reformulate the entire mode of service production.

To attain our objectives, we need state-of-the-art knowledge, creativity and innovative expertise and we need to employ the most modern information and communications technology. Espoo provides ample potential for such development work, thanks to the competence and expertise in the IT-sector that is strongly present in our city.