Transforming e-Government to Smart Government: A South Australian Perspective

Abstract

Over the last few years, the concept of e-government has enabled governments to serve the public using the Internet. It also allowed governments to capture, process and report on data efficiently and improve on their decision making. However, the advances in smart technologies, better informed and connected citizens, and global connected economies have created opportunities, forcing governments to rethink their role in today’s society. The governments are beginning to take the concept of e-government to a new level by realising the power of data they hold to improve their services, to enable an integrated, seamless service experience, to engage with citizens, codevelop policies and implement solutions for well-being of the community and transforming themselves into ‘smart government’. The emergence of social media, mobile apps, big data analytics and mashup technologies is empowering citizens to connect with government in new way. This paper discusses the steps taken by South Australian (SA) Government to transform itself into a modern, smart government through its initiatives such as open data and modern public service. The views expressed in this paper are observation of the authors, and not of the government of South Australia.