NASIRE drafts digital vision

The National Association of State Information Resource Executives, which represents the states' chief information officers, recently released a document articulating the organization's vision for digital government.

"It says very concisely what the principles mean and how they can be achieved," said Carolyn Purcell, a member of NASIRE's executive committee and the executive director of the Texas Department of Information Services.

The 12-page document, called "Creating Citizen-Centric Digital Government," also is a launching point for the group's Digital Government Working Group. The committee, led by Purcell and Washington CIO Steve Kolodney, will oversee smaller task groups that will:

* Study issues involved in providing convenient Web-based services to as many citizens as possible.

* Investigate ways states can use component-based application development to reduce costs and deploy Web-based applications faster.

* Research innovative funding methods and return on investment.

* Assist states in providing citizens with information that is private and personalized.

* Examine security and reliability issues, including progressive practices in security protocols and redundancy and trust among citizens in regard to online transactions.

Purcell said technology offers governments a chance to become more customer-minded. "All of that is really creating a transformation in government," she said. "It really should be the citizens driving what we look like."

She said she's particularly interested in developing a risk assessment and management tool for states so they can gauge and price what kind of security they need depending on a particular e-government application. Also, the group will canvass states to find out how they're providing resources to support e-government initiatives.

The National Electronic Commerce Coordinating Council, an alliance of several government organizations including NASIRE, recently came out with a guide to e-government. Purcell, who is NECCC's new chairwoman, said the groups would try to be complementary — rather than redundant — in the work they produce.