Project Summary
Many communities are currently trying to improve the relationship between administrations and citizens. One step in that direction is to organize offices of citizen services as one-stop offices in which citizens can be advised and can use services offered by a wide range of public administrations.
As a second step, some administrations have started to offer access to some citizen services over the internet, e.g. for downloading forms or for filling in electronic forms.
However, these innovations do not adequately cater for citizens who are, for various reasons, not able or not willing to use those kinds of offices of citizen services. As an example, the use of the internet requires suitable equipment and a certain experience in using software such as web browsers etc. In addition, citizens often need qualified advice by a human expert.
In view of this, the project "Mobile Citizen Services" did research and development into novel possibilities for offering citizen services by exploiting mobile/wireless networks and terminals. In particular, it developed a wireless system that can offer the same services that are available in a stationary office of citizen services. This system supports the entire work flow, from consultancy through application and payment to the final delivery of (hard) documents to the citizen.
Fig.: A mobile office of
citizen services
By means of the system, also sensitive personal data can be transferred via a wireless interface (GPRS, WLAN and UMTS). Hence, special emphasis was put on a secure connection (VPN based on IPsec).
Mobile offices of citizen services will be present in residential homes for the elderly, in hospitals, in shopping malls, at weekly markets, in recreational centres, etc. Besides being more citizen-friendly, those mobile (or "nomadic") offices are more efficient, as they do not require such high rental fees and maintenance costs as stationary offices. They also offer a new quality of public service by "taking the office/service to the citizen".
After the project had established and tested a secure wireless connection, a field/pilot trial was conducted at 11 test sites in Berlin. Within the framework of that trial, an "office for citizen services case" was used, which contained all components required for mobile citizen services (notebook computer, printer, network interface, etc.) in an ergonomically sound arrangement.
Fig.: Components
of the mobile office for citizen services case
Within the course of the one year lasting pilot trial more than 2000 citizens used the mobile service. The results of the data collection (questionnaires and interviews) showed that citizens regard the service as being useful and highly citizen-friendly.
The system is now applicable as an all-purpose system for wireless citizen services. Among other things, its employment is expected as being particularly beneficial in sparsely populated regions (e.g. rural areas) and/or locations with no stationary telecommunications network (e.g. developing countries).
Due to the achievements of the project, mobile citizen services have become a regular service in Berlin.
At the beginning of 2005, an SMS queue management system was tested, by means of which citizens can inform themselves about how many people are waiting at a particular site. If requested, they can also get an SMS text message when they are next in the queue.
The project ended on February 28, 2005.
MoBüD is still in use in Berlin and has been taken up by other German towns and municipalities such as Köln, Bremen, Bergisch Gladbach and Ludwigslust.
The European project "Citizen-friendly Trans-European mGovernment Services" (CIDRE) was successfully implemented from July 01, 2007 until December 31, 2008. CIDRE aimed at bringing an existing German mobile citizen prototype service (German acronym: 'MoBüD') into the trans-European market. Further information and the final report can be reviewed on appropriate project sites.
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