Big Boost in Store for Online Services


Gulf Times - October 1, 2009
Chan Meng KhoongStrategic Planning & ICT Development Executive Director Download Presentation [PDF]
A major enhancement to the online government-wide portal Hukoomi early next year will enrich content and add many services, which will also be accessible through mobile phones.

The ground-breaking initiative by ictQATAR will put information and services at the fingertips of residents of the country as well as visitors.

Residents will be able to access many government services such as health card renewal or traffic fine payment through mobile phones from the first quarter of 2010.
 
"We are looking at a significant enhancement of Hukoomi in Q1, 2010," ictQATAR executive director (ICT development) Chan Meng Khoong said in an interview with Gulf Times.

Khoong said visitors to Qatar would be able to locate a specific place, hotel or restaurant and gather all required details through the enhanced government-wide portal. "Currently, some of this information is available online. We will integrate these with Hukoomi," Khoong said. Hukoomi is one element of the government's effort to create a modern, super-efficient public sector. In order to seamlessly serve the public, technology is used across ministries and agencies to streamline processes and reduce duplication.

Fast, easy government processes benefit all segments of the public. The result will be a more accessible and open government.

Hukoomi enhancement will see the integration of some 60 more initiatives across the government with Qatar's portal."Any time of the day or night, the government is just a click away, regardless of the place where you are," Khoong said. He said the feedback from Hukoomi users had been 'very positive' so far. The most widely used service on Hukoomi is exit permit issuance. "It is not surprising given the fact that Qatar has huge population of expatriates," Khoong said.
 
ictQATAR has laid a strategy to boost online media business in the country in the next few years, he said. Online content is significant in the current global context. But in Qatar, majority of the online content is in English.

"We recognise the fact that there is a huge opportunity to develop online content in Arabic and use it for competitive advantage. From there we can develop moves, games and analytical tools for business intelligence that are based on Arabic content. All of these are new opportunities. We have to looking ahead quickly because we are not alone. Everyone else will be thinking in the same line," Khoong said.

He said Qatar had come a long way in ICT development. In the 2008-2009 Global Information Technology Report, Qatar ranked 29th of 134 nations in the Networked Readiness Index- rising from 32nd place in the last year's index. 


To download Khoong's presentation in PDF, follow this link.





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