UNDP, IBM and Oracle to Help Asia-Pacific Countries Create Strategies and Policies for Adopting Open Computing Standards

The UNDP Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (UNDP-APDIP) will facilitate the development of Government Interoperability Frameworks (GIFs). Many countries around the world have developed GIFs to guide the development of government-wide systems and policies that permit electronic transactions and data and information exchange to take place seamlessly across agencies and jurisdictions.

Today, many e-Government initiatives show that new systems are very often developed from scratch at both central and local levels. New systems are developed with specifications and solutions that match goals and tasks relevant to a particular administration, but without adequate attention to surrounding government institutions and information and communications technology (ICT) systems. The result is a patchwork of ICT solutions that are not always compatible with each other, reduced efficiency and duplication of effort.

UNDP-APDIP, IBM and Oracle, together with the International Open Source Network (IOSN), have teamed up to conduct a thorough review of how governments in the region and beyond are promoting efficient, government-wide sharing of information and data by focusing on automatic technology services provided by computing networks, rather than individual technologies. For instance, this project will examine how existing GIFs are focused on a service-oriented architecture.

The objective is to identify promising practices around interoperability, then document case studies of those practices in action, and ultimately develop and recommend guidelines. Over the next year, UNDP-APDIP will hold workshops to share experiences and findings of the project with interested groups, and publicly release studies and reports at various stages of the project.

“UNDP believes that interoperability based on open standards reduces vendor lock-in and consequently reduces costs, ensures data and application longevity, and most importantly, simplifies technology for citizens and governments,” said Shahid Akhtar, Programme Coordinator of UNDP-APDIP.

"The governments involved in this exciting project have a unique opportunity to find out how they can make a real difference for their citizens," said Bob Sutor, IBM's Vice President of Open Source and Standards. "IBM is pleased to participate in this initiative, share what we know, and share what we have learned from others that have adopted a neutral and truly open approach to their computing infrastructure."

“Oracle is pleased to join with UNDP-APDIP and IBM on this important initiative that will help ensure governments obtain maximal benefit from their investments in ICT systems,” said Dr. Donald Deutsch, Oracle’s Vice President of Standards Strategy and Architecture, “Open Standards provide the key foundation for interoperability of ICT systems and enable efficiency and innovation in enterprises of any size.”

Further information will be announced on http://www.apdip.net/projects/gif as and when it becomes available.