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indicators specified in the project are not always purposefully promoted (the situation has
improved along with the introduction of the necessity to develop the project (incl. e-service)
implementation plans).
The end-uses (e-services) are also inflexible from a technical point of view and difficult to
apply to constantly variable changes of the technical media and new applications. The life cycle
of the projects of EU Structural Funds, the most often used waterfall development method6 and
the duly unplanned funds for further development and maintenance of services, cause the
situation that the initially intended adjustment of the services after the commencement of their
real activity is very encumbered or practically impossible.
Therefore, larger emphasis must be laid on the development of open interfaces within the
planning period of 2014 - 2020 by providing the preconditions for the development of end-uses in
business activity. In order to ensure sustainability of the end-uses they must be developed by
observing specific principles and preconditions (an explanation on how the open interfaces and
opened data affect the development of business activity is included in Subchapter 5.4 Action
direction “E-Services and Digital Content for the Public”).
On the other hand, it is necessary to train the public administration staff on the activity
process and introduction, as well as management of the best practice processes of ICT
infrastructure so that the process optimisation provides the desirable result.
● irrespective of the considerable increase of the number of electronised services during the
development planning period of 2006 - 2013, there is still a low proportion of inhabitants who
use e-services7, as well as little use of the opportunities offered by ICT in business activity. For
example, in 2012, 9% of enterprises received orders via the Internet (the average EU indicator –
16%), while e-commerce in business activity was used by 7% of enterprises (the average EU
indicator – 14%)8. The data of the survey9 conducted at the end of 2012 show that there is a low
level of knowledge about electronic access to services and distrust in the Internet media. That
implies that the measures aimed at the communication of e-government development with
society, explanation of the e-government benefits, education of the service users, as well as
explanation of the safety aspects of the electronic media use have been insufficient. Within the
development planning period of 2014 – 2020 more attention should be paid to these aspects,
otherwise a high risk will remain that the investments made in e-government development cannot
provide a return because the e-services created as a result of these investments are not used by
society.
● the state information systems and e-services in the EU Structural Funds’ planning period
of 2007 – 2013 are basically established according to the needs of the particular institution with
insufficient coordination of their development with other institutions who are involved in the
ensuring of the relevant public administration process. Due to a lack of coordination the
requirements for data exchange and integration with the information systems of other institutions
were often not identified in due time and that has been the reason for delay of the projects, as
well as mutual interoperability solutions of information systems and public administration
processes worked out to be of insufficient quality. Approval and introduction of the concept
6
Successive development of the ICT project by strictly observing the Project phases and tasks.
Public opinion assessment on the use of e-services in Latvia. December 2012.
http://www.varam.gov.lv/lat/publ/petijumi/pet_Eparv/?doc=14321
8
Eurostat database
9
Public opinion assessment on the use of e-services in Latvia. December 2012.
http://www.varam.gov.lv/lat/publ/petijumi/pet_Eparv/?doc=14321
information_society_development_guidelines_2014_2020.docx; Information Society Development Guidelines
2014-2020
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