The Government of South Africa is hosting its tenth annual SITA GovTech Conference next week in Durban under the theme of "Doing IT for the Citizens." Actually, the conference logo includes a scribbled in "C" between the "I" and "T," indicating an embrace of the vaguely European sounding Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Communications in this context is synonymous with connectivity -- broadband, wireless connectivity in a growing number of cases.
The conference is being organized around the citizen centric government -- with a look back at the first decade and setting the tone for the next ten years. As you would expect, it is a gathering of those who have been doing the work to share best practices and practical work arounds on common challenges.
Organizers have invited some international speakers -- ranging from Microsoft to the Open Source Software Institute, plus the heads of the Public Technology Institute to UK's non-profit Gov3. The CIO from the Canadian province of Manitoba, David Primmer, will be there too.
And a couple of govtechbloggers -- govtech as in GT or Government Technology magazine -- will be there too. Friend and fellow govtech blogger Dan Lohrmann, whose day job is as Chief Technology Officer for the State of Michigan, will speak on securing government in a digital world on Wednesday. Two days earlier, I will debut an international edition of Steal This Idea, a digest of best and emerging practices in digital service delivery. I will also moderate a panel discussion among government ministers on assessing the ten year old campaign for citizen centric government in South Africa, with a view to defining what should be done in the next decade to realize the potential of electronic government.
The trip is still a few days away but we're looking forward to meeting a new friend. SITA organizer Mariette du Plessis has made the process of planning a trip half way around the world look easy.
Conference information is available here.
A copy of my presentation is available here. As always, check against delivery.
SITA is planning on streaming the keynote and plenary session online. Assuming the availability of reasonably priced hot spots, I'll update this blog white there. Failing that - or in combination with that if all goes well - I'll tweet from Durban at www.twitter.com/pwtaylor.
The conference is being organized around the citizen centric government -- with a look back at the first decade and setting the tone for the next ten years. As you would expect, it is a gathering of those who have been doing the work to share best practices and practical work arounds on common challenges.
Organizers have invited some international speakers -- ranging from Microsoft to the Open Source Software Institute, plus the heads of the Public Technology Institute to UK's non-profit Gov3. The CIO from the Canadian province of Manitoba, David Primmer, will be there too.
And a couple of govtechbloggers -- govtech as in GT or Government Technology magazine -- will be there too. Friend and fellow govtech blogger Dan Lohrmann, whose day job is as Chief Technology Officer for the State of Michigan, will speak on securing government in a digital world on Wednesday. Two days earlier, I will debut an international edition of Steal This Idea, a digest of best and emerging practices in digital service delivery. I will also moderate a panel discussion among government ministers on assessing the ten year old campaign for citizen centric government in South Africa, with a view to defining what should be done in the next decade to realize the potential of electronic government.
The trip is still a few days away but we're looking forward to meeting a new friend. SITA organizer Mariette du Plessis has made the process of planning a trip half way around the world look easy.
Conference information is available here.
A copy of my presentation is available here. As always, check against delivery.
SITA is planning on streaming the keynote and plenary session online. Assuming the availability of reasonably priced hot spots, I'll update this blog white there. Failing that - or in combination with that if all goes well - I'll tweet from Durban at www.twitter.com/pwtaylor.
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