Gonçalo Paiva Dias

A simple model and a distributed architecture for realizing one-stop e-government

In this paper, we propose a generic model for one-stop e-government and a distributed architecture for its implementation. The model follows a very basic paradigm: the public administration is composed of an unstructured network of entities that upload and download information objects to/from each other and to/from service repositories in order to deliver client-centered services. The architecture is based on widely available technologies such as HTTP, SSL, XML and PKI and it supports the implementation of life events, single access points, concurrent providers and integrated delivery channels. We argue that the proposed architecture permits the interconnection of almost any kind of government body and that it establishes a common ground upon which new standardization levels can be built. As a starting point, we also define a set of general requirements for one-stop e-government.

Evolution of local e-government maturity in Portugal

In this article we present the results of a Web site content analysis of all Portuguese municipalities performed in 2013. A three-dimensional maturity model was used to categorize e-government development. The results are compared with others obtained in 2010 in order to characterize local e-government evolution in Portugal. The main conclusion of this study is that, although the results of municipalities have globally improved between 2010 and 2013, the gap between municipalities to what respects e-government development is also growing. Indeed, a non-negligible percentage of municipalities worsened their results in this period.

A modular standard for the cadastral domain: Application to the Portuguese Cadastre

Following recent worldwide developments and initiatives by FIG (Cadastre 2014) and UN, an object oriented, conceptual model for the Cadastral Domain, adapted to Portuguese Cadastre and related Real Estate Register is presented, based on a previously proposed standard. After a brief description of present Cadastral and Land Registration situation in Portugal, UML (Unified Modeling Language) literate modeling was used to describe the top level classes by using a structured mix of UML Class Diagrams and natural text. Important contributions of this paper are the evaluation of the FIG core cadastral model by applying it to Portugal. It turns out that a limited number of the classes of the core model are currently not needed (but some of them might be used in the future) and that other classes were added specifically for the situation in Portugal. This is anticipated use of the core model and in case similar patterns occurs in several countries, the new version of the core model should be adapted accordingly within the FIG. In addition to these static model aspects, Activity Diagrams were used to model dynamic behavior concerning a number of chosen Cadastral Update tasks. Currently, the dynamic aspects are not yet present in the FIG core cadastral model, but in case similar dynamic patterns occurs in several countries, then this should be added to the core model. (Notation: In this article, all class names appearing in the text are written in Italics, while the names of class methods are written in Bold Italics and names of attributes are in the in default text style. Where it exists a correspondence with the standard model, the original English name is referred within brackets.)

Significant socio–economic factors for local e–government development in Portugal

In this paper, we present an empirical study of local e–government in Portugal and an investigation of the socio–economic indicators that are most significant to explain its development. The websites of all Portuguese municipalities were analysed according to three dimensions: government information, service delivery and participation. The results were investigated using regression models to identify the socio–economic indicators that are most significant to explain development and clustering techniques to identify homogeneous groups of municipalities in what concerns that development. We identify the socio–economic factors that are most significant to explain the results of municipalities and the discriminating factors for development in each dimension of analysis. We also identify seven main profiles of municipalities with different median scores in the three dimensions, which allow us to validate our own methodology and, generically, the ordered stages paradigm of the majority of the existent e–government maturity models.

Privacy Policies in Web Sites of Portuguese Municipalities: An Empirical Study

In this article we present an empirical study of privacy policies at local government web sites in Portugal. Web sites of all the 308 Portuguese municipalities where surveyed for privacy policy manifests and a content analysis was performed on those documents. We concluded that privacy of citizens is clearly not a priority in Portuguese local government, since only 26% of the municipalities include privacy policy statements in their web sites and many of those documents exhibit significant gaps considering the information that a user would expect to find in a privacy policy. By raising the awareness to the need of improving privacy in local government web sites, our conclusions are useful for both academics and practitioners in the areas of e-government, privacy and local government

The million-dollar question: can internships boost employment?

Higher education institutions are increasingly concerned with the professional insertion of graduates in the labour market and with the design of institutional mechanisms to facilitate students’ transition from higher education to work, particularly given the context of scarcity of financial resources and the rise of graduate unemployment. This issue has been addressed, inter alia, through the creation of study programmes with internships. Despite the public discourse encouraging the use of such strategies, there is a general consensus regarding the absence of empirical studies on the professional value of these strategies. This article aims to assess two interrelated questions: the extent to which measures of graduate unemployment rate tend to decrease after the introduction of internships in Portuguese study programmes; and the extent to which this effect applies to the different institutions that comprise the Portuguese tertiary education landscape. It also seeks to contribute to the debate on the relevance of the structure and nature of internships, which are factors frequently neglected in the literature.

An Integrated Service Solution for Digital Discount Coupons Processing

This paper describes a digital coupons management system that aims to dematerialize the couponing process since its origin (the Issuer) to its final state (the Consumer), passing by the Retailer of the product, and allowing to reduce costs, prevent frauds, improve the procedural efficiency and get knowledge about patterns of usage of coupons by consumer profiles. The system provides quality control of dematerialized coupons and Consumers mobile access, allowing the connection and integration with the information systems of Issuers and Retailers, which makes it an innovative system with a high degree of portability of its components.

3D antenna for wireless power transmission: Aperture coupled microstrip antenna with dielectric lens

Nowadays 3D printers are useful for the development and rapid prototyping of dielectric structures for radiation manipulation and support of antennas. This is possible since the materials used in this machines are essentially dielectric. These can be used as radiating elements (dielectric resonators), as radiation handlers (lenses) or as a supporting base for applying conductive material to radiation (substrates). In this paper we explore 3D printing technology to develop a lens antenna for wireless power transfer operating at 20 GHz. The design, simulation and measurement of an aperture coupled microstrip antenna with dielectric lens is presented and discussed. The lens is used to focus the beam of lower gain feed antenna to produce a highly directive pattern with low side lobe.

A decade of Portuguese research in e-government: evolution, current standing, and ways forward

In this paper, we present an investigation of the Portuguese research on e-government. Bibliometric techniques are used to explore all the documents published by researchers affiliated to Portuguese institutions from 2005 to 2014 and listed in the Scopus® database. Research production, impact, source types, language used, subject areas, topics, scopes, methods, authors, institutions, networks, and international cooperation are analysed and discussed. We conclude that so that Portuguese research on e-government can evolve, more researchers should be involved, international cooperation should be developed, and more attention should be given to the study of the reasons behind the very good results of the country in the provision of e-government services, as measured by the international rankings. By establishing the evolution and current standing of e-government research in Portugal and exploring the ways forward, our conclusions may prove useful to e-government researchers, research managers, and research policy makers.

Evaluating local e-government maturity in selected Iberoamerican countries

This paper describes an exploratory study aiming to assess e-government maturity of municipalities in selected Iberoamerican countries: Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Portugal and Spain. A geographical criterion was adopted to select the countries, and a demographic criterion was adopted to define the municipalities observed within those countries. Moreover, a three-dimensional maturity model was used to categorize and evaluate each municipal website. Then, we conclude that local e-government still has a substantial room for improvement in the community, or at least in the studied countries, and that population density seems to be associated with the preliminary results for local e-government maturity.