Government & Technology

My name is Louise Thomasen and I work as an independent eGovernment consultant and expert. My main focus areas and interests are

new emerging technologies, such as big data, open government and open data, the semantic web
smart cities
transparency, anti-corruption, and open government
how we use social media, especially for participation
public eServices
interoperability, whole of government
and how technology changes us, our preferences and our behaviours

Domicil Online - A house log

My "corona-hobby" has been to develop a webapp for managing your home(es). Users can log information about their home - a domicil, but categorise it in such a way that information can be found again. Users can make log entries, to-do lists, post-it's, receipts, and how-to guides. They can categorise by spaces/rooms, service number contacts, different things one may have in your home, and events. The webapp is free to use, and can be accessed at domicil.online

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OECD Study: "Improving government to business services through digitalisation: one stop shop platforms and single digital portals for SMEs: Contribution to the project on ‘Enabling SMEs to Benefit from Digitalisation’"

An OECD/WPSMEE project that aimed to better understand how digital advancements can enhance e-government services and contribute to a more user-centred approach to public service delivery, a more level playing field in business interactions with the public administration, and overall a more supportive business environment for SMEs.

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Public Administration Awards in the Western Balkans

I was one of three accessors assessing and shortlisting Covid-specific public service projects and applications from the Western Balkans from the digital government, eEconomy, e-Health, eLearning, and social innovation areas for the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) and OECD-SIGMA

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Hack Pandemic Aarhus

Hack Pandemic Aarhus was a weekly virtual hackathon-like meetup for developers, designers and creatives in Aarhus, Denmark with the goal of building Corona-hacking applications. I participated both as an organiser and participant in the hackathon. Together with three other participants I developed the ‘Cooking Together, while Dining Apart’ website available at cookingtogether.cothomasen.com

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Sultan Qaboos Award for Excellence in eGovernment, Oman 2018

In 2018 I participated as a jury member of the independent international awards jury selecting the best digital projects in Oman for the Sultan Qaboos Award for Excellence in eGovernment competition.

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iCities4greengrowth.in - Smart Cities Knowledge Portal

For the World Bank and Korea Green Growth Trust Fund (KGGTF) I created the knowledge portal for Smart Cities icities4greengrowth.in. The portal supports smart city practitioners by offering a repository of best practices on Smart Cities development in compliance with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Open Government in the Arab Region

Implementing open government is not an easy task, as it requires changes to long-standing systems, changes in the way government thinks and changes in the way citizens perceive their responsibility and role in governance. To aid in the implementation of open government in the Arab region, ESCWA developed an open government framework. I presented the Four Phased ESCWA Framework on Open Government at the UN ESCWA workshop on Open Government in the Arab Region in Beirut, Lebanon 25-27 September 2018.

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ICEGOV 2018 conference in Galway, Ireland

I participated in ICEGOV 2018 the 11th International Conference on the Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance, 4-6 April 2018 that took place in Galway, Ireland.

This year I was part of the program committee reviewing papers for acceptance into the conference. I had a presentation in the World Bank invited session 3 - Digital Platforms for Smart Green Cities: Challenges and Collaboration Opportunities in Disruptive Technology Environment, and co-chaired paper session 15 and 18 on Governance of Smart Cities and Regions.

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Bahrain eGovernment Excellence Award 2017

In July/August 2017 I chaired the Bahrain eGovernment Excellence jury. The eGovernment Excellence Award Program has been created under the Patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa as a strategic platform for the Information & eGovernment Authority to recognize, reward and showcase the pioneering ICT initiatives taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain’s community.

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From E- to Open Government

The most important features of this regional comparative study of six Western Balkan States are the examination of the state of the art of e-government in the region in 2015, to examine progress since 2012, and to in addition to look at progress towards open government. Particular focus is on processes and outcomes, including the provision of information, service delivery, and the interaction between government, citizens, businesses, and civil society. The new issues examined include open government data, cloud computing, Public Private Partnerships and Public Civil, Partnerships.

As an eGovernment expert I co-authored the study together with national experts from six Balkan countries and international expert Jeremy Millard for the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA).

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Integration of service delivery in the Arab Region - role of standards and interoperability

There is a need for citizen-centric services to be integrated across all channels: digital, call-centre, face-to-face in the Arab region. To adopt interoperability and standards and to integrate both back and front government offices. I helped conducting desk research on service integration cases for a report from UN ESCWA published in 2017, with the aim of providing recommendations for a strategic framework and guidelines for e-government service integration in the Arab Region.

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Abuse of Information Technology (IT) for Corruption

This Comparative Study aims to provide, for the first time, concrete guidance by showing cases of abuse of information technology for corruption offenses and on the possible steps that can be taken to protect against such abuses. It focuses only on corruption risks specifically related to IT. Numerous publications exist on how corruption can be prevented through good use of IT, but, this study investigates how IT can be abused for corruption through a series of examples from the Western Balkan region. It then proceeds by analysing safeguards against using corruption using ICTs in the Western Balkans public sector and ends with a series of recommendations.

As an eGovernment expert I co-authored the study together with national experts from seven Balkan countries and international anti-corruption exerts Dr. Tilman Hoppe and Vera Devine for the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA).

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ReSPA regional comparative eGovernment study

The study investigates eGovernment and the provision of eServices in the Western Balkan region.

As international experts, Jeremy Millard and Louise Thomasen authored this comparative eGovernment study for the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) with the inputs of national experts from seven Balkan countries.

One of the most important features of the study is the examination of the state of the art of eGovernment in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo. Particular focus is on eGovernment processes, including the provision of information, service delivery, interaction between Government to Government and Government to Citizen, as well as the equally important connections of Government with Business, i.e. the private sector. Thus findings elaborate individual country developments in the Western Balkans, from the policy and strategic level in specific eGovernment institutional settings and implementations, reflecting European good practice.

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News and trends from around the web

European Union: The Digital Services Act package: The Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act aim to create a safer digital space where the fundamental rights of users are protected and to establish a level playing field for businesses.; (Source Shaping Europe’s digital future)

KPMG Report Gives Big Thumbs Down on Long-Term Remote Working: Remote work may be here to stay, but it could be damaging for employees and employers in the long run, according to a new report.; (Source Skift)

New Zealand claims world first in setting standards for government use of algorithms: Exclusive: Statistics minister says new charter on algorithms – used from traffic lights to police decision-making – an ‘important part of building public trust’; (Source the Guardian)

Digital Quality of Life Index 2020 - Surfshark: A global research on the quality of a digital wellbeing in 85 countries (81% of the global population). This study indexes the countries by looking at five fundamental pillars that define the digital quality of life. Denmark ranked as no. 1 in 2020; (Source Surfshark)

UN E-Government Survey 2020: The year 2020 witnessed a transformational change in global development as the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on Member States and other stakeholders to “kickstart a decade of delivery and action for people and planet”, given the short time left to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Hvad kan vi lære fra Open Data Challenge 2019?: I november sidste år blev Open Data Challenge 2019 finalen afholdt og vinderne kåret. Men hvad kan vi tage med videre? Vi bringer her challengens vigtigste erfaringer ift. at lave virksomhedsrettede forløb med kommuners data.; (Source Open Data DK)

National Cyber Security Index : Ranking: The National Cyber Security Index is a global index, which measures the preparedness of countries to prevent cyber threats and manage cyber incidents. The NCSI is also a database with publicly available evidence materials and a tool for national cyber security capacity building.; (Source e-Governance Academy Foundation, Estonia)

Open Government in the Arab Region: This workshop will focus on building capacities of government officials in open government, specifically open data and participation, collaboration and engagement.; (Source United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia)

UN E-Government Survey 2018: Gearing E-Government to Support Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies: The United Nations E-Government Survey 2018 presents a systematic assessment of the use and potential of information and communication technologies to transform the public sector by enhancing efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, accountability, access to public services and citizen participation in the 193 Member States of the United Nations, and at all levels of development.; (Source United Nations)

Tallinn Declaration on eGovernment at the ministerial meeting during Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU on 6 October 2017: European ministers responsible for e-government in Tallinn signed a joint Tallinn e-government declaration (the Tallinn Declaration) to reinvigorate Europe's efforts in the area. We agreed upon a road map for the next steps in e-government at both the national and EU levels.; (Source EU2017.EE)

Fremtiden er virtuelle ambassader, hvor visumansøgningen kan klares med en app: Udenrigsministeriets departementschef, Ulrik Vestergaard, forudser, at de teknologiske omvæltninger vil forandre udenrigstjenesten på mange måder.; (Source Politiken)

ICEGOV2017 – New Delhi, India: CONFERENCE THEME
Building Knowledge Societies: From Digital Government to Digital Empowerment; (Source ICEGOV 2017)

UN E-Government Survey 2016: E-Government in Support of Sustainable Development
The United Nations E-Government Survey 2016: E-Government in Support of Sustainable Development was launched in July 2016. It offers a snapshot of trends in the development of e-government in countries across the globe; (Source United Nations Public Administration Networkk)

Estonia is using the technology behind bitcoin to secure 1 million health records: Guardtime CEO and co-founder Mike Gault told Business Insider: 'We see the real opportunity for blockchain technology as data and data security.'; (Source Business Insider)

The funny things happening on the way to singularity: People often ask me about the impact of 3D printing on jobs. Will the technology be a job creator or destroyer? The short answer is, it will take more jobs..; (Source TechCrunch)