Δήμος Τοπείρου ν. Ξάνθης * Greece - Thrace - Municipality of Topeiros - European Commission rewared www.topeiros.gr

European Commission rewared www.topeiros.gr

14.01.05

European Commission Information Society. KEeLAN Project: "key Elements for Electronic Local Authorities' Networks"

DESCRIPTION OF THE KEELAN PROJECT

The KEeLAN project ("Key Elements for Electronic Local Authorities' Networks") has been launched last February as part of the European fifth Framework Program for Research and Development and is supported by the European Commission. Its overall aim is to stimulate local authorities in their transition process towards modernisation and webservices to citizen, by providing them with an e-government marching route (best practices, models and roadmaps). The study will also develop relevant data and benchmarking tools against which e-Europe implementation may be measured over the next few years.

The KEeLAN project will investigate the relation between regional e-government policies and local e-government initiatives. The study will also take into account the development of e-government in the rest of the world: the information gathered and the results identified will be measured against those in, for example, the United States, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
This analysis will provide a reliable picture on where Europe stands at the moment in the field of e-government.

The KEeLAN project is elaborated within the framework of the European network ELANET/CEMR in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers, acting as the technical partner. Ancinet is the co-ordinator of the project (acting on behalf of ELANET/CEMR) and is responsible for southern European area (Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain). LGCSB covers United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Luxembourg, while KGSt is responsible for Germany, Austria, Belgium and Netherlands.
During the lifetime of the project, three technological partners (Siemens Informatica, PinkRoccade and Sonera) will offer input concerning technologies being used.

700 websites from all the 15 EU Member States have been scanned by local experts. The KEeLAN partners have developed the procedure to single out 50 municipalities as study cases that are now visited and interviewed in order to examine their key factors of success.

The findings will constitute the basis for the elaboration of roadmaps and models for use by all local and regional authorities.

Through intensive and extensive dissemination of its results, the KEeLAN project will provide the local authorities with roadmaps to implement these key elements for success.

INTRODUCTION OF TOPEIROS WEBSITE CASE STUDIE

Within the framework of the KEeLAN study, 50 websites of local authorities have been identified, based on level of quality of service delivery. The quality of service delivery has been determined by scanning the websites on issues like usability/accessibility (presentation, design, user-friendliness, technological standards, functionalities), but especially on level of interactivity and level of response to external demand. These 50 websites, called 'Case Studies', are presented in this report, described by certain specific indicators:

Municipality	Τόπειρος Ξάνθης
Region	Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Region
Country	Greece
URL	http://www.topeiros.gr/
Best-practice service(s) / sub-service(s)	Policy Making
Features of the site	· A discussion forum daily monitored by the local authority · Possibility οf expressing complaints / requests and asking all service departments for information by submitting a multi-selection form. · Regular contact data of service departments · User can find detailed information on the procedures needed in order to apply for certificates / permits · Archive of press releases. · A city directory · Regularly updated news on cultural and sport activities · A tourist guide
Description and features of the best-practice service(s) / sub-service(s)	· The website provides a daily monitored discussion forum, through which policy issues could be discussed. · A regular postal address, general telephone numbers and a general e-mail address of the council and the mayor are also provided as well as basic local description structure. · Press releases are published on-line and the mayor and the council can also be contacted through the submission of a form.
Reason for selection as one of the 50 case studies (besides best-practice service / sub-service)	Taking into consideration the size of the municipality (13.621 inhabitants) and the Greek local authorities context, the web site of the municipality of Toperos Xanthis is a unique case of two-way interaction maturity and has scored higher than the rest of the Greek municipal web sites scanned in three services: policy making, information and culture & leisure. It has also achieved better results in the field of immediacy with replies addressing issues of the body of the text to all four probe e-mails within 24 hours. Regularly updated and significantly visited, it provides the necessary tools in order to be an important source of information and interaction with the municipal activities.