Information Technology

'Digital 21' IT Strategy

The Government is committed to keeping Hong Kong at the forefront of information technology (IT) development. In May 2001, it published an updated version of the Digital 21 IT Strategy, which was first promulgated in November 1998. The updated Strategy aimed at positioning Hong Kong as a leading e-business community and digital city. Since then great strides have been made in putting in place the right environment, infrastructure, skills and culture to encourage the development and adoption of IT by the whole community.

To sustain the momentum created in the last five years and to harness the benefits of IT for business, the community and Hong Kong's position in the world, the Government has reviewed the implementation of the 2001 Strategy and drafted an updated Strategy for public consultation from October to December 2003. The Government would, taking into account the public views received, finalise the updated Strategy for issue in early 2004.

Driving E-business

The Government is committed to providing the necessary infrastructure for e-business to prosper. It has reviewed the Electronic Transactions Ordinance and introduced amendments to the ordinance in June with a view to keeping the legal framework up-to-date with technological advancements and international e-business developments. The aim is to have the amendments enacted by the legislature in mid-2004.

There are now one public and two private certification authorities (CAs) recognised under the ordinance, which issue digital certificates for use by the community to conduct electronic transactions in a secure manner. In June, the public CA, the Hongkong Post Certification Authority, started to offer smart identity card holders one-year free use of its digital certificates. This will create a critical mass of digital certificate holders, providing the incentive for the industry to develop further applications and services using digital certificates.

The Government also works with industry support organisations to provide technical support, advisory services, financial support and training to encourage and assist the business sector, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to adopt e-business to enhance efficiency and productivity.

E-government

The Government met its E-government targets in 2003. It provided an e-option for 90 per cent of public services which are amenable to the electronic mode of service delivery and attained its e-procurement target to carry out 80 per cent of government procurement tenders through electronic means. Its efforts were also widely recognised. Locally, a public opinion survey conducted in the first half of the year found that among the surveyed Internet users, 70 per cent had used E-government services before, and among them over 60 per cent rated E-government services as 'very good' or 'quite good'. Internationally, Hong Kong was ranked seventh in terms of E-government leadership by Accenture¹. In an international ranking² of the official websites of 100 cities, Hong Kong came second world-wide in terms of 'digital governance'. In addition, the flagship E-government project — the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Scheme — was selected as a winner of the Asia Best Practice Award in the category of E-government in the World Summit Award, in terms of e-content and creativity.

To ensure the community and the Government can reap the full benefits from the E-government programme, the following principles have been rigorously applied: exploit business process re-engineering opportunities to streamline e-services; participate in joined-up initiatives across departments to deliver more customer-centric and efficient services; and deploy customer relations management principles and features to enhance user-friendliness of services. The major E-government projects outlined below demonstrate how these key principles were put into practice in 2003:—

(a) The ESD Scheme

The ESD Scheme provides a one-stop portal (http://www.esd.gov.hk) to deliver integrated public and commercial services in a customer-oriented way. As at late 2003, the ESD portal provided some 180 online public services from over 50 government departments/public agencies. Its service scope has been broadened and service quality enhanced. Measures have been implemented to improve usage. The combined efforts of 12 departments has facilitated the roll-out of the 'Easy Change of Address' service, which is a joined-up initiative enabling citizens and businesses to notify any or all of the 12 departments of a change of address by using a single online form. The online appointment booking service for the smart identity card replacement exercise has brought much convenience to the public and reduced queues at Immigration Department counters. The online booking service for sports facilities was enhanced to incorporate a personalised feature, helping sportsmen and women to select their preferred venue and time slot in a faster and easier way. The 25 per cent discount offer for selected statistical and other government publications has significantly increased the usage of the online bookstores.

(b) Multiple Applications on the Smart Identity Card

The Immigration Department started issuing the smart identity (ID) card in 2003. This is another joined-up project that offers a number of public services through the single interface of the smart identity card. In addition to using the card for traditional immigration functions (as a means of identification), holders of the smart ID cards may choose to use their ID cards for library services; they may also opt to embed in their ID cards a digital certificate (the personal e-Cert) issued by Hongkong Post to carry out secure online transactions. Moreover, it can be used for automated immigration clearance in the near future and can be used to replace a driving licence around 2006. There is reserved capacity in the chip of the smart identity card for an e-purse function. This initiative is creating a critical mass of citizens who are ready to make use of e-services and it will serve as a population-wide platform for the further development of E-government and e-commerce in Hong Kong.

(c) Other Joined-up and Government-wide Projects

The Government is proceeding with a number of other joined-up projects. For example, the Business Entry Portal will assist existing and prospective businesses by providing a single entry point for coordinated business information from over 100 government bureaux, departments, public bodies, trade associations and other organisations. The Property Information Hub will provide one-stop access to property-related information held by the Rating and Valuation Department, Land Registry, Lands Department and Buildings Department. The Integrated Criminal Justice Processes will enhance efficiency and accuracy in transferring information among a number of departments and agencies involved in the criminal justice process.

(d) Common Look and Feel

In March, a 'Common Look and Feel' website design initiative was introduced to all bureaux and departments. By year-end, over 50 government websites had been revamped. By providing a more consistent navigation experience to surfers, it is aimed to enhance the online brand image and improve the public's accessibility to information as well as improve the user-friendliness of browsing through government websites.

With the solid foundation laid by the first wave of E-government, the E-government programme is being deepened with the intention of focusing more sharply on service quality and effectiveness. The next wave will bring greater value to customers as well as to the Government, by increasing utilisation through a better understanding of what customers need, encouraging customer relations management, and promoting service transformation towards customer-centric and quality-oriented service delivery with more effective business process re-engineering.

IT Manpower

The Government is committed to providing adequate and quality IT manpower to meet the demand in the community. Apart from implementing the measures recommended by the Task Force on IT Manpower set up under the Information Infrastructure Advisory Committee, the Government has implemented new initiatives in collaboration with the IT industry and academia during the year. Specific projects include a Secondary Schools IT Training Scheme and Exhibition to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their IT and multimedia capability in web page design, video production, image display, and Flash demonstration, and a Young IT Leader Awards Scheme to recognise young people's achievements in learning and applying IT in their studies and daily life. (Other educational and training measures are mentioned in Chapter 7: Education)

The Government will continue to work with the academic sector and the IT industry on other longer term measures to ensure that the IT workforce meets the local manpower needs and enhance Hong Kong competitiveness in the globalised market. Where necessary, talented persons and professionals in IT from elsewhere, including the Mainland, may be admitted to Hong Kong to fill gaps or shortages in specific areas.

Building a Digitally Inclusive Society

The Government encourages citizens to embrace and use IT so as to enhance their quality of life. It will continue to organise various activities and initiatives to promote wider adoption and raise public awareness of IT in the community. These include district IT promotion activities, a dedicated website and 'infotainment' TV programmes to disseminate information on the Government's IT initiatives and latest developments in IT, free IT awareness courses providing basic training to different sectors of the community, over 5 300 public computers with Internet connection across Hong Kong for free use by the public, and a free public enquiry service on the use of basic IT applications called IT Easy Link. All government websites are now in compliance with universal accessibility guidelines so as to facilitate access and navigation by people with visual disabilities.

IT Cooperation

Hong Kong has concluded cooperative arrangements in information and communications technology with 11 countries, namely, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The Government has been working closely with these partners under the aegis of such cooperative arrangements to promote and support inter-governmental exchanges, business partnerships, investment cooperation and joint research and development in the areas of IT and telecommunications. It will continue to explore the opportunities of fostering further cooperation in the field of information and communications technology with these partners.

Cyberport

In March 1999, the Financial Secretary announced the Government's intention to develop the Cyberport at Telegraph Bay in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island. Being an IT infrastructure, the Cyberport aims to create a strategic cluster of quality IT and IT-related companies. The Cyberport is wholly owned by the Government through three private companies set up under the Financial Secretary Incorporated.

The Cyberport is a comprehensive development comprising 100 000 square metres of Grade A office space, a shopping arcade and a five-star hotel. This commercial portion is scheduled for completion in four phases between mid-2002 and late 2004. The ancillary residential development, to be completed between 2004 and 2007, provides an intelligent home environment for professionals who choose to live near their offices.

By year-end, 26 tenants had signed leases with the Cyberport, taking up 63 per cent of the office space available in the completed Phases I and II. These are companies specialising in IT applications, information services and multimedia content creation. Tenants are admitted based on the advice of a committee comprising local and international experts. Companies such as Microsoft, GXS International, Sybase, PCCW, CSL, ESRI, Centro Digital Pictures and SmarTrust have signed up with the Cyberport.

The University of Hong Kong, together with six corporate/industry partners, has set up a Cyberport Institute in the Cyberport to provide market-driven IT programmes. The campus-like environment of the Cyberport makes it an ideal place for nurturing professional talent. The Cyberport campus of the institute was officially opened in November.

The Cyberport also contributes to the technological development in Hong Kong and provides the necessary infrastructure and technical support for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Its initial foci include the development of wireless applications and digital entertainment. Funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund, the Hong Kong Wireless Development Centre was opened on December 15 to provide central testing and demonstration facilities for wireless developers in Hong Kong. The Digital Media Centre at the Cyberport, which provides state-of-the-art post-production facilities and technical support for the digital media industries, is scheduled to open in March 2004.