The updating of NL DIGIbeter is the product of continued cooperation. We are moving forward along the pathway of digital transformation of government, so that together we remain ready to face the future.
What have we achieved:
Cooperation
In 2019 and 2020, we invested in a new approach to cooperation with a greater focus on collaboration between public and private parties, science and citizens. Our actions are focused on common goals and joining forces to achieve those goals. We have continued to cooperate in a series of example projects and broad-based programmes such as the Digital Society Alliance and Smart Society. We are continuing cooperation between all levels of government and the world of academia and the private sector. Over the coming period, we will be examining how positive innovations and working methods can be deployed on a broader scale.
Policy frameworks
Policy frameworks for the digital basic infrastructure and for data interchange were established in 2019.
Thanks to the major investments made in the public digital infrastructure, ICT has helped us cope with the corona crisis. We must be in a position to share and use data quickly and securely for (inclusive) service provision. Whether for eHealth, remote teaching, maintaining public order or providing citizens and entrepreneurs with the correct information, the ICT architecture is an absolute precondition for interconnecting processes and sharing data. We are constantly updating and further elaborating principles. By establishing a sound ICT architecture, we can also guarantee transparency and uniformity in terms of definitions, the reuse of data/information and access standards. We are also considering the way to best organise the basic infrastructure of the future. That naturally includes the common architecture.
Future vision
The information society constantly raises new challenges for us. Our clear desire is to respond in a more systematic and proactive manner.
NL DIGIbeter 2020 is not focused exclusively on the goals and results for 2020 and 2021. We are also actively considering the longer term and are developing scenarios that take account of the consequences of the corona crisis, the outcomes from the Broad Societal Reconsiderations and the findings of the Temporary Committee Digital Future, the recommendations from the Working on Implementation programme and a whole raft of European developments.
International
In each of these processes, we are keen to make use of successful initiatives from other countries, including Estonia and Singapore. The scenarios we are currently developing may well serve as building blocks for a future Cabinet period. One key question that has arisen is what forms of governance and financing make the most effective contribution to the aims of NL DIGIbeter. We are unable to produce a blueprint for the future. However, it is clear that the most fundamental change will be: even further cooperation. By joining forces between public, private, academic and civil society parties, wherever necessary, we can together achieve common solutions to the challenges facing society.
Actions 2020-2021
- We are drawing up a Basic infrastructure Programme Plan.
- We are preparing a common (government-wide) strategic long-term vision for the future digital basic infrastructure, including the relevant financing, which will take account of the results of the evaluation of governance and the cost charging system;
- To arrive at a more coherent digital transformation within government, during the course of 2020 we will be preparing a broad vision and an accompanying set of scenarios that will set the course for further developments and measures. This will include a careful consideration of how we can achieve more centralised control of the digital transformation.