The information management journey at Transport Canada – the road map to success!
Chris Molinski
Director General, Technology and Information Management Services Directorate and Chief Information Officer
Transport Canada

Presentation synopsis
Mr Molinski presented at a high level the Information Management (IM) landscape within the Government of Canada.  By way of introduction he gave an overview of his organisation, Transport Canada, including their role, mission and vision noting how information management is critical to delivering these goals.  He also described the broader context, and the support for information management at a whole-of-government level.

Within the Government of Canada, there are more than 30 Federal Acts and policies relevant to information management, and a number of these include severe penalties for failing to safeguard information.  Certain instruments and frameworks have been of particular importance in realising the Government’s IM ambitions and these will be discussed.  The approach used in Canada to embed the information management principles needed to deliver greater accountability was summarised. 

Chris reflected on the changes to the IM landscape, including the various legislation and policies which have ensured a consistent approach to IM challenges faced by the Government of Canada.  In his presentation, Chris provided delegates with an insight into the drivers for change, and challenges which prompted the widespread support for Government of Canada IM initiatives.

The presentation outlined the approach to information management which has been mandated in Canada and looked specifically at how this is delivered and how monitoring is undertaken.  In reporting on the results of this at a departmental level, Chris convinced delegates of the value of fostering a public service which both understands and values the information it creates and uses.  

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Transformational Government enabled by knowledge and information – pragmatic experiences from a Whitehall department
Karen Pile
Director of Information Strategy and Services (CIO)
Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR)
UK Government

Presentation synopsis
Modern Government’s reliance and investment in knowledge and information provides great potential value to be unlocked (within government, across government, to the customer, to the wider economy).

All government organisations have a strategic imperative to:

•  Re-evaluate processes developed to fit existing culture and traditional ways of working, and re-focus on desired outcomes
•  Embrace the pace/implications/potential of technological change, and maximise the value of IT investment to support Transformation Government
•  Focus on the evolving customer expectations to reuse and share information
•  Capture and manage information effectively and securely (locating information with ease - duplicating and re-inventing the wheel no longer exists!)
•  Ensure decision making and public services are based on all known information which is accurate and properly protected
•  Unite and re-focus the information professional structures

The creation of a Knowledge Council following a proposal by the UK National Archives (TNA) to lead the above and act as the focal point for the initiation and development of information and knowledge management matters has been fundamental to transforming good ideas into practical tools and solutions.

BERR’s responses to the above strategic imperatives are pragmatic and practical. Translation of broader government requirements to on the ground relevant actions has been approached through the development of strong leadership and ‘at the coal face’ information change agents.

How BERR works within the overall framework for delivering robust, secure ‘at your fingertips’ information was set out, sharing lessons learnt. Specifically the experiences of BERR’s own Knowledge Council and network of Information Managers and Group Information Mangers was to suggest answers to the key questions the National IM Skills Summit set for itself.

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Meeting information management capacity through skills development
Graham Fry
Division Manager, Australian Government Information Management Office
Department of Finance and Deregulation
Australian Government

Presentation synopsis

1. The value of IM within government;
   Efficient and effective management of information is a cornerstone of successful government.

   Through the AGIMO the Australian Government seeks to make Australia a leader in the productive application of information and communication technologies (ICT) to government administration and services.

   The presentation discussed the importance of IM in decision making processes, enabling efficient government administration, and in the delivery of services to citizens.

2. Explore Key Strategic IM challenges in an e-Government environment:
   Governments in all jurisdictions face both common and unique challenges in meeting the objectives of their e-Government strategies.

   Delivering connected government, addressing security and privacy requirements, and the accessibility and delivery of information are issues to be addressed at all levels of government.

   The presentation highlighted the Australian Government’s e-Government Strategy and outlined its response to meeting the challenges in this sector.

3. How is the Australian Government addressing the ICT Skills shortage within the Australian Public Service?
   Principal amongst issues facing the development of government programs is the national skills shortage in the ICT Sector.

   The Australian government has developed a range of initiatives to promote ICT careers and address the skills shortage in the Australian Public Service.

   The initiatives discussed included the ongoing Australian Public Service Graduate program, ICT Apprenticeships and mentoring programs, and outline the Australian Government’s new ICT Cadetship Program, to commence in 2009.

Spatial information, a strategic intangible asset of great value
Warwick Watkins
Director General and Surveyor General
Department of Lands
NSW Government

Presentation synopsis
The increasing focus and understanding of the value and application of spatial information datasets has seen it move from a public focus with strong technological alignment to one that is value-adding to other industries as it enables information to underpin sound policy, planning and operational activities. A recent study by ACIL Tasman has confirmed the spatial information industry as a major contributor to the Australian economy, generating revenue of $1.37 billion in 2006-2007 and contributing between $6.4 billion and $12.6 billion to Gross Domestic Product.

The federal system of governance, overlaid with the mosaic of funding, research and development and institutional frameworks, necessitates that we have an appropriate integrated structure of identification, storage and retrieval of knowledge. Without this coordinated approach there will continue to be a sub-optimal return from financial and human capital knowledge investments. Therefore, our ability to recognise, appropriately record and value these and other related intangible assets will greatly influence our collective success as businesses and the impact on the economy and society, at large.

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Using authoritative information to enable government transformation- the New Zealand approach
Laurence Millar
Deputy Commissioner and Government Chief Executive Officer
State Services Commission
New Zealand Government

Presentation synopsis
New Zealand is developing better knowledge and use of government’s authoritative data sources as a priority.

The project will list the government’s authoritative sources, with particular focus on those which are well managed and available for reuse.  Agencies will be expected to adjust their systems and processes to reuse rather than collect the same information again.

Lack of awareness is seen as a significant barrier to the reuse of authoritative data, and an important area of work is to raise awareness of the list to a wide range of people that could use it. By understanding what prevents information sharing, we expect to be able to address these issues with special projects, finding ways of dismantling any ‘Berlin Walls’. 

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Impact of skills shortages in Government
Bruce Wilson
Commission Chief Executive
Public Service Commission
Queensland Government

Presentation synopsis
With 220,000 employees, the Queensland Public Service is the largest employer in Queensland.  Given that the range and diversity of occupations is far reaching, the challenges presented by an ageing workforce and a tightening labor market are daunting.

An environmental scan indicates that potentially, skill shortages could impact upon key government services such as human service delivery and capital works programs. 

The challenges facing government and the action being taken to deal with these at a number of levels across government were outlined.

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IM skills shortages in Queensland

Janet Prowse
Director and State Archivist, Queensland State Archives
Department of Public Works
Queensland Government

Presentation synopsis
The presentation highlighted the findings of the Information Management Skills Survey that was conducted prior to the Summit. 

The survey, which was jointly commissioned by Queensland State Archives and the Office of Economic and Statistical Research aimed to provide insight into the current and future information management challenges and associated capability issues facing the Queensland public sector. 

The size of the respondent’s organisations varied from under 100 to more than 3,000 full time employees.  The results highlighted there is no single view of what IM is and what it encompasses across government.  However, the results were useful, in that they provide us with a ‘snapshot’ of information management skills shortages in the Queensland public sector.

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eResearch – where ICT meets knowledge
Rhys Francis
Executive Director
Australian eResearch Infrastructure Council

Presentation Synopsis
Today’s research challenges are complex and global; including problems such as climate change, sustaining ecologies and the environment, predicting and living with extreme geological activity, managing disaster reduction and security, improving the health of our population and containing infectious disease.

Such problems demand profound understanding of complex systems that cannot be achieved by isolated departmental or institutional efforts.

The collaborative approach to research, involving different but complementary disciplines and supported by advanced IT, is termed eResearch.

Transitioning from research to eResearch is challenging to researchers and research organisations, but necessary:

• Challenging because research is traditionally competitive
• Necessary because today’s research challenges cannot be solved by individuals

Therefore research needs new skills both when applying ICT to research and when using ICT for research. In essence, research has traditionally been carried out in a knowledge poor environment, whereas ICT is transforming research to an activity to be undertaken in a knowledge rich environment.

This presentation reviewed these trends and the nature of the challenges facing research as an example of a traditional knowledge industry confronting change.

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