Open Platform for Government Resources (FR0020)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: France, First Action Plan, 2015-2017
Action Plan Cycle: 2015
Status:
Institutions
Lead Institution: Prime Minister’s Office; Ministry of State for State Reform and Simplification attached to the Prime Minister
Support Institution(s): NA
Policy Areas
IRM Review
IRM Report: France End-of-Term Report 2015-2017, France Mid-Term Progress Report 2015-2017
Early Results: Did Not Change
Design i
Verifiable: Yes
Relevant to OGP Values: No
Ambition (see definition): Low
Implementation i
Description
STAKES
Technological strategies of Internet giants demonstrate the benefits, for an organization, of approaches that are centered on openness, interoperability and agile systems that are focused on user-experience and on meeting users’ needs, without hampering power and security.
Inspired by the principles of "Government as a platform", the "Government as a Platform and
France Connect" strategy consists in undertaking a major technological transformation in order to facilitate access to data, the interoperability of systems and the reuse of developments made in the public sphere.
These principles offer new prospects because they unleash innovation in creating and designing new services, both for individuals and for companies.
CONTEXT & AIM
By working on the opening and interoperability of their own systems, administrations themselves become a resource for other administrations. This approach goes beyond central administrations: welfare governmental administrators and local authorities must be fully involved in this effort. Furthermore, other players from civil society – companies, the associative sector – may contribute to enhancing the range of services. This strategy is notably carried out by combining the publication, in open data, of public information that is not re-identifying and not subject to legal secrecy, the application of user control over personal data and the generalized construction of interfaces (API) to provide access to data or services already made available. The Secretary General for Government Modernization (SGMAP) has submitted this strategy for public consultation, notably in the context of the consultation organized by the French Digital Council and, on June 18th 2015, has opened the website Etatplateforme.gouv.fr. This platform encourages the creation of more open and collaborative public online services. The "France Connect" module is an essential component of this strategy, respecting informational self-determination principle. It will allow users to choose a digital identity guaranteed by the State and associated with levels of trust aligned with the European eIDAS28 regulation. Access to all digital public services, or even more, will be facilitated according to the principles of the "single-sign-on" (SSO). Above all, thanks to this recognized identification mechanism, users will also control their own data exchanged between the various administrations or civil society players involved. Following the example of the simplification program "Dites Le Nous une Fois" (DLNuF or “Provide it once”), the first corollary is that a user – as an individual or a representative of a legal entity – will no longer have to present substantiating documents already known and produced by public organizations. The implementation of the Government as a Platform strategy will spread throughout each ministry. For example, as part of the digital plan for education within the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research, the development of the digital ecosystem between teachers, pupils and parents will follow this platform strategy principle, in order to offer a reliable, easy-to use system facilitating cooperation between teachers, and to ensure that this ecosystem is open to all suppliers of digital content and services in an equitable manner, while guaranteeing the protection of students’ personal data as well as the portability of their data and of their digital productions. Digital mechanisms implemented under this plan will follow these architectural principles, based on open APIs.
ROADMAP
• Validate the strategic framework "Government as a Platform and France Connect" and apply its main principles during the year 2015 in the general reference systems or standards documents issued by the DISIC (Interministerial Directorate for Information and Communications Systems)
• Launch France Connect on the portal http://www.service-public.fr/langue/english/
- The France Connect project will hold first trials in autumn 2015, followed by a launch in January 2016 on the portal http://www.service-public.fr (several million users)
- Generalization will take place from 2016
• Launch public forge on Etatplateforme.gouv.fr website, along with a repository of open API before the end of the 2015 year, in order to encourage the creation, in a collaborative manner, of new public services
• Launch several cycles of awareness-raising for the development of APIs and the creation of new services amongst actors in the public sphere and its partners
IRM End of Term Status Summary
17. Transform government's technological resources into an open platform
Commitment Text:
ROADMAP
1 Validate the strategic framework 'Government as a Platform and France Connect' and apply its main principles during the year 2015 in the general reference systems or standards documents issued by the DISIC (Interministerial Directorate for Information and Communications Systems)
2 Launch France Connect on the portal http://www.service-public.fr/langue/english/
- The France Connect project will hold first trials in autumn 2015, followed by a launch in January 2016 on the portal http://www.service-public.fr (several million users)
- Generalization will take place from 2016
3 Launch public forge on Etatplateforme.gouv.fr website, along with a repository of open API before the end of the 2015 year, in order to encourage the creation, in a collaborative manner, of new public services
4 Launch several cycles of awareness-raising for the development of APIs and the creation of new services amongst actors in the public sphere and its partners
Editorial Note: This is a partial version of the commitment text. For the full commitment text please see France's national action plan: https://bit.ly/2MTYhsR.
Responsible Institutions: Prime Minister's Office; Ministry of State for State Reform and Simplification attached to the Prime Minister
Supporting Institution(s): N/A
Start Date:Not Specified
End Date:Not Specified
Commitment Aim
This commitment aimed to develop digital services as well as put in place an e-government state portal. France Connect is a tool that is meant to allow users (individuals and representatives of legal entities) to obtain a state-granted digital identity, which can be used to access all digital public services with a secure single sign-on. This tool allows access to various administrative services online without having to create separate accounts.
The envisioned activities were e-government initiatives that simplify access to online public services. While these are important measures for integrating and harmonising government-held information across government institutions, the commitment does not clearly articulate how these efforts will open the government by disclosure of more public interest information, or how it creates opportunities for civic participation or public accountability.
Status
Midterm: Substantial
This commitment was substantially implemented by the midterm. The strategic framework, “Government as a Platform and France Connect,” was validated by a 20 April 2016 decree.[Note141: “Arrêté du 20 avril 2016 portant approbation du référentiel général d'interopérabilité” (Legifrance, 2016), https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/arrete/2016/4/20/PRMJ1526716A/jo.] A final version of the general interoperability framework was made available online on 27 April 2016. A decree authorised the launch of France Connect in July 2015 and, after a pilot phase, France Connect was launched officially on 29 June 2016 by the Secretary of State for Reform and Simplification and the Digital State Secretary. In addition, the api.gouv.fr portal, which registers all APIs that were developed the services using these APIs, was launched on 21 June 2016.
The last milestone of this commitment, regarding the awareness-raising activities, was the only milestone not considered completed by the midterm. According to the government self-assessment, a special tool named ATENA (dispositif d'Accompagnement à la Transformation Numérique des Administrations) that accompanies new digital services was created in 2015.
End of Term: Complete
This commitment is now considered fully implemented. Most milestones had already been completed by the midterm. The government self-assessment indicates that information and awareness-raising events are organised on a monthly basis.
In addition to raising-awareness, efforts have been made to develop new tools and APIs to facilitate access to certain services. The self-assessment indicates that 70 relevant projects aiming at creating new services had been identified through the ATENA (dispositif d'Accompagnement à la Transformation Numérique des Administrations) tool. More information can be found on the ATENA blog.[Note142: Avilable at: http://atena.blog/index.php/2017/02/16/atena-letat-plateforme-en-action/.] Twenty projects received financial support from “Investing in the Future” programmes through the “Digital identity and user relationship” and “Tell us once” calls for projects.
Did It Open Government?
Access to Information: Did Not Change
Civic Participation: Did Not Change
Public Accountability: Did Not Change
This commitment sought to develop digital services and facilitate citizens access to public services. Its envisioned activities are e-government initiatives and not immediately relevant to OGP values. The government successfully implemented the milestones of this commitment, but they do not contribute to improving access to information as no new information has been disclosed. Nor do they facilitate civic participation or public accountability. Etalab noted that this commitment's activities can help open government, for example, by changing administration procedures and improving their collaboration through APIs.[Note143: Member of the Etalab team, interview with IRM researcher, 23 Oct. 2017.]
Carried Forward?
This commitment was carried over to the next action plan, with a focus on further development of the France Connect platform and the development of priority public services on the platform.