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France

Streamline Data Flows (FR0040)

Overview

At-a-Glance

Action Plan: France Action Plan 2018-2020

Action Plan Cycle: 2018

Status: Active

Institutions

Lead Institution: Minister of State for the Digital Sector, attached to the Prime Minister

Support Institution(s): All ministries

Policy Areas

E-Government, Open Data, Public Service Delivery, Records Management, Science & Technology

IRM Review

IRM Report: France Design Report 2018-2020

Starred: Pending IRM Review

Early Results: Pending IRM Review

Design i

Verifiable: Yes

Relevant to OGP Values: Access to Information , Technology

Potential Impact:

Implementation i

Completion: Pending IRM Review

Description

Streamline data flows within the State with FranceConnect Plateforme
Lead institution(s):
Minister of State for the Digital Sector, attached to the Prime Minister
Other stakeholders:
All ministries
New commitment
OGP principles with which the commitment is associated:
Innovation and technology for openness
Challenges
By 2022, all of the public authorities, at national and local level alike, will be using the components and services of the technical infrastructure FranceConnect Plateforme to deliver secure, simple, personalised, completely digital services which guarantee procedural traceability and respect of fundamental freedoms. This platform is enabling the gradual, ongoing construction of a modular, reusable public information system designed to facilitate innovation and to be open to all State partners, whether public or private. It supports agile, low-cost developments, focusing efforts on the search for "business value".
Thanks to its core range of basic services:
Citizens, businesses and public officials can obtain e-identification means tailored to their needs via FranceConnect identité;
Data and services can be published with a view, on the one hand, to facilitating communication between public authorities and personalising relations with users (thereby avoiding repeat requests for supporting documents for example, applying the "dites-le nous une fois" (tell us just the once) rule), and, on the other, to enabling different developers, whether they are working within a State institution or externally, to create value-added services;
Trust can be enhanced by guaranteeing protection of data and privacy.
Ambitions
The FranceConnect Plateforme is organised into two concentric circles:
The 1st circle ("core"), comprising a basic services provision for guaranteeing the smooth running of the platform and swift delivery of the services for users and businesses (e.g. FranceConnect identité, data exchange service, data protection service);
The 2nd circle, comprising common assets: services and components characterised by their high degree of re-use by the other departments, and therefore by a high risk of disruption should the service be upgraded or become unavailable. These services include, for example,
the main APIs on the reference data (businesses, households, taxation, geodata, etc.) or the "public data service";
The FranceConnect Plateforme development pathway takes an iterative approach with the user (starting with a "minimum viable product"), enabling an incremental and collective development of services.
In this platform model, the ministries, operators and local authorities become stewards of the development of the modular public IS. They are responsible for presenting data and services for the attention of officials or the public. These services are either new modular-native services ("API First" approach) or services from legacy systems that have gone through API- fication processes.
FranceConnect Plateforme is then expected to be opened to external developers and enhanced as and when they add new contributions. It will also be possible to develop new services from available public services and data. Such services could, for example, allow user authentication via FranceConnect identité.
The road map in detail

Develop the core services of FranceConnect Plateforme, to guarantee the smooth running of the platform and swift delivery of the services for users and businesses:
The platform infrastructure;
The identification services based on FranceConnect identité
(Household, Official or Business);
The data exchange functions: internal reference frameworks,
API SEO, drawing up of contracts and authorisations,
presentation and transmission of data;
The functions bearing on protection (integrity, confidentiality,
access control, traceability and history of exchanges) and
trust;
An access interface for users and local authorities publishing
information in open-data format (number, type, geographic distribution) 2 years for the first complete operational environment (followed by continuous improvement)
Develop the priority services of common interest (minimum functional base, 2nd circle) to fast-track the development and provision of new online services, underpinning the "core" features of FranceConnect Plateforme.
In particular: APIs opening up the reference data, pooled components enabling the integration and ongoing roll-out of developments according to a DevOps mindset; universal payment "brick"; Vitam-as-a-Service (Vitam is a software program for developing a digital archiving base that can be re-used by government departments), etc. 5 years

IRM Midterm Status Summary

11. Streamline data flows within the State with FranceConnect Plateforme

Language of the commitment as it appears in the action plan:

By 2022, all of the public authorities, at national and local level alike, will be using the components and services of the technica l infrastructure FranceConnect Plateforme to deliver secure, simple, personalised, completely digital services which guarantee procedural traceability and respect of fundamental freedoms. This platform is enabling the gradual, ongoing construction of a modular, reusable public information system designed to facilitate innovation and to be open to all State partners, whether public or private. It supports agile, low-cost developments, focusing efforts on the search for "business value".

Thanks to its core range of basic services:

Citizens, businesses and public officials can obtain e-identification means tailored to their needs via FranceConnect identité;

Data and services can be published with a view, on the one hand, to facilitating communication between public authorities and personalising relations with users (thereby avoiding repeat requests for supporting documents for exam ple, applying the "dites-le nous une fois" (tell us just the once) rule), and, on the other, to enabling different developers, whether they are working within a State institution or externally, to create value-added services;

Trust can be enhanced by guaranteeing protection of data and privacy.

The FranceConnect Plateforme is organised into two concentric circles:

The 1st circle ("core"), comprising a basic services provision for guaranteeing the smooth running of the platform and swift delivery of the services for users and businesses (e.g. FranceConnect identité, data exchange service, data protection service);

The 2nd circle, comprising common assets: services and components characterised by their high degree of re-use by the other departments, and therefore by a high risk of disruption should the service be upgraded or become unavailable. These services include, for example, the main APIs on the reference data (businesses, households, taxation, geodata, etc.) or the "public data service";

The FranceConnect Plateforme development pathway takes an iterative approach with the user (starting with a "minimum viable product"), enabling an incremental and collective development of services.

In this platform model, the ministries, operators and local authorities become stewards of the development of the modular public IS. They are responsible for presenting data and services for the attention of officials or the public. These services are either new modular-native services ("API First" approach) or services from legacy systems that have gone through API- fication processes.

FranceConnect Plateforme is then expected to be opened to external developers and enhanced as and when they add new contributions. It will also be possible to develop new services from available public services and data. Such services could, for example, allow user authentication via FranceConnect identité. [49]

Milestones

11.1 Develop the core services of FranceConnect Plateforme, to guarantee the smooth running of the platform and swift delivery of the services for users and businesses:

  • The platform infrastructure;
  • The identification services based on FranceConnect identité (Household, Official or Business);
  • The data exchange functions: internal reference frameworks, API SEO, drawing up of contracts and authorisations, presentation and transmission of data;
  • The functions bearing on protection (integrity, confidentiality, access control, traceability and history of exchanges) and trust;
  • An access interface for users and local authorities publishing information in open-data format (number, type, geographic distribution)

11.2 Develop the priority services of common interest (minimum functional base, 2nd circle) to fast-track the development and provision of new online services, underpinning the "core" features of FranceConnect Plateforme.

In particular: APIs opening up the reference data, pooled components enabling the integration and ongoing roll-out of developments according to a DevOps mindset; universal payment "brick"; Vitam-as-a-Service (Vitam is a software program for developing a digital archiving base that can be re-used by government departments), etc.

Start Date: 2018

End Date: 2023

Context and Objectives

Public services online are scattered and require users to create several accounts to sign up. FranceConnect offers an “official” user authentication and allows users to access several public services in one single place. Users can request official documents, verify remaining points on a driving license, and submit a demand for financial support, among other actions. The platform fits within the government’s effort to digitalize public administration and its services. This commitment is a continuation of France’s 2015–2017 action plan, in which the government committed to testing and launching the platform. [50] This commitment aimed to strengthen the platform through several fundamental services (e.g., secure identification, data exchange) and the development of new online services.

The IRM researcher considers the commitment relevant to access to information. One of the milestones of the commitment requires the creation of a public access interface, with the publication of information in open data format. The commitment is also relevant to technology and innovation, since it requires the improvement of a digital platform.

Overall, this commitment is verifiable. The first milestone contains concrete activities to be undertaken and a list of core services that should be integrated into the platform. The second milestone is, however, vague. It only indicates that a second round of improvements will be implemented, without further information except that it should include the APIs (application programming interface) to open reference data.

In terms of the impact of the commitment, the IRM researcher deems this initiative to have a potential minor effect. This commitment seeks to develop digital services and facilitate citizens’ access to public services. The first commitment on FranceConnect was considered to have a potential moderate impact in the last IRM evaluation round. The platform is already in place, and this commitment aims to strengthen the system. Thus, the IRM researcher considers the change envisaged to be incremental and believes it would have a minor potential impact.

Next steps

The IRM researcher suggests that this commitment not be carried forward to the next action plan. Alternatively, it could be made to fit the objectives of widening access to information, improving citizen participation in public affairs, and providing citizens with the means to hold the government accountable. The action plan could also group all commitments that concern e-government and the digitalization of public services. Grouping them would make the overall strategy easier to understand. It would also streamline open government initiatives in all such commitments (e.g., linking the digitalization with the publication of performance and budget data).

[49] For a Transparent and Collaborative Government: France National Action Plan 2018–2020. https://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/France-Action-Plan-2018-2020-English.pdf (accessed on 10 January 2019).
[50] Sofia Wickberg, Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM): France End-of-Term Report 2015–2017 (Washington, DC: Open Government Partnership, 2018), https://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/France_End-of-Term_Report_2015-2017.pdf (accessed on 7 February 2019).

Commitments

  1. Transparency of Public Services

    FR0030, 2018, E-Government

  2. Transparency of Public Procurement

    FR0031, 2018, E-Government

  3. Transparency of Development Aid

    FR0032, 2018, Aid

  4. Expand Open Data

    FR0033, 2018, E-Government

  5. Improved Data Policies and Administration

    FR0034, 2018, Capacity Building

  6. Transparency of Public Algorithms

    FR0035, 2018, E-Government

  7. Open Data at Sub-National Level

    FR0036, 2018, Capacity Building

  8. State AI Lab

    FR0037, 2018, Capacity Building

  9. Administrative Capacity-Building

    FR0038, 2018, Capacity Building

  10. Public Service Incubators

    FR0039, 2018, Capacity Building

  11. Streamline Data Flows

    FR0040, 2018, E-Government

  12. Open Etat Forum

    FR0041, 2018, E-Government

  13. Online Procedures Dashboard

    FR0042, 2018, E-Government

  14. Govtech Summit

    FR0043, 2018, Capacity Building

  15. Imrove Public Consultation Mechanisms

    FR0044, 2018, E-Government

  16. International Transparency and Citizen Participation

    FR0045, 2018, Aid

  17. Public Pariticipation in Sustainable Development

    FR0046, 2018, Capacity Building

  18. Open Science

    FR0047, 2018, E-Government

  19. Citizen Involvement in Cour Des Comptes

    FR0048, 2018, Capacity Building

  20. Private Sector Transparency

    FR0049, 2018, Asset Disclosure

  21. Access to Information on Public Officials

    FR0050, 2018, Asset Disclosure

  22. Open Regional and Local Authorities' Data

    FR0001, 2015, Fiscal Transparency

  23. Publish Municipal Council Decisions and Reports Online

    FR0002, 2015, E-Government

  24. Publish Building Permits in Open Data Format

    FR0003, 2015, Open Data

  25. Starred commitment Increase Transparency in Public Procurement

    FR0004, 2015, Open Contracting and Procurement

  26. Improve Transparency in International Development Aid

    FR0005, 2015, Aid

  27. Open Access to Public Policy Evaluations

    FR0006, 2015, E-Government

  28. Involve Citizens in Cour Des Comptes Work

    FR0007, 2015, Fiscal Transparency

  29. Access to Public Officials Transparency Obligations

    FR0008, 2015, E-Government

  30. Starred commitment Beneficial Ownership

    FR0009, 2015, Beneficial Ownership

  31. Transparency in Extractive Industries

    FR0010, 2015, Extractive Industries

  32. Transparency in International Trade Commercial Negotiations

    FR0011, 2015, Labor

  33. Fix My Neighborhood

    FR0012, 2015, E-Government

  34. Digital Fix-It

    FR0013, 2015, Open Data

  35. Co-Produce Data Infrastructure with Civil Society

    FR0014, 2015, Open Data

  36. Starred commitment Open Legal Resources

    FR0015, 2015, Legislation & Regulation

  37. Reform Participatory Mechanisms

    FR0016, 2015, Public Participation

  38. Mediation and Justice

    FR0017, 2015, Judiciary

  39. Starred commitment Open and Circulate Data

    FR0018, 2015, Land & Spatial Planning

  40. Open Calculation Models and Simulators

    FR0019, 2015, Open Data

  41. Open Platform for Government Resources

    FR0020, 2015, E-Government

  42. Improve Public Services Through E-Government and User Interaction

    FR0021, 2015, E-Government

  43. Empower Civil Society to Support Schools

    FR0022, 2015, E-Government

  44. Diversify Recruitment Within Public Institutions

    FR0023, 2015, Capacity Building

  45. Culture Change

    FR0024, 2015, Capacity Building

  46. Spread Public Innovation

    FR0025, 2015, Capacity Building

  47. Starred commitment Protect Against Conflicts of Interest

    FR0026, 2015, Conflicts of Interest

  48. Civil Society & Transparency in COP21 Conference Planning

    FR0027, 2015, Environment and Climate

  49. Open Data and Climate/Sustainable Development

    FR0028, 2015, Open Data

  50. Collaborate with Civil Society on Climate and Sustainable Development

    FR0029, 2015, Environment and Climate