Central Switzerland Obwalden administrations receive digital platform
The Obwalden cantonal government wants to make progress with digitalization. It plans to spend CHF 11.5 million on this between 2025 and 2028. The centerpiece is a digital platform for the canton and municipalities.
09.07.2024, 08:13
09.07.2024, 10:06
SDA
The cantonal government has drawn up a digital strategy for the attention of the cantonal council, as announced on Tuesday. It justified this with the profound change in the world of work caused by the new technologies.
In the report on the strategy, the cantonal government stated that Obwalden is "already very digital in many areas". Nevertheless, further development requires a strategy that goes beyond individual projects and encompasses all areas in a coherent manner.
Enabling easy digital access
The Government Council developed the 2025 to 2028 digital strategy together with the Obwalden and Nidwalden IT Performance Center (ILZ). The aim is to provide the population and businesses of Obwalden with easy access to digital services, it announced. Business processes are therefore being digitalized and digitalization further anchored in the administration.
Where possible, administrative services should be available digitally and around the clock in future. The core of the electronic administration (e-government) is an "OW platform", the government council announced.
All digital services of the canton and municipalities will be accessible on the planned platform. According to the report, the public sector currently offers its digital services via separate access points. In future, there should only be a single access point for customers.
Ongoing expansion
As soon as the platform is created, the various services will be linked to it. The range of digital services can thus be continuously expanded, the report said.
However, the government council also pointed out in the press release that the benefits of the digital transformation would also be offset by considerable costs. It anticipates expenditure of CHF 11.5 million over the next four years.
It is therefore necessary to weigh up the costs and benefits in each case, the government council explained in the press release. The chosen strategy is therefore a pragmatic approach tailored to the needs of Obwalden.
New position required
Obwalden will require additional personnel resources to implement the strategy. E-Government is assigned to the Department of Finance. However, the report states that there is a lack of personnel and expertise for a project of the planned scale.
The Cantonal Council is expected to be able to take note of the strategy at the end of October. The additional position will be submitted to parliament with the 2025 budget.
