Information technology Canton of Aargau drives forward the digitalization of administration

The Aargau cantonal government is pushing ahead with the digitalization of services for the public and the cantonal administration. It has created the "Digital Transformation" specialist unit at the beginning of next year. The digital transformation project under the slogan "SmartAargau" was initiated five years ago.

The new specialist unit is the result of an evaluation report, as announced by the State Chancellery of Aargau on Friday. According to the report, overarching topics such as dealing with artificial intelligence must be tackled at cantonal level. This requires a new organizational and coordination structure.

The cantonal government is therefore transferring the "SmartAargau" program to the "Digital Transformation" specialist unit. This is responsible for the canton's cooperation with the municipalities and the federal government in the area of digital transformation. It also deals with topics that affect all five departments and the State Chancellery.

Digital official gazette and reference map

In organizational terms, the new specialist unit is part of the Aargau IT department in the Department of Finance and Resources. "SmartAargau" has already led to concrete projects. For example, an online platform has been set up for the cantonal official gazette - and the official gazette is no longer published on paper. And the cantonal government sends its drafts digitally to parties and interested parties for consultation.

Current projects include an archaeological site map that will be made available to the public and planning authorities. This map is intended to facilitate investigations into archaeological sites and at the same time provide an up-to-date source of information on the (pre-)history of the canton.

The cantonal and municipal authorities are also working on a project to abolish "paper notifications for foreigners".

SDA