ISSUE No. 1/1999

Client-Server Technology In The Municipal IT System

by Vassilka Sirachevska, Head of IT Department, Municipality of Blagoevgrad

Every municipal administration daily faces many complex tasks connected with planning, financing and control of various activities; planning and development of the municipal territory and of its constituent population centers; municipal property management; privatization, etc.

The municipal IT system is designed to meet two main objectives. On the one hand, it is a basic operational instrument of the municipal administration. The capacity of the IT system largely determines the effective work of the individual units of the municipality and the quality of services provided to the citizens. On the other, the municipal IT system is a basic information link of the administrative and management structure of the state. It must efficiently give/receive information to/from a large number of users: regional administrations, ministries, the Council of Ministers, the Presidency, state institutions and agencies, firms and citizens.

Due to the diverse nature of tasks, the municipal IT system provides services containing a large amount of data, which varies in nature, structure and purpose.

At the current stage, the activities of some municipal departments are automated by means of software products, which operate under DOS. Although most of the software products have network functions, the automated exchange of information between them is hampered. Since the software products are developed by different institutions, some of the information is duplicated, and it is difficult to update it in a consistent manner.

The right strategy, which should be followed in order to put in place a municipal IT system, and which is currently used in Blagoevgrad, is to create "multi-layer client-server" applications. Without going into detail, one should emphasise that the "client-server" technology makes it possible for one "server" to operate with many "clients". This corresponds to the nature of the daily activities of performed by the municipal administration.

The use of the "client-server" technology is reflected in the separation into an independent subsystem of the software, which is being used for different tasks. Each subsystem operates as a client-server application, and can, therefore, provide data and services to the other subsystems in the municipality.

The selected technology allows for the stored data to be simultaneously used by a large number of users, depending on their right to access.

The chart below shows examples of three IT systems operating in the Municipality of Blagoevgrad.

[Client] [Client] [Client]

[Ethernet]

[Server SQL / WWW] [WWW Client]

[Licenses Data Base] [Filing and Task Management "SATS"[1] Data Base] [WWW Applications Data Base]

The Filing and Task Management (SATS) Data Base allows all the staff of the municipal departments to simultaneously access and exchange information. The data base uses Axter-Office software. The data base enables the performance of the following functions:

registration of incoming and outgoing documents;

forwarding a document to the respective official(s), and description of his/her tasks;

task execution in accordance with technological charts;

monitoring of task implementation;

registration of provided services;

registration of new tasks and documents that result from the execution of current tasks;

maintaining a link between related documents;

assigning new tasks and monitoring their implementation.

The system makes it possible to check documents and to supervise the execution of tasks. It is particularly strict in regard to the rights to access and to the sequence of operations; consequently, all the actions within the system are controlled, and any change or data entry can be traced back to the specialist who has made it. Different levels of access to the data are allowed, depending on the position and authority of the respective municipal specialist.

Through the Licenses Data Base activities related to the provision of services to individuals and companies, e.g. issue and control of documents such as licenses, permits, certificates or penalty statements, is being automated. The Licenses Data Base operates by means of Axter "Municipal Licenses" software. The software can perform the following operations:

issue licenses using a special technology;

input data about reports, and issue construction permits, penalty statements and orders;

information about licenses, construction permits (paid or unpaid), etc.

The data base maintains information about firms, sites and issued licenses as well as data about issued construction permits..

The information is protected against unauthorised access.

The Third Data Base allows to further develop the potential of the existing IT system so as to permit remote and immediate access by citizens to information about the municipality and to the services it provides. It is realised on the basis of WWW client-server technologies.

The principal tasks that the system can resolve are:

to publish decisions and documents of the Municipal Council on the Internet;

to offer detailed information about public services and the period for their execution;

to provide other useful information for the citizens.

The Municipality of Blagoevgrad will soon adapt other applications (currently DOS-applications) for work with the "client-server" technology in WINDOWS.

The Municipality of Blagoevgrad has started along the road to information society by introducing a unified information environment for the municipal administration, and by "opening" it to a larger circle of users through INTERNET-INTRANET technologies.

The municipal administration is open to sharing the achievements in greater detail with colleagues from the country who take interest in the IT system.

For more information:

Vassilka Sirachevska

Tel.: (073) 2-60-03

e-mail: [email protected]