PloneGov

Across the world several million local governments, cities, regions and public administrations are facing the same situations and challenges in terms of e-government. So why not unite their efforts?

The PloneGov initiative ([www.plone.org]) is a collaborative software ecosystem, where government organizations, non-profits and the private sector, work together to share the cost of enhanced capabilities. The larger the community that shares the applications, the more potential benefits derived by each participant. Improvements to the software may be provided or funded by any organization. All participating organizations benefit from any one’s contributions at no additional cost and with no restrictions.

The objective is to deliver tools for public administrations and on-line web services to citizens most effectively and efficiently by reducing or eliminating the duplication of effort between localities through sharing and collaboration. PloneGov enable governments to benefit from greater technological independence and together build tools that are truly suited to their own needs.

PloneGov success results from a close collaboration between public organizations, open source communities and Zea Partners, an international non-profit network for SMEs building open source solutions. Initiated by small towns, PloneGov is open to all type of collaborations. It already reaches cities, regions, parliaments and administrations. Truly international, the project currently has its centre of gravity in Europe and spans over 4 continents reaching more than 20 countries.

The PloneGov initiative ([www.plone.org]) meets in several ways EU strategic objectives on eGovernment as defined in e2010 renewed Lisbon initiative and, because of its close interaction with innovative SMEs, with the European Small Business act. More globally, it is closely in line with the policies of international bodies as the United Nations or the WorldBank.