Spanish Senate
Towards the e-S E N A TE
A Review of the Projects that Bring Us
Closer to The Digital Parliament
Parli@ments on the Net XI: Realising the Digital Parliament
London, 2-3 May 2013
Chronological Evolution
2009
The beginning of Parliament’s digital management.
Parliamentary information in digital displays.
2010
Electronical interoperability with the Government.
2011
New push for digital Parliament. The beginning of the X Legislature.
New management applications to remove the paper.
Mobile devices for parliamentary activity.
2012
The digital parliament: Transparency and Citizen participation by means of the website.
More steps to eliminate the paper.
2013
Future Plans
Launch of the Intranet
•
Collaborative space for sharing and
publishing contents.
•
Decreases the movement of paper
documents from one office to
another.
•
Access to digital media.
•
News and advertisements are
published only in electronic format.
•
Reduces internal email traffic.
•
Digital forms for each subject: social or economic matters, computer, furniture or other
needs, foreign languages classes and so on.
•
Digital Stationery. Unique site storage of all digital forms used in the Senate.
2009
The beginning of Parliament’s digital
Digital Signage
• Different sized screens:
50´´ in the main entrances to
the building
42´´ in the rest.
• The system is also composed by
Spinetix HMP100 players.
• They are connected to the
computer network of the
Senate and to the screens.
• There are also 2 application
servers installed in the DPC,
where the app is set up.
2009
Parliamentary information in digital displays
Digital Signage
• The screen at the entrance of each
room shows the parlamentary and
institutional information related to
the events that will take place there
during the day.
• The screens installed at the corridors
and main entrances to the building
show the Senate’s weekly diary.
2009
Screen at the entrance of Manuel Broseta room
Screen installed in one of the main corridors
Electronic process of parliamentary issues
Electronic Registry
•
It was created to facilitate the electronic processing of parliamentary issues and electronic access of
citizens to public services.
Submission of the Questions to the Government
•
MP writes and signs electronically the question
using the signing certificate provided by the
Senate.
•
The application sends the question to the
Government using Web Services technology.
•
The Government's response is received in the Intranet, personalized for each Senator and, published
on the website automatically.
•
New subjects have been added to the system: amendments to parliamentary bills, ask for reports
from the Government. Others will be added in the near future.
2010February
The Government
The Senate
Interoperability between the Senate and the Government
Electronic process of parliamentary issues
2010February
Interoperability between the Senate and the Government
Electronic process of parliamentary issues: the numbers
Figures and technical data
• The exchange of information is done with web services technology
operated in a java platform in the Senate and in a Microsoft platform in
the Government.
• In the current legislature (15 months) 15,600 questions, 174 report
requests and nearly 8,300 amendments grouped into 334 lots have been
sent to the Government.
• The Senate received more than 2,500 documents attached, of an average
size of 530KB.
• The system was developed in 2009 and it is in service since February 2010.
2010February
Interoperability between the Senate and the Government
Electronic Publication of the Official Bulletin
and the Journal of Sittings and Committees
• This system was developed by the Senate’s staff and became operational on
January 1st 2011.
• The Official Bulletin and the Journal of Sittings and Committees drafts are
published on the intranet, and since the new website’s launch they are also
posted there.
• The word documents are sent to the digital printing system, using the same
application and get back to the Senate as a PDF file ready to be published.
• The Bulletin is electronically signed by a cetificated authority and then it is
published on the website.
• The Journal is not digitally signed so it is published on the website directly.
2011 January
New management applications that eliminate the paper
Electronic publication of the Official Bulletin
and the Journal of Sittings and Committees
Responsible person at
the Official Bulletin
1
Parliamentary texts
management system (…)
Other backoffice
systems
(human resources,
acountability…)
Text to be
published
DATABASE
Responsible person at
the Journal
2.
Official Publications
Production System
5.
3
.doc files
Signature process (6)
4
.pdf, .xml files
Senate’s website
Digital printing service
Electronic Publication of the Official Bulletin
and the Journal of Sittings and Committees
•
Advantages of PDF documents:
Ecological
Economic
Higher speed access to information
•
PDF/A files, used for long term conservation (ISO 19005-1:2005)
•
XML files with the whole content of each publication
•
Signed PDF files with time stamping only used in The Official Bulletin
2011 January
New management applications that eliminate the paper
The beginning of the X Legislature
accelerates the process of digitalization
•
We made a web application to collect senators’ data before coming to the
Senate.
•
The senators received a Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 tablet to be connected
and operative everywhere.
•
The tablet is used more and more since we are including new services
usefull for MP’s.
•
We prepared an application to register in the Senate parliamentary issues
using the tablet. This gives more mobility for working to MP’s.
2011 November
New push for digital Parliament
Internet System to Collect Senators’ Data
•
A web application has been created to allow senators to fill their
personal, parliamentary and economic data from home or wherever
he or she is.
•
Data is electronically signed by a Senator and stored in a temporary
database. Then the information is distributed to each department
concerned for its internal management.
•
Finally, the information is
displayed on the website.
2011 November
New management applications to eliminate the paper
Internet System to Collect Senators’ Data
• Updating data is also made with the same method in a simple way.
• The MP access to the application through the Senate Intranet.
• The data is displayed almost immediately on the Senate website,
providing citizens access to improve transparency.
• The data includes the register of interests, activities, assets and incomes.
2011 November
New management applications to eliminate the paper
Internet System to Collect Senators’ Data
Senator
Parliamentary Group
Information Departament
Website
The plenary sitting electronically managed
• Full management of the plenary
sitting to report in real time what
is happening in it.
• The information is displayed on the website, in the digital signage and
on the intranet.
• The system can incorporate any paper document that is filled in or
after the plenary sitting. The document is scanned and then it is
electronically registred and stored in the system to be displayed as
soon as posible on the website.
2011 November
New management applications to eliminate the paper
Application for android tablets
to check, sign and send parliamentary Issues
2011 November
•
It is an adaptation of the application used in the PC
since February 2010.
•
This adaptation only has the functionality to check and
sign the parliamentary issues that MP wants to register
and send to the Government.
•
Other advantage is that can be done anywhere: at
home, on the train, at the airport .. Keep in mind that
the senators have to travel from their home to the
Senate every week so they spend a lot of time in
transit.
•
The application is made for operating system platform
Android and devices Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
New management applications to eliminate the paper
Technical Details of the System
•
Web services to communicate with the internal system.
•
Server java application with HTML 5.
•
Client Android application with a component to sign.
•
Shielded storage of the private key for assymmetryc
cryptography in the tablet.
2011 November
New management applications to eliminate the paper
Current website
•
Inaugurated on November 2012.
•
Oriented to bring the Senate to
citizens, with new channels of
participation and improving the
transparency services.
•
Accessible to disabled people.
•
Available in all the official
languages of Spain and English.
•
Use modern technology.
2012November
Electronic communication between the Senate and the citizens
The Citizens and the Senate in touch
through the website
• In many pages are incorporated icons to share information in social networks
like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin or e-mail
2012November
Electronic communication between the Senate and the citizens
The Citizens and the Senate in touch
through the website
• Forms have been created to allow the citizens to write to the Speaker, to MP’s, to Committees and to
Parliamentary Groups.
• Suggestions and complaints are received and they are distributed electronically to the appropriate
Senate’s department who manages them.
• There has been internal
infrastructure to respond to the
writings of citizens as quickly and
with much information as possible.
• All applications for accreditation to
attend plenary sittings, committees
and other parliamentary or
institutional events are received and
managed electronically from the
website (the citizens) to the
administrative people into the
Senate.
2012November
Electronic communication between the Senate and the citizens
Website
Specifications
•
The new website is made using
Oracle Universal Content Management System
Oracle Secure Enterprise Search
•
The pages are made in J2EE architecture with PL/SQL (SQL extension for
Oracle) functions and formated by CSS. It allows to separate the
presentation layer from the access to data layer
•
The data is stored in Oracle databases and BRS documentary databases
system
2012November
Electronic communication between the Senate and the citizens
Mobile applications for Android tablets
• Subscription to the
Spanish press
Since January 2013 the
subscription to Spanish
press has been replaced
by a digital subscription
to them.
2013January
More steps to eliminate the paper
Future Projects
•
APPs for MPs and citizens in
mobile devices (Android and IOS)
•
Mobile device management and
storage in the "cloud“
•
Changes in the video system to
broadcast in H.264 format, share
videos in social networks, etc.
•
Add the Full text in archive
documents (images) to be used by
search engines
•
Improving of functionalities of
Intranet and website
Infrastructure projects:
• New X86 virtual central servers;
new audio and voting system into
the plenary sitting hall
• Improving of security: new web
application firewall, perimeter
firewall, etc.
• Improve and expand the recording
management and distribution of
electronic documents
2013
2014, 2015, …
Thank you for your attention
Silvia Octavio Espíndola
silvia.octavio@senado.es
http://www.senado.es
Spanish Senate’s website