Innovative practices in Bulgaria
Sharing innovations for improving local self-government
The Modern Municipality - a Municipality of Good Communications
Varna Municipality
Background
The Municipality of Varna is one of the Bulgarian municipalities, which have committed themselves to being an effective and friendly provider of information and services to citizens.
The existing regulation documents require access to information in many cases of providing services to the city districts. The activities of various institutions are rarely highly coordinated. Access to information is needed also by different departments within and outside the Municipality. Officials have to lose time and money to obtain information about events and decisions within the competency of other bodies.
The Municipality of Varna is one of the Bulgarian municipalities, which have committed themselves to being an effective and friendly provider of information and services to citizens.
The existing regulation documents require access to information in many cases of providing services to the city districts. The activities of various institutions are rarely highly coordinated. Access to information is needed also by different departments within and outside the Municipality. Officials have to lose time and money to obtain information about events and decisions within the competency of other bodies.
Practice
The Municipality of Varna, on the basis of a mutual agreement, has created access to the database of the Notary, which on its part, through exchange of data with the municipal databases is updated continuously. Specialized software and a modem on the dial-up line allows for check ups of notary registered documents, property and real estate contracts.
Another project implemented by the Municipality of Varna has lead to establishing links with the city districts by giving them access to the municipality databases being created or to those available already. After conducting studies and tests, and having in mind the communications available, the existing database, the speed of transfer and the quality of lines, the BreezeNet cordless communication is selected. Its advantage lies in the speed of 3 Mbit/S, which is the perfect speed for the existing applications (one of which is the a client-server). Taking into account the high initial investments it is suggested that the network be built in stages. For the first stages, districts with larger population, quality equipment and computers and a convenient location with respect to the municipality are preferred, i.e. more services are covered with less resources for a larger number of residents.
To avoid errors in the mass passportization, complete computer control is maintained over the data input by citizens when filing a declaration, through the external terminals of the district police departments. The aim of each party is to reduce to a minimum the possibility of introducing erroneous information and to free the processing technology from unnecessary or redundant input of information. The Municipality of Varna, with the agreement of the Regional Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has opened its own work stations in the District Police Departments, where they process the certificates issued. The aim is for the information to be input at the points where the event takes place, to avoid introducing errors in the transfer of information between institutions. In the beginning of 1995, with the cooperation of the Local Government Initiative Program and the United States Agency for International Development, the Municipality of Varna obtained electronic mail and a little later access to the Internet. The system has subsequently expanded to cover the whole municipality network and districts. With the establishing of a noncommutable full access to the Internet, the number of users has progressively increased. It is used for internal information, exchange of information between GIS working groups, information for and from the WTC chain. The possibilities for working in the Internet was additionally introduced at the end of 1998, with a 64 Kbit channel. The line is ISDN, and the access is established by a synchronic channel through one of the highest quality routers of middle class CISCO 2501 with the possibility for backup line.
The problems solved throughout the project implementation can be classified in three basic groups:
- financial problems were primarily solved through active participation in international programs and access to EC funds;
- organizational problems were settled through bilateral mutually beneficial agreements and information exchange between institutions;
- technological problems were solved with the active participation of the implementing firm in the modification of the development decisions for the communication network (the leading condition being cost effectiveness).
The Municipality of Varna, on the basis of a mutual agreement, has created access to the database of the Notary, which on its part, through exchange of data with the municipal databases is updated continuously. Specialized software and a modem on the dial-up line allows for check ups of notary registered documents, property and real estate contracts.
Another project implemented by the Municipality of Varna has lead to establishing links with the city districts by giving them access to the municipality databases being created or to those available already. After conducting studies and tests, and having in mind the communications available, the existing database, the speed of transfer and the quality of lines, the BreezeNet cordless communication is selected. Its advantage lies in the speed of 3 Mbit/S, which is the perfect speed for the existing applications (one of which is the a client-server). Taking into account the high initial investments it is suggested that the network be built in stages. For the first stages, districts with larger population, quality equipment and computers and a convenient location with respect to the municipality are preferred, i.e. more services are covered with less resources for a larger number of residents.
To avoid errors in the mass passportization, complete computer control is maintained over the data input by citizens when filing a declaration, through the external terminals of the district police departments. The aim of each party is to reduce to a minimum the possibility of introducing erroneous information and to free the processing technology from unnecessary or redundant input of information. The Municipality of Varna, with the agreement of the Regional Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has opened its own work stations in the District Police Departments, where they process the certificates issued. The aim is for the information to be input at the points where the event takes place, to avoid introducing errors in the transfer of information between institutions. In the beginning of 1995, with the cooperation of the Local Government Initiative Program and the United States Agency for International Development, the Municipality of Varna obtained electronic mail and a little later access to the Internet. The system has subsequently expanded to cover the whole municipality network and districts. With the establishing of a noncommutable full access to the Internet, the number of users has progressively increased. It is used for internal information, exchange of information between GIS working groups, information for and from the WTC chain. The possibilities for working in the Internet was additionally introduced at the end of 1998, with a 64 Kbit channel. The line is ISDN, and the access is established by a synchronic channel through one of the highest quality routers of middle class CISCO 2501 with the possibility for backup line.
The problems solved throughout the project implementation can be classified in three basic groups:
- financial problems were primarily solved through active participation in international programs and access to EC funds;
- organizational problems were settled through bilateral mutually beneficial agreements and information exchange between institutions;
- technological problems were solved with the active participation of the implementing firm in the modification of the development decisions for the communication network (the leading condition being cost effectiveness).
Results
The technological solution selected helps avoid the low speed of the hired lines, the monthly charges, the poor quality of connections and the dependence on the provider. Substantial funds are saved for Internet subscription. As a result a large group of users acquire quality services. The citizens can obtain complete information from the location they are in (especially regarding municipal services).
A fundamental result from this project is the fact that the Municipality of Varna is currently the only municipality in Bulgaria capable of providing such services to its districts and related institutions such as the Notary, Water and Sewage Systems, the Regional Directorates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and District Police Departments.
The technological solution selected helps avoid the low speed of the hired lines, the monthly charges, the poor quality of connections and the dependence on the provider. Substantial funds are saved for Internet subscription. As a result a large group of users acquire quality services. The citizens can obtain complete information from the location they are in (especially regarding municipal services).
A fundamental result from this project is the fact that the Municipality of Varna is currently the only municipality in Bulgaria capable of providing such services to its districts and related institutions such as the Notary, Water and Sewage Systems, the Regional Directorates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and District Police Departments.
[Nominate]
back