Building an information society

Michał Koralewski: Mr. Director, what does the Information Society Department do?

Artur Kośmider: The Information Society Department in the case of the Greater Poland Voivodeship has a dual task. On one hand, it handles the ongoing operations of the Marshal’s Office, manages networks, access to resources, controls security policy,

servicing or maintaining the Public Information Bulletin along with implementing new Electronic Document Workflow systems, as well as all systems supporting the office’s work or time tracking. On the other hand, it deals with the broadly

understood implementation of the idea of an information society, a knowledge-based society, in Greater Poland.

M.K.: What does building an information society consist of?

A.K.: These activities are very complex – on one hand, we must raise the awareness of Greater Poland residents regarding the benefits brought by using modern technologies. We must convince society that using broadband networks or e-administration services

will reduce household expenses, increase time for completing other tasks, and help in professional fulfillment. This is a very difficult task because many residents of Greater Poland often have other problems, related for example to the lack of sewage systems or

road infrastructure, and it is hard for them to understand that the information society will partly solve these problems as well, that thanks to broadband networks they will have greater opportunities for earning and exporting their services not only in the region but throughout the European Union. And that is our goal, so that by providing development opportunities in our region, we stop young people from leaving the country and give older people a chance to use modern technologies in their current professions. We must therefore build the information society mainly by creating awareness. The next stage will be the implementation of broadband

infrastructure programs, the promotion of cheap Internet access, and the standardization of e-services.

M.K.: In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about subsequent projects that were supposed to improve the contact of an ordinary citizen with the administration.

Unfortunately, many of these projects have completely failed or are still in their infancy. What are the main obstacles slowing down the development of e-administration?

A.K.: Honestly speaking, I do not want to blame anyone for the project implementation times. When I took the position of Director of the Information Society Department, it seemed to me that I would be able to straighten out the situation within a few months. In reality, I have

been here for nine months now and I still see how much is left to do. Many implementation problems also resulted from a lack of coordination of the activities of all actors interested in the Information Society.