This meeting predominantly focused on Information System Management in Bloomington and Monroe County in Indiana. One of the issues that arose includes that increasingly, ISM it is increasingly playing a pivotal role in service provision, be it by government. According to Rick Dietz, the role of Information Communication and Technologies (ICTs) and the coming of the internet in the meeting is largely viewed by many governments across the world as a relief not only in the management of service provision but a strategic plan and a way to control, and manage cost (Dietz 1).
The meeting discussion was tailored around the current Information Management System in its application in the management of resources, with specific biases to the use of e-Libraries in Bloomington and Monroe Counties, the extent of internet satuturation and its place in the modern society, its advantages and disadvantages in the work place, the adoption of the information system technology in Indiana State government in the management of services that are viewed to improve service delivery in concomitance to the information age. Also, analysis of the E-marketing as a component of Information Management System was discussed.
General Need of Government and ICT: Local Governments, Councils, and adoption of E-Governance in Bloomington and Kauli Foundation
Some of the issues eminent in the meeting include the role of the Bloomington and Monroe council as enormous, with the most important being service provision, regulation, planning and advocacy for the community it is mandated to serve. Indeed this was pegged on the debates that in recent times debates concerning these roles have taken a different turn with the councils being steered to be more enabling than providing direct services. Foster notes that this has meant change of plan in the delivery of these services and adoption of e-governance in the provision of services. One of the ways in this has been adapting to provision of services through digital intermediaries between manufacturers and consumers to link with other counties, other states and the world. He stresses that these intermediaries take the cycle of the manufacturer, distributor, retailer and the final consumer, and thus provide a framework of accountability and appraising. It was also noted that, adoption the digital framework provides a ground on bringing accountability and aiding information flow (Foster 24). In this one of the commonest ways discussed was the way the state and county government uses the council website as a digital connection in delivery of services to the citizenry.
Just as Foster notes, the meeting discussed the roles outlined in the website include: facilitation, where the focus is on information search by the citizens and how this information is exchanged; matching which focuses on how information is linked to facilities, data about a particular product to the members of the community, and the information available as far as marketing is concerned; trust, which involves security information, as well verification of goods and provision of assurance of such to the citizenry; aggregation, which involves information how to shop many things at once in one place. (Foster 34). Broadly speaking, as ensued in the discussion, the role of council here is that of facilitation about these services and intermediaries (Foster 71) and provides a ground on bringing accountability and aiding information flow.
The Expert System
The other area which was also mirrored is the Expert System as an imperative area which must be examined in relation to Information System Management. It is software that can be described as ‘multi-task’. This is because it does a number of tasks systematically or in one time period and thus rationalizes what would otherwise not be accomplished by one individual. The software is normally designed in a manner that it has the prerequisites of a human being and information processing patterns and thus can juggle through numerous problems at the same time. Further the fact that it has Knowledge engineering in this scenario would mean that inclusion and integration into software of knowledge possessed by a number experts and professionals in a particular area.
In the meeting a number of issues were exposed including. One the members drew comparison to its effectiveness citing For instance if one is looking for investment opportunities in say one of stadiums in Indiana as a state, then he/she is able to use this software which will give the historical and the expert analysis opportunities at a glance with the data being set and made available by the software. Alternatively, a consultant on the other end within the software may give such information (Brophy and Wine 90-91). For the County Government therefore putting such information in that system will better help in time reduction and therefore resources (Dietz 1).
Electronic Libraries and the Advantages they portend
This agenda was brought into the meeting as Question. It was noted that Libraries, particularly electronic libraries are today a component that is rapidly changing to take advantage of the recent developments in the ICT technology. This is in regard to the networked information environment. It is has moved from to adopt from ‘computer housekeeping to mediated exploitation of commercial ‘on-line’ services to the today’s position where of digital applications’’ (Brophy and Wynne 90)
The Bloomington and Monroe in particular, Libraries, funding councils, head of Universities and colleges have been propelled to consider adapting to meaningful use of technology. In other states, this development led to the various institutions being ‘forced’ to ‘produce information strategies’’. Overall this has led to a number of initiatives we witness today. The advantages of such initiatives seem to improve the basic function of the library which is enabling users to ‘identify, locate, access, and use data they need’’ and would be helpful to Kauli Foundation Initiative (Dietz 1).
Dietz notes that broadly, electronic library provides specific advantages including the provision of information landscape. This is usually done by a metadata provided by the library or to accessibility has been authenticated-with all these subsumed under resource identification and identification of location. Secondly, it has the tools which users can then use to locate information that is of interest to them with less cumbersomeness, which is subsumed under resource delivery or resource provision (Dietz 1)
Thirdly, the systems have in place instruments which facilitate users in exploiting the content of information specific to their need, and this is subsumed under resource Utilization. Fourth, the system has the provision for the physical infrastructure, sometimes through, a third party enabling further use and exploitation of information resources. This is subsumed under, infrastructure provision. Finally, it makes available, the management tools which seeks to ensure that resources are used effectively, efficiently and gives value for money (Brophy and Wynne 97)
Works Cited
Brophy, Paul and Peter Wine. Management Information Systems and Performance Measurement for the Electronic Library. University of Indiana, 2011. Print.
Dietz, Rick. City of Bloomington to Become Supporter of Kuali Foundation. Bloomington County Press, 2011. Print.
Foster, Adams. Joined-up e-Government: An Exploratory Study of Local Government Process. The information Institute, 2011. Print.