Local and national governments in Latin America: the benefits conferred by Joomla! as free software

Jorge López-Bachiller
Secretary Assistant
OSM Board Member
Local and National governments in Latin
America: the benefits conferred by
Joomla! as free software

Born in Spain but live in Guatemala for 18 years
Solociologist
Advisor on Electronic Government in Patzún Municipality
Advisor on OEA on electronic government for local governments
OSM Board of Directors
Jorge López-BachillerLocal and National governments in Latin America:
the benefits conferred by Joomla! as free software

Agenda
1. Concepts
2. Diagnostics public software in Latin America
3. MuNet eGovernment Program from OAS
4. Patzún case, Guatemala
5. Joomla!Gov website
6. Joomla! for public administrations

Concepts
Public software
“It’s 100% free software, but not only this: It is a free software
created, provided, and acquired by the State”
Corinto Meffe, brazilian expert, first experience
of free software in Latin America
“Those solutions developed by State entities that solve problems or
common needs of administration
public, allowing streamlined investment and leverage existing
developments”
Johanna Pimiento,
Director Gobierno en Línea, Colombia
“It’s main characteristic is assigning software the nature of public
good”
The Organization of American States, OAS
Source: diagnostics of public software in Latin America

Concepts
Electronic Government
“It is the application of the ICT to the functioning of the public
sector, with the aim of increasing the efficiency, transparency and
citizen participation”.
The Organization of American States, OAS
" It consists in the use of information and knowledge technologies
in the internal processes of Government, as well as in the delivery
of the products and services of the State both citizens and
industry”.
Wikipedia
Information– Interaction – Transaction
– Transformation - Democracy

Concepts
Open Government
“Recognizing that democracy is essential for the social, political and
economic development of the peoples of the Americas, and that
inequality and poverty are an obstacle to development, we intend
(...) promoting Open Government and access to information as key
tools to achieve greater transparency, better governance, citizen
participation and social inclusion.”
VII Americas Summit, Panamá City, 2015
Transparency (open data) – Colaboration – Citizen Participation

Diagnostics of public software in Latin America
Research on the use of public software in Latin America with data from
18 countries for the Inter-American Development Bank IDB, Red GEALC
(e-Government in Latin America and Caribbean) of OAS and Foundation
Julio Rigaldoni, Uruguay.
Mature model of public software:
1. Policy, strategy and public software model
2. Policy and legal framework
3. Governance model
4. Technical framework
Dra. Mila Gascó Hernández and Ing. Carlos E. Jiménez Gómez
Source: Diagnostics of public software in Latin America (Gascó and Jiménez, 2015)

Argentina
• There isn’t a public software strategy
• 2013, launched the Public Software Development (promote the local
industry of software)
• 2015 is not a priority for the country
• Some provincial or local initiatives on free software
• Governance: Unit of Public Software in the Subsecretary of
Technology Management (Secretary of Cabinet of the headquarters
of the Cabinet of Ministers)

Brasil
• 1995 Asociación Brasileña de Entidades Estaduales de Tecnología de la
Información y la Comunicación (ABEP)
• 2014 Modelo de Software Público Brasileño
• Legal basis: Executive Committee of e-Government at 2,000
• Governance: Departamento de Gobernanza y Sistemas de Información
de la Secretaría de Logística y Tecnología de la Inf. del Mº de Planeación,
Presupuesto y Gestión, 2014
• Use of public or private software according to the project
• Repository: Brazilian Public Software Portal

Bolivia
• Government Program 2015-2020 President Evo Morales, july 2014
• Ley General de Telecomunicaciones, Tecnologías de Información y
Comunicación, Ley 164 de 8 de agosto de 2011
• Governance: Dirección General de Gobierno Electrónico del
Viceministerio de Planificación Estratégica del Estado del Ministerio
de Planificación del Desarrollo.
• Agencia para el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Información en
Bolivia (ADSIB)
• There is a strong tendency to use proprietary software

Chile
• Lack of a strategy of public software in Chile
• Generic Public Software Licence 2012 y Resolución Exenta 0976
General Secretary of the Presidence, marzo 2014, licensing programs
and property developments of the Mº Secretaría General de la
Presidencia
• Governance: Modernization and Electronic Government unit of
General Secretary of the Presidence Ministry
• Using public or proprietary software according to the characteristics
of the project
• Repository SIMPLE (Sistema de Implementación de Procesos
Ligeramente Estandarizados)

Colombia
• No strategy for public software
• Low level of priority given by the Colombian Government
• There is no specific laws on public software though, but will work in
2015
• Mayor of Bogotá has an Observatory of Free Software in the District
Commission of Systems
• Governance: Dirección de Gobierno en Línea, MINTIC
• Public software is not used in the State, but it depends on the project

Ecuador
• There is a public software strategy since 2008, President Correa
approves the 1,014 presidential decree, state using software policy in
touching the institutions of the central Government
• It is matter of sovereignty
• Governance: Nacional Public Administratin Secretary SNAP,
Subsecretary or Electronic Government y la Subsecretaría de
Tecnologías de la Información

México
• There is not a strategy of public software, but it’s form part of
another type of policies Mexico CIO signature contracts with
Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and Google
• There is no specific legislation of public software, but there are
different rules relating to aspects of public software
• Governance: Intersectorial Commision for Electronic Government
development
• The country used public software or proprietary software according
to the project

Uruguay
• Has their own Uruguayan Public Software Model
• National Public Software Strategy Ley 19.179, specifically regulates
the free software and formats in the State and priority use
• Governance: Agencia de Gobierno Electrónico y Sociedad de la
Información (AGESIC)
• Using public software or software depending on the characteristics
of the project although it appears that there is a tendency to use
proprietary software

State of adoption of public software
Initial
Initial to
middle
Middle
Middle
to
advance
Advance
Argentina
Colombia
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Paraguay
Chile
México
República
Dominicana
Bolivia
Ecuador
Panamá
Perú
Uruguay Venezuela
Brasil

Advantages
• Reduction of the cost of licensing
• Free access to data and programs
• Greater ease and flexibility in the adoption of the software
• Access to internal developers source code
• Independence of providers
• Re-use of applications
• More innovation
• Technological safety
• Generation of employment (Ecuador)
• Defense of the socialization of technological knowledge

Common on the region
• There is no consensus on the definition of public software
• Low political prioritization for the public software
• Low institutionalization of the software public in most countries
• Lack of operational guidelines on public software
• Most countries public software is on electronic government offices
• Actual use of public software is low, the trend is to use proprietary
software
• No country has seen the generation of benefits
• Low knowledge of the public software for public servants

Some examples
Mongolia
Altansukh talks about his responsibility to move all mongolian
government websites to Joomla!:
• Improve the transparency and communication between Government
and citizens
• Low budget for licensing
• Joomla! It’s free and open source, easy to learn
• Provide quarterly training on Joomla! for Government webmaster
and managers
http://community.joomla.org/blogs/community/1210-mongolia.html

Some
examples
Tailandia
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/1000-sites-local-government-organizations-thailand-use-tamrareang

Some examples
Brasil

Some examples
Brasil
Rafael Berlanda (Mº de Educación) working group
Design of the Portal Padrao in Joomla!
Public Software Portal http://portalpadrao.joomlacalango.org/
Excelent!!!!

MuNet eGovernment Program
Organization of the American States OAS
MuNet eGovernment (Transparent and Efficient Municipalities)
electronic government for local government and now also open
government
I fase: 22 municipalities in 11 countries (2006)
II fase: Panamá, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Paraguay y Bolivia (93
municipalities)
Institutions: Secretaries, ICT Agencies, Municipality Associations
Currently: Costa Rica (20 municipalities) and conversations with Jalisco
(Mx.) an Salta (Ar.)
OAS choose Joomla! as CMS for all local government websites in Latin
America

Fases:
• Workshop of e-Government for mayors and local authorities
• Creation of the Municipal MuNet Team consisting of 6 members
and the Municipal MuNet Manager (Planification office, Advisor,
public relations, other)
• E-Government online course
• 4 Diagnostics: transparency, efficiency, citizen participation and ICT
• Development of «Strategy of municipal e-Government»
MuNet eGobierno Program

ICT tools:
• MuniPortal: website in Joomla!, several contents, transparency
and management
• MuniParticipa: Office of information, complaints and suggestions, and
retransmission of local sessions live on the Internet
• MuniServi: municipal procedures online portal
• MuniCompra: municipal procurement
• MuniSegura: Security and emergencies

Municipal MuNet Teams
San Diego Huehuetenango

Open Government
Importance of furthering the Open Government in local governments in
Latin America
Brazil is part of the OGP from 2011
2 open government action plans
Open Government Portal http://governoaberto.cgu.gov.br/
• Transparency: using public data, open data, accountability
• Citizen participation in decision-making through digital and face-to-
face media
• Collaboration of companies, universities and organizations
Municipalities driving Open Government as a mandatory

Patzún case (Guatemala)
Patzún
Municipality from the Guatemala highlands
55,000 habitants, 94% mayan indigenous from Kaqchikel ethnia
Economy: agriculture for export and handycrafts
Municipal budget for 2014: US$ 2 millions

Progress
MuNet eGovernment Program since 2007
Political will of the authorities
Sustainability of the program: committees, minutes, participation
Actions:
• Modernization of the municipality: offices, training, internet
• Citizen accessibility: online library and reception for citizens
• Connectivity: wireless internet in the municipal park
• EUTIC2014, survey on ICT use in 1,300 households of Patzún

Progress
• Digital Community Center: 35 computers, courses, conferences, calls
to inmigrants

Progress
• Website on Joomla!: www.patzun.gob.gt
• 2,600 videos on YouTube
• 12,000 pictures on Google Fotos
• 3,300 fans on Facebook
• 12 boards on Pinterest
Next… electronic government strategy and
Open government acctions

Joomla!Gov website
3,300 websites registered in Joomla!
Countries: Italia, España, Chile, USA, Mongolia
Brazil: 70 websites registered

Joomla! for public administrations
• It is free, it is open software
• Simpler than Drupal and most complete WordPress (not needing a
technician)
• Many extensions
• Community support
• Extensive documentation
• Access control (hierarchies)
• Used for: management of knowledge, intranet, forms on line, web
pages, working groups, chats, blogs and much more...
• Translations into many languages
• And because it’s...
2.8% of all internet uses Joomla! on their websites

Brasil believes in public software,
You believes in public software too,
So…………..
How can we convince public officials to use it?
How can evangelize to other countries in the region to use??
What can you do to reach this???
What can make Joomla! to achieve this????
How to get involved??? Talk to us those days
Call to action!!!!!
Gobiernos locales y nacionales en Latinoamérica:
los beneficios de Joomla! como software libre
Joomla! for public administrations

@jorgelopezbachi
jorgelopezbachiller (social media and mail)
Gobiernos locales y nacionales en Latinoamérica:
los beneficios de Joomla! como software libre
Contact

Local and national governments in Latin America: the benefits conferred by Joomla! as free software

Local and national governments in Latin America: the benefits conferred by Joomla! as free software

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Local and national governments in Latin America: the benefits conferred by Joomla! as free software