In the past few years, under the initiative of the government and other athletes at the g0v zero hour, the Taiwan government’s open information has indeed taken a big step forward. But many people want to ask, can the government’s digital service be better? The government website has the opportunity to open Source, open up everyone to contribute? Can we use the better API to use the services provided by the government?

These problems, in fact, have been initially revised for the relevant administrative orders last year, making the Open Source and Open API of the government website possible; the problematic inter-departmental data connection problem is already being processed. . Beginning this year, the development of information services will gradually introduce a reference principle similar to the digital service of the UK GDS, so that the service is more in line with the needs of the people.

This article will slowly tell you where we have corrected and what effect we can achieve.

Common application interface open specification, standardizing API documentation

In order to expand the efficiency of government information services and maintain the flexibility of API development, CDC refers to Open API Initiative (OAI) The API definition and description of the OpenAPI Specification (OAS) for the Advanced Application Programming Interface (API) translates the OAS 3.0 specification into Chinese and is released as the latest version of the [Common Application Interface]. Specification](https://theme.ndc.gov.tw/lawout/lawcontent.aspx?id=gl000270){:target=”_blank”}”, encourages agencies to participate in the introduction, hoping to use a consistent description method it provides api documentation that can be understood and used directly by humans and machines to greatly reduce the technical thresholds of data access, api adjustment and maintenance, making the connection of services more convenient. in order to make the apis have the characteristics of commonality, on july 13, 2006, the engineering council will amend the “information service purchasing contract model” by letter no. 10600218200 (https://www.pcc.gov.tw/cp.aspx?n=99e24daac84279e4){:target=”_blank”}”, understand that:

The target version of the application interface development or enhancement should be based on the latest version of the National Development Council. The application interface is open to the specification, and the international common verification mechanism (suchastheOpenFoundationstandardoftheLinuxFoundation) is used as the basis for acceptance. “

Such a change, I hope that in the information development case of each agency, if the API provides external services, or develops the API for transmitting the data, it does not involve the API of the agility. Regardless of the authorization and access restrictions used by the API, the vendors are Instructions for OAS compliance are required and are described in the OAS standard. As a result, the API specifications of government websites are based on the use of international standards, which can effectively prevent their own situation and enhance opportunities for collaborative development with the international community.

At the same time, the Public Works Committee of the Executive Yuan also amended “Administrative Information Service Vendor Selection and Accounting Methods” Article 7, plus this amendment:

The procurement software development service, the professional technical capabilities of the manufacturers specified in the second paragraph of the preceding paragraph, must be included before the zero cost or low cost, provided Common application interface development or integration capabilities that are freely accessible, usable, modified, and distributed.

This fix is ​​intended to guide vendors to enhance and highlight their ability to provide common application interface development or integration.

After these articles opened the API for the API, Tang Feng did not force all government units to import OAS standard documents and APIs at the June 2017 meeting. The process, but with the announcement of the Information Supervisory Board, and the inclusion of the project review recommendations in the examination and examination, the 2017 plan for verification. We look forward to encouraging the ministry to adopt it through advocacy, providing practical standards and reducing costs.

Inventory of open source software license list, so that the government has the opportunity to open the website source code

The open source community has long expected the government to use the Open Source authorization method to allow the public to contribute their own strength, Improve the government website together. Beginning in 2016, the government also stated in the contract model of the information procurement standard:

When the manufacturer provides the agency services according to this contract, if the open source software is used, the authorized authority should use the scope of the open source software. And delivered to the agency in the form of the implementation file and the source code. The manufacturer shall deliver the open source software list (includingbutnotlimitedto:opensourceprojectname,sourceinformation,originalcopyrightclaim,disclaimer,opensourcelicensetermsandfulltext).

This correction allows manufacturers to take stock of the corresponding software when they make websites or provide information services for the government. After the software is authorized, the government can know which parts can be used by Open Source. Invite people to contribute and collaborate without worrying about the risk of infringement.

! The Administrative Commission’s Public Works Committee revised the “Information Service Purchasing Contract Model” Amendment Checklist

Unified data standards for future inter-departmental data integration

Because government websites or internal services are often commissioned by the respective ministries, internal data fields may not be consistent, resulting in Cross-section information is difficult to interface. Some friends expect that the government should implement data governance to unify the internal government’s data standards so that government departments can connect with each other through a unified API field, and people can better use government materials.

The National Development Council has now established the Guidelines for the Establishment of the Field Data Standards Process”, starting from the fields of land administration, household administration, finance and taxation, commercial and industrial, highway supervision, labor insurance, health insurance, health and welfare, and financial, it is expected that the data standards for some of the data areas of these nine fields will be completed by August 2018. To facilitate cross-institutional data application.

In the longer term, “Digital National Innovation Economic Development Program” promotion measures, the handling measures of the spindle 3.3.1 were also used to specify “to create high-performance digital services with open standards and open source soft weights to create high-performance digital services.”

Planning “Government Digital Service Guidelines” to make software development more in line with user needs

In software development, past governments often write their own requirements proposals by the ministry. Manufacturers can only make software according to this proposal, resulting in specifications. Not necessarily meet the needs. The draft Government Digital Service Guidelines has been developed to include understanding of the use. 13 criteria, including cross-disciplinary cooperation mechanisms and planning multi-service pipelines, are expected to promote user-centered government digital services by introducing digital development directions similar to those of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. As a reference for promoting digital services.

These plans are all designed to improve the government’s ability to provide digital services. We look forward to gradually let the public authorities understand the key points of service design by encouraging the use of public service in the future, and take the spirit of data governance and information openness to take root in the government’s official culture.