aboriginal services kiosk (ask-sask) larry sanders scsfo secretariat halifax december 6, 2000

Aboriginal Services Kiosk (ASK-Sask)

www.asksask.sk.ca

Larry SandersSCSFO Secretariat

HalifaxDecember 6, 2000

http://www.asksask.sk.ca/

• Identified by Aboriginal Subcommittee of Federal Council in FY1998-99 as a need for a “one stop shop” or “virtual single window” for information and contact referral details to assist front counter staff to meet client needs — “no more run-arounds”

• Service and Innovation Fund of TBS matched funds with SCSFO in fiscal year 99-2000 to launch prototype

ASK-Sask: a brief history

By March 31, 2000 development of the prototype was completed by:

• Holding focus groups in Regina and Saskatoon to get feedback

• Assembling data base with listings for Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert

• Going live on www.asksask.sk.ca first week of April, 2000

ASK-Sask: a brief history

http://www.asksask.sk.ca/

Expanding the listings for three cities so we now cover over 300 programs and services, operated by over 200 agencies, departments, and NGOs

Accomplishments this FY:

Starting talks with the Human Services Directory (Farm Stress line, Sask. Ag & Food) for joint operation of a data pool, so users can search our listings, HSD, or both

• (see: http://www.gov.sk.ca/) scroll to “service centre” on right hand side of page, click on “Human Services Directory”


http://www.gov.sk.ca/

A makeover on our search engine to eliminate reliance on keywords and instead allow users to do searches of the full text of the data base, with levels of filters to narrow results


What have we become?

• Neutral, trusted source of information

• One stop info shopping (almost)

• Data base (a real portal), not just a directory of web links

• An example of what an inter-jurisdictional, “seamless government” regional portal might be in Tier Three

• Potential organizing tool

Aboriginal Services Kiosk

Why is being a data base important?

Why not just let spiders do our work and find information on the Web?


Why is being a data base important?

ANSWER: Because most organizations serving aboriginal clients do NOT yet have a web presence, therefore we provide directory listings. As a consequence, resources are needed to keep listings up to date


Lessons Learned: #1

• Meta tags and keywords might be all right for Yahoo and other search engines, but not for us (data consistency not assured with keywords)


Lessons Learned: #2• Being a prototype provides

us with independence, credibility and flexibility which might be lost once we become “permanent” somewhere


Lessons Learned: #3 • Becoming a “seamless

government” portal crossing jurisdictional lines requires extensive trust-building, and formal partnership agreements which will require on-going care and maintenance. Province in, out, in, out…..


Lessons Learned: #4 • Despite problems, we have the

beginnings of a picture of what a “seamless government” portal, crossing jurisdictional lines (Tier 3), might look like. We are a “Tier 3.1” project, focused on providing information. There will be a “Tier 3.2” if we start offering service(s).


Lessons Learned: #5 • Human resources/skill sets. Project

slow out of the gate initially because we thought we needed technical expertise, when it turned out we needed an emphasis on partnership & relationship-building skills & project management


Lessons Learned: #6 • Maintaining “user friendly” focus is

very important. Don’t give in to departments that want to post huge documents not written in plain language. We want to go back out for more user feedback sessions in the last quarter of this FY.


Future Challenges(Questions that need to faced soon)Ownership/management?Maintenance of data base and

partnerships (Service Canada?)Relationship with national portal(s)


Larry Sanders

Government On Line Coordinator

Saskatchewan Council of Senior Federal Officials Secretariat

850-2002 Victoria Avenue

(Avord Tower)

Regina, Saskatchewan

S4P 0R7

Phone (306) 780-8290

Fax (306) 780-5210

e-mail: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]