Specific Drivers for SOA in E-government: Challenges and Solutions

Summary form only given. Long term influences like EU law and demographic changes can already be observed as important drivers for change in European governments. Those influences shape how governmental institutions provide their services, how they operate internally and with each other; even across national boundaries and according to international European regulations. The IT of governmental institutions needs to deal with these long term influences. SOA as a strategy is a possible way to deal with these changing circumstances. We illustrate how those different influences drive changes towards SOA in governmental institutions in Germany. In this context, the specific challenges of SOA in e-government will be highlighted according to examples from Germany. We will elaborate on how SOA can be a means for those long term goals while providing the necessary stable strategy in a likely dynamic political environment.