Newsletter November 2021

Iceland up by four places between years

According to an annual survey by the European Union, Iceland ranks seventh among the nations in digital public services in Europe. The survey covers 36 countries, with Iceland rising four places between years and fast approaching the goal of being among the leading nations in digital public services, with the needs of users as a key focus. The result shows that Iceland is well above the average in three out of four categories. It also reveals what needs to be kept in mind to further improve digital services and work on these issues has already begun. The goal is for Iceland to strengthen its position further in this field in the coming years.

The survey-grade (eGovernment Benchmark) is based on four main categories:

• User-centered services. Assessment on whether the service is digital, mobile, and how good support is there. Iceland is in 5th place with 96 percentage points, well above the average of 88 percent.

• Transparency. Assessment on whether the digital service processes are transparent and whether the user is involved in the process and has a good overview. Iceland is in 3rd place with 85 percentage points, again well above the average of 64 percent.

• Core services. The availability of the basic systems and services of the public sector is assessed. An example of such a service is the digital mailbox on Iceland.is. Iceland is in 6th place with 89 percentage points, well above the average of 61 percent.

• Cross-border services. This study evaluates how digital services benefit users in other countries. Among other things, whether information on services can be accessed in a language other than Icelandic and whether electronic identification can be used across borders, which is one of the key issues among European Union nations. It is of great benefit for Icelanders to be leaders in this field, despite being outside the European Union. Iceland ranks 14th in this category, with 54.8 percentage points, while the average is 65 percent.

More about eGovernment benchmark 2021

Regulatory database moves to Iceland.is

Icelandic regulations are now available online to the public service portal Iceland.is. There users can track changes, as well as look up what regulations are valid.

Large steps were taken towards the digital driving learning process

An application for the issue of a drivers licence has now become digital and can be completed on Iceland.is. Driving instructors can now complete their driving evaluations digitally.

Technical product manager

An exciting and challenging position at Digital Iceland where the key focus is on improving digital services for the public sector. This work includes leading the implementation of the X-Road.

Amongst the projects of Digital Iceland:

• Electronic registration of creditors of amendments to the amendment - in production

• App for Iceland.is - BETA tests

• Digital application for maternity/paternity leave - user testing

• Distribution of payments by public levies - In production

• Notification of Accidents to Health Insurance – In Production

• Personal real estate on BETA My pages

• Log on to BETA My company pages

• Log on to BETA My pages for children

• Agency-wide system

• Institutional connections to the Stream (X-Road)

• Applications for public or legal aid