Singapore government upgrades www.gov.sg portal

Features better content search facilities and presents information on Government news and services more effectively.

The Singapore Government on Tuesday launched the revamped www.gov.sg portal. The public will now be able to access a suite of services across all government agencies from a single platform. These include the latest government news and information, electronic-services, calendar of events and directory of contact information, amongst other features, according to a Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts report.

The launch of www.gov.sg portal, together with the inaugural Singapore Government Web Excellence Awards (WEA), was officiated by the Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC), Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts’ (MICA) and Member of Parliament (MP) for Hong Kah GRC, Mr Zaqy Mohamad.

The portal upgrade has enhanced the capability to link up to all the government agencies, and to support new features and applications. The dynamic portal has better content search facilities and presents information on Government news and services effectively. Some of the new features include:

• Highlights – features the key government message of the day, arising from a major government announcement or significant development.
• News – provides updates on speeches, statistical reports and press releases issued by the various government agencies.
• Search – an enhanced search tool that will enable the public to locate government information, directory and electronic-services that meet their needs from across all government agencies.
• Directory – a centralised online directory for contact information on government agencies, key appointment holders and public services.
• Calendar – provides a listing of key government events for the year.
• E-Services – allows the public to access electronic-services across all government agencies.
• Feedback – an amalgamated platform for the public to give their feedback to REACH, Online Reporting Centre and government agencies.
• FAQs – provides answers to frequently asked questions about government initiatives and services

Commenting on the launch of the www.gov.sg portal, Rear Admiral (NS) SIM Gim Guan, Deputy Secretary (Information and Corporate Management) MICA, said: “Over the years, with the rapid changes in infocomm technology, our people have become more sophisticated users of the internet. The government should therefore go beyond delivering electronic-services and information online, to also providing a more holistic online experience.The revamp positions the www.gov.sg portal as the electronic-communications platform for the public to connect with the Singapore Government. The public can now have an integrated and seamless access to the latest news updates and services across all government agencies from a single platform.”

In addition, a mobile version of the website is set up for mobile users to access the latest government news and information on-the-go. Users of iPhone, for instance, will now be able to download and access the latest government news updates from www.gov.sg’s latest iPhone app. A Twitter account and RSS feeds are also set up for the public to get the latest government-related news delivered directly to their desktops.

On the government’s foray into mobile applications, RADM (NS) Sim said: “We are also continuously exploring new ways to reach out to the public, particularly the increasingly mobile and younger generation. We are therefore pleased to provide this new government-centric application on the App Store. This will enable iPhone users to get the latest government news and updates anywhere, anytime.” Moving forward, MICA will work on providing similar applications to make the www.gov.sg website accessible to more users on other mobile channels.