The document summarizes the local e-government context in Kortrijk, Belgium. It identifies the key drivers shaping Kortrijk's e-government strategy, including the EU's INTERREG initiative and Flanders regional policies. It outlines several projects Kortrijk is involved in through the Smart Cities program, focusing on customer services, wireless services, and customer profiling. Key partners for Kortrijk include Leiedal and local universities HO-WEST and HO-GENT.

1. Understanding e-government
in Kortrijk
Summary & Context
The local e-government environment varies tremendously across the North Project Context Map
Sea Region of the EU, with municipal strategies being shaped by very different
national, regional and local policy contexts and political and technological No.4
agendas. This series of reports summarises the local e-government
environment in six municipalities from six different countries who are
participating in the Smart Cities Interreg IVb project. The reports allow project
partners to review their local e-government context, and helps us identify
to common factors across project partners, along with areas of difference
between partners. This report summarises the e-government context in
Kortrijk, based on interviews with staff from the city, and identifies factors that
they feel shape their local e-government context and their involvement in the
Smart Cities project.
The document serves two purposes. Firstly, it allows project partners to
understand the context that they are operating in. Secondly, it helps us see
common factors across partners and also areas of difference (to help us
understand where different approaches to similar work)
Key Facts:
As well as a narrative description of the context, this report contains two
diagrams and a supporting table: Kortrijk
• The main policy drivers for Kortrijk City City Council within
• Those projects most relevant to Smart Cities in Kortrijk West Flanders Province,
• Details of the entities mentioned including links to source material, in in the autonomous Flanders
English where available. Region, in the Belgium
(a strongly federal kingdom).
The information in this document is derived from publically available descriptions
supplied by Kortrijk and Leiedal, supplemented by desk-based research. Populations:
City – 74 000
The Smart Cities project West Flanders – 1 130 000
Flanders – 6 162 000
Figure 1 illustrates the organisations that Kortrijk has identified as being Belgium – 10 828 000
significant to the City’s involvement in the Smart Cities project, showing the
strategies and drivers
The main top level driver for Kortrijk’s participation in the project (along with
all project partners) is INTERREG IVB North Sea, funded by the European
Union (EU).
The INTERREG initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social
cohesion throughout the European Union, by fostering the balanced
development of the continent through cross-border, transnational and
interregional cooperation. A principal aim of the Programme is to expand the
scope of territorial cooperation and focus on high quality projects in innovation,
the environment, accessibility, and sustainable and competitive communities.
The 2007-2013 Programme connects regions from seven countries around the
North Sea, incorporating policy level planning and the long lasting and tangible
effects of projects. The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 works
with cutting edge policy areas in regional development through transnational
projects. E-CLIC is another relevant INTERREG project, although Kortrijk
ciity itself is not taking part, HO-WEST (see overleaf) is, so E-CLIC has been
included as part of the project context.

2. Regional Development
Europe
INTERREG IVB
European Union
STORK
Build eSociety
Promote ICT
Common eGov
Knowledge Region
Belgium
Strategy
ICT Ministry
FEDICT E-ID
R&D and eResearch Actieplan
Promoting e-business Vlaanderen i2010
Increase e-Government
Reduce digital divide
Flanders
EWI
Flemish Government
Municipal MEMORI
VVP
Decree
VVSC
VICTOR CORVE
Regional HO-West, HO-Gent ECLIC
Development
Leiedal
eGov Academics
Kortrijk Area
Aging Workforce
Support eGovernment
Modernisation
Digital Divide Smart Cities
Stad Kortrijk
Knowledge Transfer
Support Changes
Improved comms
12 other towns
Fig 1:
Main drivers underpinning Kortrijk’s involvement

3. Smart Cities is one of the projects funded through the programme. The general
aim of the Smart Cities project is to create an innovation network between
governments and academic partners leading to excellence in the domain of the
development and take-up of e-services.
Kortrijk’s involvement in the project’s work is divided between 3 work packages:
customer services (WP3), wireless services (WP4) and customer profiling (WP5)
National level - Belgium
With its common e-government strategy the Belgian government is aiming
to create a single virtual Public Administration while respecting the privacy of
users, as well as the specificities and competences of all Government bodies and
administrative layers. Its main objective is to improve public service delivery for
citizens and businesses by rendering it faster, more convenient, less constraining
and more open.
One aspect of this is the European STORK project which aims at establishing
a trans-national eID Interoperability Platform that will allow citizens to establish
new e-relations across borders, just by presenting their national eID. It provides
the strategic framework that the eID programme in Belgium is developing within.
Flanders Region
The regional strategic framework has been set out by Actieplan Vlaanderen
i2010, which is the responsibility of EWS, the department for Economy, Science
and Innovation.
The Flemish eGovernment coordination unit (CORVE) is tasked with developing
and underpinning ICT-projects for an accessible, demand-driven, simplified and
integrated public service. A component of the Flemish public administration,
CORVE provides its services to the Authorities of Flanders, provinces and
municipalities. eGovernment is the responsibility of Flemish Minister for
Administrative Affairs.
Delivery of eGovernment is coordinated by VVP, the Union of Flemish Provinces
and VVSG, Union of Flemish Cities & Municipalities, supported by VICTOR, the
Flemish ICT-workers’ organization.
Kortrijk
Figure 2 illustrates how within the Smart Cities project, Kortrijk is active in three
workpackages, often in conjunction with Intercommunale Leiedal.
WP3 processes workstream: An internal project is describing the processes
in the city; priorities of the work include transfer of knowledge as staff retire,
support for changes in the organisation and improving communication. There
is also a need to meet the obligations in the new municipal decree (Flemish
legislation).
Digitising services has begun, starting with the booking of sport services
(recreatex), which is being developed in conjunction with a specialist vendor. The
1777 contact centre project aims to make it easier for citizens to connect to
service. A staged approach is planned, starting with three existing service points
‘werk aan de weg’ (road infrastructure & mobility), ‘rap en rein’ (environmental
problems) and ‘general’ answering frontline questions on peoples administration.
Work is starting on a pilot online authentication system for city council members,
using a digital ID card to give access to the intranet, especially the e-decision
software, with the digitalised decision flow of the city. The FEDICTs’ authentication
software is used.

4. There is an ongoing midware programme to share services between the
existing functional silos in Kortrijk, starting with the procurement for a shared
address book and a single MyPage type site for citizens. Partners for this first
step are Leiedal and different other municipalities and cities (such as Sint-
Niklaas, Roeselare, Gent).
The midware uses POGO for the exchange of contact information without
keeping records centrally. Pogo – persons and organisations online - is not a
central database, it is an information model and an exchange format, on a similar
model to that used in the STORK project. It only contains shared contact data.
Common eGov
FEDICT STORK
Strategy
Flanders Municipal
Government decree eID
CORVE
Programmes &
Local campuses Projects
Strategy
Eduroam/Link Smart Cities
Hotspot Network WP4
Unit Support
eGovernment Digital Smart Cities
Divide WP5
Leiedal Midware
Improved
Communications POGO
Kortrijk myPage
Knowledge tfr Digitising
Support Changes Services
Contact Centre: Smart Cities
ICT Directie
1777 WP3
Fig 2:
Projects most relevant to Smart Cities for Kortrijk

5. Leiedal developed a new website (Parko, www.parko.be) about parking in Kortrijk
using GIS information and the Govmaps infrastructure and intends to extend it to
other geolocated services.
Figure 2 also shows that, as part of WP4, the hotspot network is being developed
to link to the university campuses in the city (HO-WEST and HO-GENT), Eduroam
internet access will be offered by the end of the year to students that connect
to the hotspot network in the city, providing a service to visitors of the city. A
joint platform with the digital tourist kiosks (described in WP5 below) is being
developed.
Working together in creating customer-focused electronic service solutions
Kortrijk, MEMORI and Leiedal’s, developed the “Zeg ons hoe het kan” (Tell us how
it can be done) website to invite customers to co-design municipal and regional
electronic services by collecting user stories to get lead to ideas for improving
existing services, or re-engineering existing services, or inventing new services.
This will be combined with Customer profiling work, which includes surveys of
the sites users, and more detailed work with people that use the sport services
of the city.
Another theme is the digital divide (Digitale Kloof), which digital signage is seen
as one route to reducing. A network of indoor and outdoor screens and digital
kiosks has been set up to communicate with visitors and citizens, with further
expansion planned.
Source information
The table below gives descriptions projects and bodies related to Kortirjk’s
involvement in Smart Cities, together with links for further information (some may
be in Dutch and/or French).
Name: Smart Cities Table 1
www.smartcities.info Details of significant entities
The project aims to understand which e-services services work best and why; it
will facilitate transfer of e-Government successes across national borders; it will
identify and support the real transformational impacts of such transfer of good
practices on local government; it will equip decision makers with the knowledge
and ambition to achieve further innovation in the delivery of e-enabled public
services; and will engage national authorities in this ambition. At the European
level, the project will support the creation and growth of communities of practice
across the NSR building organisational commitment to and capacity for inter-
regional government service sharing. Smart Cities will raise the bar in many
aspects.

6. Name: INTERREG IVB North Sea
www.northsearegion.eu/ivb/home
The Interreg initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion throughout
the European Union, by fostering the balanced development of the continent through
cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation.
The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 works with cutting edge policy areas in
regional development through transnational projects.
A principal aim of the Programme is to expand the scope of territorial cooperation
and focus on high quality projects in innovation, the environment, accessibility, and
sustainable and competitive communities.
The 2007-2013 Programme connects regions from seven countries around the North Sea,
incorporating policy level planning and the long lasting and tangible effects of projects.
Name: E-CLIC
www.e-clic.eu
Project building a cluster in the North Sea Region in the area of broadband services,
media technology, broadband systems, usability and testing, while maintaining a balance
between competencies, industry and academia.
The consortium brings together 16 partners from six member states.
The partners have considerable expertise and experience in the fields of interest to
E-CLIC, and the project combines a unique set of partner skills.
Name: STORK
www.eid-stork.eu
Secure idenTity acrOss boRders linked. The aim of the STORK project is to establish a
European eID Interoperability Platform that will allow citizens to establish new e-relations
across borders, just by presenting their national eID.
Cross-border user authentication for such e-relations will be applied and tested by
the project by means of five pilot projects that will use existing government services
in EU Member States. In time however, additional service providers will also become
connected to the platform thereby increasing the number of cross-border services
available to European users.
Name: FEDICT
www.fedict.belgium.be
Belgian Federal ICT-ministry
Name: Common eGov Strategy
www.epractice.eu/en/document/288179
www.fedict.belgium.be/nl/binaries/Resolution_eGov_Congress_Final_NL_
tcm167-16731.pdf
The Belgian eGovernment strategy aims to create a single virtual Public Administration
while respecting the privacy of users, as well as the specificities and competences of all
Government bodies and administrative layers.
Its main objective is to improve public service delivery for citizens and businesses by
rendering it faster, more convenient, less constraining and more open.

7. Name: E-ID (electronic identity card)
www.eid.belgium.be
The electronic identity card fits in the overall e-Government policy or the “electronic
administration”. The latter includes the development of an IT infrastructure and taking
initiatives for administrations and citizens to information and communications technology
for its actions.
Name: KORTOM
www.kortom.be
Flemish government communications organanisation.
Name: EWI
www.ewi-vlaanderen.be/en
Flemish department of Economy, Science and Innovation.
Name: Local Government Organisations
VVP: www.vlaamseprovincies.be
VVSG: www.vvsg.be
VVP is the Union of Flemish Provinces and VVSG the Union of Flemish Cities &
Municipalities.
Name: CORVE
www.corve.be
The Flemish eGovernment coordination unit (CORVE) is tasked with developing and
underspinning ICT-projects for an accessible, demand-driven, simplified and integrates
public service. It provides its services to the Authorities of Flanders, provinces and
municipalities. eGovernment is the responsibility of Flemish Minister for Administrative
Affairs, Local and Provincial Government, Civic Integration, Tourism and the Vlaamse
Rand, Geert Bourgeois.
Name: HO-GENT
www.english.hogent.be
University College Gent. Largest Hogeschool in Belgium, with associated college
campus in Kortrijk
Name: HO-WEST
www.howest.be
University College West Flanders. Autonomous Higher Education Institution, one of the
leading providers of higher education in West Flanders. Today more than 4500 full-
time students are enrolled at Howest pursuing 22 Bachelors and 7 Masters covering a
wide range of disciplines, with emphasis on high quality and practice-oriented courses.
Howest consists of four campuses situated in Bruges and Kortrijk.

8. Name: Intercommunal Leiedal
www.leiedal.be
Leiedal is the joint municipal association of the thirteen municipalities of
Kortrijk for the socio-economic and spatial development of the member
municipalities and regional guides. Operates a series of eGovernment
Academies and Ateliers as part of its mission to share knowledge.
Name: Kortrijk
www.kortrijk.be
Kortrijk Municipality, West Flanders
Name: V-ICT-OR
www.v-ict-or.be
Flemish ICT-workers’ organization
Name: MEMORI
www.memori.be/indexEN.php
A research centre associated with the University of Mechelen. In
Belgium, MEMORI is the leading research institute in the field of public
communication.
www.smartcities.info
www.epractice.eu/community/smartcities
The Smart Cities project is creating an innovation network between cities and academic
partners to develop and deliver better e-services to citizens and businesses in the North
Sea Region. Smart Cities is funded by the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme of the
European Union.
Smart Cities is PARTLY funded by the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme of the
European Union. The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 works with regional
development projects around the North Sea. Promoting transnational cooperation, the
Programme aims to make the region a better place to live, work and invest in.
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