Cuparla: Computer-aided parliamentary work

Initial Situation

The question at the beginning of the project was: How does a tele-cooperation environment look like, which allows a municipal council with a strained time budget to perceive volunteer work more flexible and effective after a short training period? The Chair for Information Systems identified the following requirements of municipal councils with regard to such workspaces:

  • improved access to information regardless of time and place
  • greater flexibility in the organization of working time
  • reducing communication and cooperation barriers between parliament, administration and political groups
  • supporting the process of decision preparation based on electronic cooperation (applications, templates and protocols)
  • funding citizen-oriented parliamentary work by citizen or city information systems together with communication options between citizen and politicians via e-mail.

Realization

Innovative ways of information procurement and cooperation between municipal council where gained through problem related applications of information and communication systems. The interface design of Cuparla is based on the familiar environment of a municipal council. In this way, the political group chamber, the home office or the archive as well as tools for processing of materials are implemented in Cuparla.

Value

Cuparla provides municipal politicians with the possibility to access data, send emails and process applications collaboratively, to archive files or to look at meeting minutes regardless of time and place. The electronic administrative archive allows access to the complete meeting minutes, templates and applications of the last years. This simplifies the preparation of decisions and the municipal councils can realize their mandate activities more flexible.

Stakeholder

Scientific Partners

Technische Universität München, Chair for Information Systems (Prof. Dr. Krcmar)
Universität Hohenheim (project coordination)

Business Partners

Deutsche Telekom Berkom GmbH
ITM GmbH
Datenzentrale Baden-Württemberg

Publications

  • Schwabe, G. (2000). Telekooperation für den Gemeinderat. Stuttgart, Kohlhammer Verlag.
  • Schwabe, G.; Krcmar, H. (2000). Piloting a Sociotechnical Innovation. Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Information Systems ECIS 2000, Vienna.

Contact

Prof. Dr. Helmut Krcmar