Interoperability in E-Government: More than Just Smart Middleware

According to Layne and Lee (2001), electronic Government (e-Government, e-Gov) progresses towards higher levels of integration and interoperability among and between government levels and branches. Interoperability in essence leads to extensive information sharing among and between governmental entities. However, the obstacles, which prevent a rapid progress into that direction, are not merely technical. In fact, the technology side may prove the least difficult to address, while the organizational, legal, political, and social aspects may prove much more of a challenge. The case in point presented in this paper is Washington State´s Justice Information Network (JIN), which attempts to share and interoperate criminal and judicial information between state and local governments. Progress towards sustainable information sharing requires many players seeking the same ends in an ongoing fashion, not just a huge upfront and one-time effort as the case illustrates.