we have built a digital society and we can show you how

• 1994
  
  The first draft of "Principles of Estonian Information Policy"
  The first draft of "Principles of Estonian Information Policy"

  Strategic outline for IT development, ratified by parliament 4 years later.

  CHALLENGE

  politically turbulent times, establishing IT as essential to solving the challenges facing society

  EFFECT

  1% of the GDP earmarked as stable state funding for IT

• 1996
  
  launch of the tiger leap initiative
  launch of the tiger leap initiative

  Country-wide IT infrastructure development initiative.

  CHALLENGE:

  catching up to the West by updating local IT infrastructure and establishing computer skills as a priority in schools.

  EFFECT:

  90% of the population uses the Internet regularly; #1 in the Digital Development Index.

• 1996
  
  first e-banking service
  first e-banking service

  Online banking solutions developed by private banks.

  CHALLENGE:

  low population density means high cost for a nationwide network of bank o-ices.

  EFFECT:

  development of high-quality e-banking services encouraged people to get online, to embrace government e-solutions and to later use e-ID.

• 2000
  
  e-cabinet meeting
  e-cabinet meeting

  Database and scheduler for streamlining governmental decision-making processes.

  CHALLENGE:

  reducing government bureaucracy, making e-solutions part of decision-making.

  EFFECT:

  the average length of cabinet meetings of the Estonian government has been cut from 4-5 hours to as little as 30 minutes.

• 2000
  
  e-tax board
  e-tax board

  Online tax declaration.

  CHALLENGE:

  maximising state tax revenue to support the growing needs of the developing society.

  EFFECT:

  declaring taxes now takes about 3 minutes online; 98% of people declare their income electronically.

• 2000
  
  m-parking
  m-parking

  A system that enables drivers to pay for city parking via mobile phone.

  CHALLENGE:

  managing growing traffic in densely populated urban areas, creating a modern and low-cost parking infrastructure.

  EFFECT:

  95% of parking fees are paid via mobile phones, Estonia’s m-parking solution has been adopted in countries around the world.

• 2001
  
  x-road
  x-road

  Distributed data exchange layer for registers and information systems.

  CHALLENGE:

  limited resources to create a national integration platform, ballooning data exchange costs, public data leaks from existing unsecure databases.

  EFFECT:

  X-Road has become the backbone of e-Estonia, allowing the nation’s public and private sector information systems to link up and operate in harmony. 99% of public services are accessible online 24/7.

• 2002
  
  e-id and digital signature
  e-id and digital signature

  Digital identification based on the mandatory ID card.

  CHALLENGE:

  securely identifying residence using public and private e-services.

  EFFECT:

  98% of Estonians have an ID-card; digital signatures save 2% of GDP annually.

• 2005
  
  i-voting
  i-voting

  maximising accessibility to local and general elections.

  CHALLENGE:

  politically turbulent times, establishing IT as essential to solving the challenges facing society

  EFFECT:

  one third of the votes in parliamentary elections are cast online; votes are cast from over 110 countries.

• 2007
  
  cyber security
  cyber security

  Concerted effort to enhance IT security.

  CHALLENGE:

  In April 2007, Estonia was hit by the largest organised cyber-attack against a single country. International cooperation was needed to contain this new threat.

  EFFECT:

  Estonia has become one of the leading nations in cyber security. Both the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence and the EU IT Agency are situated here in Tallinn.

• 2008
  
  blockchain technology
  blockchain technology

  Scalable blockchain technology KSI is developed by Estonian cryptographers.

  CHALLENGE:

  Following the cyber-attacks in 2007, Estonia needed to mitigate threats of insider data manipulation in its registries.

  EFFECT:

  Estonia has become a pioneer of blockchain technology. Several government registries are backed by the KSI Blockchain.

• 2008
  
  e-health
  e-health

  A nationwide system integrating data from Estonia’s healthcare providers.

  CHALLENGE:

  improving the quality and efficiency of health care provided under public health insurance.

  EFFECT:

  the electronic health record has created a comprehensive pro le of each patient, reducing bureaucracy and giving access to time-critical information in emergency situations.

• 2010
  
  e-prescription
  e-prescription

  A centralised paperless system for issuing and handling medical prescriptions.

  CHALLENGE:

  minimising paperwork for prescribing and dispensing medical drugs.

  EFFECT:

  99% of medical prescriptions are handled online; routine refills can be issued without appointments.

• 2013
  
  public services green paper
  public services green paper

  Mapping challenges and solutions for developing state e-services

  CHALLENGE:

  addressing the e-state’s current shortcomings to assure its sustainability and future development.

  EFFECT:

  a better understanding of the public’s needs and the clear definition of goals and principles for the development of e-services.

• 2014
  
  road administration’s e-portal
  road administration’s e-portal

  One-stop online service for drivers and owners of vehicles

  CHALLENGE:

  simplifying and reducing the costs of the Road Administration’s service provision.

  EFFECT:

  the e-portal provides services six times faster, 20% cheaper, and increases transparency.

• 2014
  
  e-residency
  e-residency

  A borderless digital society for any global citizen to join.

  CHALLENGE:

  finding new and innovative ways to attract international business and talent to Estonia.

  EFFECT:

  e-residency is the first digital nation for global citizens. The number of e-residents and their businesses is steadily increasing.

• 2015
  
  world's first data embassy
  world's first data embassy

  Estonia green-lights plan to create the first data embassy outside its borders

  Challenge:

  assuring the digital continuity of Estonia and our statehood in worst-case scenarios like critical system failures or external threats

  Effect:

  Estonia is the first country in the cloud, our critical databases and services are backed up in a high-security data centre in Luxembourg

• 2017
  
  NIIS X-road consortium
  NIIS X-road consortium

  Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS) ensures the development and strategic management of X-Road and other e-governance solutions

  Challenge:

  ensuring the interoperability of e-governance solutions and platforms both nationally and internationally

  Effect:

  founded by Estonia and Finland NIIS is a pioneer of cross-border e-governance solutions, intent on providing better content and services for the public

• 2018
  
  seamless services roadmap
  seamless services roadmap

  Proactive government services that react to life events requiring minimal bureaucracy

  Challenge:

  reducing bureaucracy and human resources to manage essential routine state services

  Effect:

  seamless services provide a more natural relationship with the state; the first seamless service goes live in 2018

• 2019
  
  Government AI strategy
  Government AI strategy

  Outlining the current and future usages of AI in government and private services

  Challenge:

  creating the legal and strategic framework for accelerating AI development and making Estonia a trailblazer in the field

  Effect:

  a detailed strategic plan for promoting implementation of AI solutions in public and private sector

ambitious future

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