Electronic Public Records (OEP) – (Offentlig Elektronisk Postjournal) (NO0039)

OEP is part of the Norwegian Government’s effort to promote transparency and
democracy within the public sector. OEP aims to make the Norwegian public sector
more open and accessible to citizens. OEP is tightly connected with the Freedom of
Information Act and its foundation is regulations related to the act.
Electronic Public Records (OEP) is a collaborative tool which central government
agencies use to publicize their public records online. Public record data are stored in
one searchable database. Users can search this database to locate case documents
relevant to their field of interest. Having located relevant case documents, users may
submit requests to view these. Requests are sent to the respective agencies responsible
for the case documents and public record entries. The agencies themselves then
process requests sent to them via OEP, and reply to users directly.

The OEP software has been developed on the basis of open source code, mainly based
on free software, and is therefore available to other levels of governments as well as
public and private institutions for re-use free of charge and without restrictions. The
solution is intended to be accessible to all kinds of user groups. It has been developed
in keeping with universal design principles and web development standards

4. Electronic Public Record (OEP) - (Offentlig elektronisk postjournal)

Commitment Text:

[…]

Electronic Public Records (OEP) is a collaborative tool which central government agencies use to publicize their public records online. Public record data are stored in one searchable database. Users can search this database to locate case documents relevant to their field of interest. Having located relevant case documents, users may submit requests to view these. Requests are sent to the respective agencies responsible for the case documents and public record entries. The agencies themselves then process requests sent to them via OEP, and reply to users directly. […]

COMMITMENT DESCRIPTION
The OEP software has been developed on the basis of open source code, mainly based on free software, and is therefore available to other levels of governments as well as public and private institutions for re-use free of charge and without restrictions. The solution is intended to be accessible to all kinds of user groups. It has been developed in keeping with universal design principles and web development standards.

KEY IMPACT BENCHMARK
On request, Norway will share its experiences of OEP and the source code with other countries.

Responsible institution: Agency for Public Management and eGovernment (Difi)

Supporting institution(s): None

Start date: Ongoing           End date: Ongoing

Editorial note: The text of the commitments was abridged for formatting reasons. For the full text of the commitment, please see http://bit.ly/1QlVIja.

Policy Aim

The Electronic Public Record (OEP) - (Offentlig elektronisk postjournal) is a mechanism through which all public records and communications of public officials are archived and made available to citizens.^{[Note 26: “Om OEP,” Agency for Public Management and eGovernment (Difi), accessed September 4, 2016, https://www.oep.no/content/om-oep.]} The mechanism is explicitly developed and implemented in an effort to promote openness and democratic principles in the Norwegian governance context and forms a central place in the Norwegian access to information regime, together with the Freedom of Information Act.^{[Note 27: Ibid. ]} All government agencies that maintain electronic journals are mandated to participate in the mechanism; there are currently 122 agencies participating.^{[Note 28: Ibid. ]}  This commitment aims to share Norwegian experiences in developing and implementing the OEP with international peers.

Status

Mid-term: Complete

This commitment was complete at the midterm and included participation in national and international conferences to share Norwegian experiences with OEP. Events included:

•       Parliaments in the Open Government Era (UiO/University Paris, Sorbonne)

•       Informasjonsforvaltning 2014, Foreningen for arkiv og informasjonsforvaltning (Sweden)

•       Tools for Improving Efficiency and Performance in the Public Sector (Germany)

•       LAPSI 2.0 (The European Thematic Network on Legal Aspects of Public Sector Information).

Did it open government?

Access to information: Did not change

Though it is not widely known among everyday citizens, journalists and civil society actors familiar with the OEP describe it as important for access to information, functional, and user friendly. Despite the strength of the OEP as a mechanism, the IRM researcher understands this commitment to be developed and implemented in relation to the sharing of OEP experiences internationally, which does not have a clear impact on government openness or access to information in Norway. Civil society representatives have suggested two ways in which the OEP could be strengthened: 1) stricter definitions and sanctions for what type of information must be logged in publically accessible journals, and 2) mapping the archives of what kinds of information are available.^{[Note 29: Nils Øy and Siri Gedde-Dahl, interview by Christopher Wilson, in-person meeting, Offices of the Norwegian Association of the Press, September 1, 2016.}

Guro Slettemark, interview by Christopher Wilson, in-person meeting, Offices of the International Law and Policy Institute March, September 16, 2016.]

Carried forward?

This commitment has been carried forward in the Norwegian government’s third national action plan, under the following commitment heading: “Develop a new system solution for OEP to improve the security in OEP, streamline work processes in the public administration, and streamline the transparency work: A new solution with better capacity to accommodate larger amounts of data and with a new technical solution that will provide enhanced search features and improved user experiences.”

The action plan is available on the OGP website.^{[Note 30: ”Norway’s third action plan Open Government Partnership (OGP),” Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation, accessed September 4, 2016, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Norway_2016-17_NAP.pdf.]}