Information quality issues in municipal governments

E-government initiatives rely on information as the central resource for transparency in interactions between governments, citizens, and enterprises. The availability and quality of information is critical for the successful achievement of e-government. This paper details the findings of our study of the technology infrastructure and information sharing practices of 12 New York State local governments. We discovered a number of key information quality issues that plague local governments such as data fragmentation, redundancy, and conflict. We explain how these issues have an immediate impact on the work of the government employees and quality of service to citizens, and a longer-term impact as a barrier to e-government initiatives. Additionally, we detail factors that contribute to issues of information quality and suggest ways to address these issues and ultimately enable more efficient government. © 2011 IEEE.