Fifteen city councils in the Netherlands are forming a support group for Dutch public administrations working with the Open Source content management system Typo3.
The support group will be officially launched on 24 April, at a conference in Utrecht on public administration and IT, announces NOIV, a government project to increase the use of Open Source and Open Standards by Dutch public administrations. The group 'Typo3gem' is founded by fifteen city councils, representing about 450.000 citizens and including Bloemendaal, Haarlemmerliede, Heemskerk, Velsen en Uitgeest, Maasdonk and Sint-Michielsgestel.
One of the aims of the group is to gather funds for further development of the content management system. "Members compiled a wish list and want to direct the development of Typo3", explains NOIV on their website.
The fifteen founding city councils also say they want to provide a platform to exchange experiences and information. "They are busy organising a group of web masters and will provide a virtual help desk, building courses and are starting working groups to help build some of the needed functionality."
In an interview with Livre, a Dutch IT news site, Jos Kruis, an IT adviser for the city council of Houten, says Typo3Gem expects the number of members to grow rapidly. "Membership is open to all levels public administration, provinces, ministries, district water boards, and other regional public organisations."
According to NOIV, the foundation will allow IT service providers and software developers to participate. "They will be able to provide support and help write technical specifications." The support group will also organise tenders for some of their projects.
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Further information:
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Typo3gem website (in Dutch)
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Announcement by NOIV (in Dutch)
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Livre news item (in Dutch)