Governments across the world are increasingly turning to Postgresql, an open source relational database management system, according to a press release by Enterprisedb. The company provides commercial services for the database system, and reports a hefty growth of its government contracts.
The company’s press release mentions several European public administration references. One example is the UK’s National Health Service. NHS is using Postgresql for its central database services (Spine2). In November, CIO Magazine quoted Andrew Meyer, responsible for the development of Spine2, as saying it helps to save GBP 21 million (about EUR 26 million) per year on operational costs.
Database cluster
According to Enterprisedb, Postgresql is also used in the Dutch DigiD. This eID solution combines a username and a password to provide users with access to hundreds of Dutch government websites. Logius, the government organisation responsible for Digid, would not confirm the use of the open source database system, ‘for security reasons’.
The European Commission’s Open Source Observatory and Repository (OSOR) on its Joinup eGovernment collaboration platform, has aggregated many more examples of public administrations using Postgresql. Recent examples include an ‘early warning and crises management system’ developed for Norway’s Akerhus county, and the GIS solutions built for Croatia’s Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection.
Postgresql is also the database engine for France's Caisse Nationale d'Allocations Familiales (CNAF). Another example is the use of Postgresql by France’s nuclear energy and defence research institute CEA.