Enterprise architecture in public administration – description of entire activity
The public administration's enterprise architecture (EA) is a structure by means of which the interoperability of administration organisations and services are coordinated and developed. Public administration EA comprises of higher-level architectures, outlines and joint services’ architectures. They support the national guidance of public administration, but also organisations’ own development work.
Public administration EA determines the structure of the entire architecture. It guides, outlines and supports the development of the next levels (industries, sub-areas and authorities) and individual architectures. In addition to this, joint enterprise architecture offers for use architecture information on future directions (reference architectures) and jointly utilisable architecture elements, which are such as the planning and description methods, governance model, interoperability method, maturity level model and development path.
The information system viewpoint on the public administration's enterprise architecture (EA) is not the sum of all information system services offered by various organisations. Rather, the public administration EA system level contains those shared information system services for public administration that are sensible to realise in one go as a single solution that various organisations can use and utilise in their own activities. A similar approach also applies to other perspectives of enterprise architecture. Public administration EA provides a joint attachment point and thus a shared overview and compiles jointly used definitions. Thus, the descriptions are quite general, and they do not form a detailed chain that reaches implementation. These comprehensive, more precise descriptions are made at the organisation level.
The analysis of public administration’s architecture activity and outlines is based on cooperation that aims to be developed in line with the ecosystem model. An ecosystem means a flexible entity in which communities, people, services and technologies are linked together through a natural need, utilising all operators in the ecosystem. Ecosystems of activities and businesses often accelerate innovations and improve services in a customer-oriented way.
Architecture materials
Higher level architecture descriptions are mostly available from Arkkitehtuuripankki (Architecture bank), which is maintained by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Publishers of the materials are responsible for the content.
Descriptions have also been published in the Avoindata.fi (Open data) portal that gathers planning data to advance interoperability of public administration. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency) is responsible for the Avoindata.fi service.
Definitions of interoperability used in architectures and their parts have been published as public administration recommendations. Public administration recommendations are given by the Advisory Committee on Information Management in Public Administration, for which the Digital and Population Data Services Agency is responsible.
Instructions and recommendations
Instructions on compiling architectures are comprehensive. Avoindata.fi gathers together planning information promoting interoperability of public administration. The portal enables distribution and reuse of planning information, thus reducing overlapping work. Essential instructions and recommendations supporting the development of interoperability of public administration activities, data and information systems can be found through Avoindata.fi. The Population Register Centre is responsible for the Avoindata.fi service and the Ministry of Finance produces the content of public administration EA.
Read more:
Public administration KA maturity level model
Avoindata.fi