A community facilitation model for e-government: A case study in monitoring water quality

This chapter introduces a community facilitation model for e-government. The central tenet of this approach is the empowerment of a segment of the population to act, by providing the tools and information necessary to tackle issues that have been difficult to address with traditional approaches to government. Under this model, government provides an initial spark and then plays a supporting role in the growth of the community. By doing so, the costs of the program are minimized while the impact of the program is maximized. We examine the viability of the model by looking at a case study in water quality monitoring. The case illustrates the power of a government facilitated community of action to address an important problem, and it suggests that such a model can be applied globally and may be relevant to government initiatives beyond water monitoring.