The State of Maryland has embarked upon an ambitious project to create the most advanced electronic business environment in the nation and to position itself as an international leader in the development and deployment of new Internet technologies. As the Flagship of the state university system, the original land grant institution in Maryland, and the state's foremost public research university, the University of Maryland is poised to play a unique role in the eMaryland project.

eMaryland is the name given to the state's overall technology program, a sort of "brand name," as well as the title of one specific piece of a 12-point package of legislation (the "Digital Dozen") recently passed by the Maryland General Assembly.

The specific eMaryland initiative establishes a CEO Board of Advisors to the Governor for e-business, which will help tap the technological experience and expertise of the private sector, and an Application Service Provider (ASP) Consortium, to be based at the University of Maryland, which will work to develop and to stimulate new software applications for use by state agencies.

One of the overall goals of the Digital Dozen is to conduct as much of the state's business as possible online, thus becoming more "customer friendly" and improving efficiency and effectiveness. Another goal is to attract and encourage the growth of new high technology companies in the state, particularly in the area of online e-business solutions.

Led by OIT and the Supply Chain Management Center (SCMC) at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, the University of Maryland is working closely with the state CIO and various government agencies to make these goals a reality. According to Don Riley, the university's Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer, eMaryland planners "can leverage the kinds of things we can do here at the university, and some of our evolving strategic partnerships with the private sector, to help the state. We have resources here, both in OIT and in the university at large . . . and we're basically making our intellectual capacity available to make this happen."

An important, and highly visible, component of the eMaryland proposal will be the creation of an online portal for efficient, one-stop access to all state information resources and services. The databases, which contain financial, legal, and other administrative information, will be integrated and coordinated behind the scenes. The portal will be organized along the lines of how citizens think, not along the lines of the individual state agencies. The portal will also provide "back end integration" to tie into the various state agency services and business processes. Through the online interface of the portal, users should be able to easily find what they need, at any time, from their desktop computers, and to conduct much of their business with the state -- business which is currently conducted either by mail or by physically visiting the appropriate agency office.

"The portal technology provides a way to integrate and increase 'work flow processes,'" Dr. Riley explains, "whether it's me as a citizen wanting to renew my license, or to find out about the next set of hearings on a particular topic, or anything else."

The State of Maryland portal is still in the prototype stage at this time; however, some of the services to which it will link are already being made available through several state agency web sites. For example, the Maryland Department of General Services has been developing an online procurement system, to allow buyers and vendors with state contracts to connect more efficiently, at http://www.emarylandmarketplace.com. This system is projected to save the state $12-20 million per year, in addition to the savings of time and money it will yield the vendors and buyers themselves. The completed state portal will provide an integrated gateway to these and other agency services.

Dr. Riley believes that collaborating with state government and private corporations to implement eMaryland will have great benefits for the university as well. OIT and SCMC have already received state funding for development of the portal prototype and the establishment of the ASP Consortium, and they have been hiring additional staff to work on associated projects.

More broadly, for the university community at large, the collaboration "allows us to create new relationships with the private sector, gives us earlier access to evolving directions in technologies, and allows us to bring resources to the university," says Dr. Riley.

Additionally, Dr. Riley points out, "It's about our prestige, our visibility, our reputation." Raising the profiles of both the State of Maryland and the University of Maryland is an important objective.

"This is the reality of a Flagship, land grant, research university. It ought to be a resource for the state," he explains. "'Land grant' itself implies economic development. The original language describing the land grant mission was for 'Agricultural and Mechanic Arts'" -- the keys to economic development at the time land grant universities were established.

Dr. Riley believes the university must keep working, in the modern age, in "this new Global Information Economy," on an extension of that original mission: developing new information technologies and new programs, while still attending to the more traditional programs, educating students in the latest theories and practices, and promoting state economic growth.

"I think what's really important," he says, "is that this is a recognition of the kind of resource the university can be -- an economic engine for the state -- and of the partnership that's embodied in the university: us working to help the state, to position the state for development and economic vitality."

The eMaryland legislation was just passed by the General Assembly in May, and many of the separate contracts and agreements with corporations, organizations, and the university have only been finalized in recent weeks. The short term goal, now, is to demonstrate a prototype of what's been completed at the Maryland Technology Showcase in Baltimore on December 6 and 7. Beyond that, full implementation of all parts of the eMaryland proposal may take several years.

For more information and continuing updates, visit the Maryland Technology - eMaryland page at http://www.techmd.state.md.us.