Department of Information Technology

To raise efficiency of government affairs and to stimulate city development, Taipei City Government proposed the creation of its own computing center in May of 1973. Following the discussion of the proposal during a meeting of city officials, then Mayor Chen Feng-hsu instructed the case to be handed to the Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) for further evaluation.

RDEC approved the proposal in 1976, and the Taipei City Government Data Processing Center was founded as an ad hoc task force on December 16, 1977 under the Department of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics (DBAS). Following the approval by the Executive Yuan in July of 1979, the Taipei City Government Electronic Processing Data Center was formally established under DBAS.

In March of 1996, the center was renamed Taipei City Government Information Management Center.

In September of 2002, the size of the staff expanded from 40 to 63 following the approval of workforce readjustment provisions.

In September of 2007, the Department of Information Technology (DOIT) was established following the approval by Taipei City Council in June.

With the prevalence of internet applications and mobile devices, the city is in desperate need of broadband infrastructure and online services. In light of this, DOIT has been pushing ahead with a long-term plan for the development of information technology, for example implementing the fiber-optic network and wireless broadband infrastructure, as well as promoting cloud services. In September of 2012, the agency was upgraded to the first level administrative agency (with its Chinese name changed from 資訊處 to 資訊局) following the approval by Taipei City Council in July.

The growth and expansion of the responsibilities and duties of DOIT could be subdivided into four major phases:

PHASE I (1979 – 1989)
During this phase, the agency assisted the various departments of city government in the development of application systems. The approach of the center includes concentrating operations, promotion of computerization for major systems such as monitoring, business, HR, land administration, and job bank data. The respective systems were developed and maintained on mainframe computers.

PHASE II (1989 – 1999)
With the changes and transition in computer technology, mainframe systems were gradually replaced by work stations over the years. The trend of dispersing operations has become the mainstream as work was handed back to the agencies with the increase of personal computers in the workplace. The duties of the center have also seen a shift from day-to-day work to highly specialized and consulting-oriented operations. Examples include the designing and implantation of city hall’s Internet infrastructure; the planning and establishment of city governance data exchange center; the drafting and construction of city governance information system; and the drawing of the city’s governance blueprint for the next century.

PHASE III (1999 – 2007)
The rapid advances in both information and communication technologies led to the inevitable appearance of new conformity and standards allowing functions such as faster Internet broadband connection, better equipment for mobile communication, and smoother synchronizing between different applications to be implemented. To deal with challenges arising from the information age, the mayor introduced his Information Technology white paper and implemented the CyberCity Initiative in 1999. The satisfactory results of the first stage led to the continuation of the project in 2003. The policy focused on the construction of basic IT infrastructure; the creation of e-government, e-business, and e-life; the promotion of IT training to reduce the digital divide; and the continual implementation of major IT policies. To answer to the growing demands of an information society in the digital age, the city government carried out policies consisting of building an intelligent city and making city services through its websites.

PHASE IV (2007 – Today)

In July of 2007, the city began exploring the possibilities of innovative services with the implementation of both the UI Taipei and Geographic Information System (GIS) projects. Under the UI Taipei Initiative, the city government seeks to transform Taipei City into a “Ubiquitous and Intelligent” metropolis. The realization of this vision requires a three-pronged approach comprising e-government, e-community, and e-life. Residents of the city will be able to access government service with their intelligent devices in a fast and convenience manner around the clock.

On September 11, 2007 the Department of Information Technology was formally established, becoming the agency responsible for the construction of IT-related infrastructure and the research and planning for the development of Taipei’s overall prowess in information technology.

Starting 2011, DOIT continues to carry out the Intelligent City plan, seeking to expand the city’s public wireless internet service with the aim of providing around-the-clock mobile city services spanning information of map, transportation, healthcare, and more.

In September of 2012, DOIT was upgraded to the first level administrative agency. It will endeavor to strengthen the information technology infrastructure of Taipei and sharpen the city’s IT competitive edge.