SCADA Systems: Strategic e‐Systems for e‐Governance of Critical Resources

Advancement of Information Technology (IT) solution including mobile and Internet technologies (e-Technologies) have become a catalyst for enabling the public sector to achieve improved service delivery by introducing technology-enabled solutions into processes and reforming the management and delivery of services. In the beginning, reform in the public sector services via use of IT was limited to empowering citizens to initiate and receive services online. It was also used to improve business processes within public sector organizations. However, the concept of e-Governance can potentially evolve to integrate sophisticated IT systems for improved effectiveness in management of critical natural resources. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems have been deployed worldwide in many critical infrastructures including power generation, water distribution systems, public transport and industrial manufacturing systems. SCADA systems not only support many aspects of our day to day lives but also are critical to our well-being and the very existence of our economy. Connecting SCADA to the Internet has made it possible to introduce a new generation of e-Government strategies and systems. This paper surveys previous research and provides a coherent overview of the role of SCADA systems in e-Government.