Here are some of the basic tools available to designers of e-Government websites and applications:

Geographic Information Systems: There are a growing number of applications that geographically map information for urban planning, health services, zoning, and environmental planning. Resources are compiled here and here.

Content Management: Plone is an open source content management system, or CMS -- a web application designed to make it easy for non-technical users to manage a website. Available in 35 languages.

Information Formatting and Access: The Opening Gateways Guide and Workbench guide program managers and information access professionals in the creation of electronic information access programs that are effective, manageable, and affordable. The Opening Gateways Guide is a paper and a web based document that presents a strategy for designing electronic information access programs. The Gateways Online Workbench is an interactive version of the Guide enhanced with features that support the development of electronic information access programs.

Website Design and Management:

• Australia, The Guide to Minimum Website Standards (April 2003).
• World Wide Web Consortium - Technologies.
  
• Australian Government Information Management Office, Better Practice Checklists.
  
• UK, Web guidelines (2003-06).
  
• UK, Website Template Start-up Kit (2002).
  
• New Zealand, Web Guidelines Toolkit.
  
• Government of Victoria, Australia, resources on the creation and management of websites.
  
• US, Usability.gov - includes step-by-step guidelines on creating e-government websites
• UK, resources to help local governments create their own e-Government sites.

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