The UGM Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB UGM), through its Center for Information Systems Studies (PKSI FEB UGM), launched the Gadjah Mada Digital Transformation Governance Index (GM-DTGI).
This launch was held on Friday (Oct. 11) at the Ranuwihardjo Auditorium, MM FEB UGM. The index assesses local governments’ performance in digital transformation.
The event was attended by the Vice Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Nezar Patria, UGM and FEB leadership, the GM-DTGI research team, students, representatives from 22 local governments across Indonesia, and other stakeholders.
Patria welcomed the launch of GM-DTGI, developed by FEB UGM, stating that it serves as a diagnostic tool to assess the level of technological adoption in public service transformation at the regency and city levels.
According to him, this index is crucial, as existing indices mostly capture provincial-level technology adoption and do not address the local services directly interacting with the public.
“I appreciate FEB UGM for initiating the development of GM-DTGI. This index is extremely helpful for all stakeholders in Indonesia’s digital transformation ecosystem to assess maturity and implement digital transformation,” Patria said.
Representing UGM Rector Professor Ova Emilia, UGM’s Director of Business Development, Dr. Hargo Utomo, emphasized that the launch of GM-DTGI is important for UGM and local governments to improve public sector services.
He said the index developed by PKSI FEB UGM marks a new era for government services. It aims for efficiency, transparency, and accountability and adopts seven pillars of digital transformation to achieve better governance.
Dean of FEB UGM, Professor Didi Achjari, stated that the GM-DTGI is an important initiative led by PKSI FEB UGM, providing a comprehensive assessment of local government digitalization performance.
“The development of this index involved academics and practitioners and was based on credible data, including official local government websites,” Professor Achjari explained.
Professor Achjari hopes this index will foster stronger synergy between the central and local governments in advancing inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.
He urged stakeholders to innovate and collaborate to create a more advanced digital ecosystem.
The GM-DTGI Lead Researcher, Professor Syaiful Ali, explained that GM-DTGI is an innovative index designed to assess digital transformation performance in regency and city governments. The instrument evaluates the implementation of Electronic-Based Government Systems (SPBE) and other digital innovations applied by local governments across Indonesia.
“GM-DTGI helps optimize IT investment in local governments to achieve their strategic goals,” Professor Ali said.
He further emphasized that digital transformation is not solely about technology but includes human factors, business processes, and organizational aspects.
He encouraged local governments to actively participate in the index’s evaluation to enhance transparency, competitiveness, and better governance.
Professor Ali detailed that GM-DTGI provides a comprehensive overview of how local governments adopt digital technology and transform business processes.
It also helps identify areas where local governments need to improve digital transformation. GM-DTGI is a powerful tool for innovation and continuous improvement in digital transformation efforts.
The index is calculated based on data from local government websites and other credible public internet sources.
GM-DTGI comprises seven pillars: Governance and Leadership, Regulations and Policies, Public Administration Reform and Change Management, Data Governance, Digital Ecosystems, User-Centered Platform Design, and Cybersecurity and Privacy.
Ali noted that the index development process involved several stages, starting with data collection from credible government websites and ending with quality control by the research team.
The index’s creation involved a team of enumerators and academics to ensure that the data collected was accurate and representative.
Dr. Fitri Amalia, Coordinator of PKSI FEB UGM, added that digital transformation is vital for local governments to meet the expectations of fast and efficient services.
GM-DTGI is expected to become an evaluation tool for improving digital governance and public service quality.
PKSI FEB UGM awards the GM-DTGI Award to Indonesia’s best-performing regencies and cities to encourage local governments to improve their digital governance.
This award aims to motivate local governments to optimize their digital transformation. Successful IT investments support the achievement of each region’s vision, mission, and goals, ultimately improving the well-being of the entire Indonesian population.
Dr. Amalia explained that the GM-DTGI Award assessment is based on global best practices in digital governance, focusing on seven pillars.
The data used for the assessment is sourced from official local government websites and other credible sources. The cutoff date is Dec. 31, 2023.
The 2024 GM-DTGI Award assessed data from 429 regency and city governments. The winners in each category were the City of Semarang for the city category and Banyuwangi Regency for the regency category.
In addition to the awards, PKSI FEB UGM allowed the winners to present best practices in digital governance during a panel session. Presenters included representatives from the City of Semarang, Banyuwangi Regency, Yogyakarta City, Sragen Regency, and Banjarmasin City.
With the release of GM-DTGI, PKSI FEB UGM hopes to inspire local governments to innovate and improve public services through technology.
The index serves as a measure of progress and encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing among regions.
PKSI FEB UGM invites all stakeholders to actively participate in the digital transformation process to achieve more efficient, transparent, and responsive governance that meets public needs.
Report by: FEB UGM/Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afif