Enhanced access to eGovernment services: temporal and semantics-aware retrieval of norms

In this paper, we summarize the results of an ongoing research involving the design and implementation of a multi-version repository of norm texts supporting efficient and personalized access in an eGovernment scenario. The research activity is entitled “Semantic web techniques for the management of digital identity and the access to norms”. In the context of a complete and modular infrastructure, we defined a multiversion XML data model and developed an XML query processor supporting both temporal and semantic versioning. Semantic versioning is based on the applicability of different norm parts to different classes of citizens and allows users to retrieve personalized norm versions only containing provisions which are applicable to their personal case. The whole infrastructure, which we plan to complete in the near future, will integrate the query answering component with several auxiliary services, including automatic citizen identification and classification and computer-aided update of the repository data.