Personal Smart Cards

An effective information management is one of the most valuable assets of any organization, including public administration. Database integration from various municipal Information Systems is an essential tool for urban and strategic planning. The city of Curitiba, Brazil, has implemented several Information Systems to enhance its public services, from education to health care—most of these systems use several non-integrated personal smart cards to provide access to services. In this chapter we analyze some public Information Systems in use in Curitiba, and their inputs and outputs. We also advocate that the personal smart card already used in the metropolitan transportation system only as a fare collection card, is, among all others, the best option, from a technological and administrative standpoint, to integrate all municipal Information Systems, improving the effectiveness of public services and assisting for a comprehensive planning process.