Decision Support Systems (DSS) are interactive, computer-based systems that aid users in judgment and choice activities. They provide data storage and retrieval along with enhancing the traditional information access and retrieval functions with support for model building and model-based reasoning. They support framing, modeling, and problem solving. NIC Lakshadweep has developed an application called NIC-eDSS, which captures the details of all e-governance applications used by various departments and categorizes them based on their usage. WHY DSS? Improves personal efficiency Speeds up the process of decision making Solves semi-structured and unstructured problems Supports managers at all levels Supports individuals and groups Interdependence and sequence of decisions Supports intelligence, design, choice Adaptable and flexible Interactive and easy to use Speeds up problem solving in an organization DSS IN GOVERNMENT The transformation from conventional government services to e-Government services heralds a new era in public service delivery. e-Governance services utilize ICT to enhance quantity, quality and reach to augment citizen satisfaction levels. DSS assists the government in reviewing the existing status of G2C services and make decisions that will leverage their quality and delivery in future. In the G2G arena, the government departments are in an even greater need of a system that is able to provide information retrieval, data exchange, metadata homogeneity, and proper information dissemination across the administrative channels of national, regional/state, and local governments. The increasing demand and complexity of government regulations on various aspects of economic, social and political life calls for advanced knowledge-based framework for information gathering, flow and distribution. Hence, DSS makes an integral part of e-Governance. NIC- EDSS@UTL Lakshadweep Administration is rapidly adopting e-Governance applications for day to day operations of departments with help of SWAN and Data Centre established under NEGP. These applications are mostly developed by NIC and implemented by the departments with the active technical support from NIC Lakshadweep UT unit, hosted in NDC, SDC and local SWAN servers. e-Governance applications helps the departments to run daily operations of the offices and also helps central government departments to review various MIS reports for monitoring the national level schemes and projects. Over a period of time, a large database has been generated in the departments which can be further used for planning and decision making. Though large number of MIS reports is available in these applications, officers still depend on operational staff to get the required reports in printed form, which is time consuming and delays the process of decision making. Getting the right information at right time from these MIS reports is a very cumbersome job for most of senior officers due to difficulty in accessing the system with user-id and password and also getting right reports from various menus. Some of the departments in the state need information from other departments for taking decision for planning and operations. Presently, each department is individually contacted for procuring information, which is time consuming and delays the process of decision making. NIC Lakshadweep has developed an application called NIC-eDSS, which collects the details of all e-governance applications used by various departments in the UT and categorizes them based on usage. With a single window access, all the required information is integrated in this system. This is a common place to share events, notifications, news, circulars and orders so that they can be accessed easily by all the employees of UTL. The central portal also carries important application links to facilitate employees in their everyday work. Presently, 55 e-Governance applications have been brought under this system. eDSS assists officers in taking decisions based on management information available in the system. The MIS page in the NIC-eDSS collects all useful MIS reports from various e-Gov applications and websites and places it in a structured menu, so that officers can easily access the required information. MIS pages can be managed dynamically through an admin privileged user depending upon the requirement of officers in the departments. The system is also capable of uploading notices, circulars and orders. There can be a specified time range in which these circulars or orders will be visible and thereafter will be removed automatically. The site is also provided with a list of state specific and national projects with a short description about these project and link to each project. This makes it easier for the user to search a project and get it enlisted, thus avoiding the hassle of remembering the url of the website. Currently, this application is used by Administrator, Collector cum Development Commissioner and other Department Heads for regular monitoring of the activities in various departments. This application also helps in inter-departmental coordination to ensure timely decision making. The Port Department uses this application to find out the stock position of diesel in every island under the Departments of Electricity and Fisheries for planning advanced cargo movement without depending on departmental application. Electricity Department and Fisheries Department regularly update the stock position on every island through their Inventory Management System. The application is developed under LAMP platform which is configurable for any state or district level offices. This application can also be used as a single point contact place for all NIC services.