In 2023
Municipal Councils of the Region incurred expenditures totalling 2.5 million euros related to Information and Communication Technologies
The Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira (DREM) publishes today the results of the 2023 Survey on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (IUTICCM) by Municipal Councils. This operation falls under the responsibility of the Directorate-General of Education and Science Statistics (DGEEC), a delegated entity of Statistics Portugal (INE) in this domain. In the Autonomous Region of Madeira, DREM coordinates the IUTICCM, which includes data collection, validation, and analysis.
In the Autonomous Region of Madeira, workers engaged in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) within Municipal Councils represented only 1.28% of the total workforce. Males were predominant in this sector, accounting for 83% of the ICT workforce in Municipal Councils, compared to 70% in the overall workforce.
Regarding the IT infrastructure, a total of 1,821 computers were recorded in the Municipal Councils, with total ICT-related expenditure amounting to 2.51 million euros. This figure includes spending on hardware and equipment (1.455 million euros), acquisition of services (968,566 euros), and other expenses (86,240 euros).
All Municipal Councils in the Region maintain a presence on social media, and 64% used the internet or other electronic networks for purchasing goods or services. In terms of data analysis (Big Data) and open data, the primary sources used were smart devices or sensors (18%). Concerning open data, 55% of the Municipal Councils utilised open data from the website dados.gov.pt, while 45% provided data to this same website.
Regarding emerging technologies, 45% of the Municipal Councils purchased cloud computing services. However, only 18% of the Councils in the Region utilised artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Of those reporting AI usage in 2023, they primarily applied it for written language analysis, voice recognition, speech-to-text conversion, and process automation to support decision-making. With regard to the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, only two Municipal Councils reported adopting IoT technologies, the same two that reported using AI.
In the domain of cybersecurity, 90% of the Municipal Councils reported regular software updates, 82% controlled remote access to their networks, and an equal percentage (82%) conducted risk assessments on all assets to ensure the continuity of network and information system operations. Additionally, 64% performed security tests on ICT systems, including intrusion tests, alert systems, backups, and security measures reviews, among other information security-related aspects.
Lastly, it is noteworthy that in 2023, 90% of the Municipal Councils implemented measures to reduce paper usage for printing and copying, and 82% implemented measures to reduce energy consumption by ICT systems.
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