In its latest website redesign, Mississippi included virtual reality, a chatbot, and digital voice assistance technologies in hopes of improving the citizen experience. The makeover of ms.gov includes a brighter, more modern look with a photo of Amazon’s Echo welcoming users on the front page.
Pittsburgh Public Works improved efficiency and saved the city money through sensor-equipped trash cans.
Denver’s crowdsourced data platform asking people to indicate traffic hazards has garnered more than 2,200 responses since its March 6 launch. Sixty-one people were killed in traffic-related deaths on the streets of Denver in 2016. To redress the issue, Denver is participating in Vision Zero, a program where cities use data analytics to prevent transportation-related injuries.
Prince George’s County, Md., on Monday released two new open data sets and plans to release another set in the coming weeks. The first two data sets contain information about agency performance and the Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative. The data sets will have updated versions of city information that was released in August about citizen complaints and requests.
As citizens become more dependent on technology in their lives, they expect more digital services from the government. A recent Accenture report found that 85 percent of respondents said they expect the same or higher quality from government digital services as they do from commercial organizations.
IT projects within Rhode Island’s Department of Revenue will likely remain on schedule despite Gov. Gina Raimondo’s recent freeze on all such initiatives, according to Paul Grimaldi, the department’s chief of information and public relations.
On the same day as the first snow of the season, the city of Seattle announced its “Let It Snow!” hackathon. The city is hoping to tap technology users, designers, and developers for a community design workshop on how city officials communicate with the public during snow-related emergencies.
The Center for Digital Government announced the 2016 Digital Cities Survey winners. The annual survey, now in its 15th year, honors cities that use tech to improve citizen services, enhance transparency, and encourage citizen engagement.
California’s Child Welfare Digital Services Team is working to create an updated case management system to help social workers who deal with high caseloads.
Finland is rolling into the future of mass transit with the first driverless bus. One of the world’s first autonomous bus pilot programs has already begun in the Hernesaari district in Helsinki, and will run through mid-September.
