UK Councils To Deliver More Location-Based Services To Support Citizen Self-Service
Written by Pitney Bowes Business Insight
Thursday, 29 July 2010
New study from Pitney Bowes Business Insight finds significant opening up of local authority geospatial data
Windsor, Berks UK – 29 July 2010 – UK local
authorities are increasing the number of public-facing services with
access to geospatial data, according to a new research report
commissioned by Pitney Bowes Business Insight. Over the next six
months, UK councils expect to provide more location-based services to
the public as online mapping interfaces become a common part of citizen
self-service applications.
The study, “Understanding the Future of GIS Usage in the UK Public
Sector”, was undertaken in June 2010 by K2 Advisory and surveyed 100
GIS practitioners working for local authority organisations in the UK.
The report, which is available for download at http://goto.pbinsight.com/GISfuture/, found that:
44% of local authorities have recently been involved with projects
to provide the public with access to mapping data, which was previously
only for internal use
73% of local authorities expected to provide more location-based services to the public within the next six months
47% of local authorities have integrated GIS with core applications
such as CRM and ERP systems, for more informed analysis and
decision-making
“We are at the start of an information revolution, where
previously hidden data is being opened up to the public to improve the
services they use,” said Steve Deaville, Head of Public Sector
Strategy, Pitney Bowes Business Insight. “Local authorities are leading
the drive to make online information and services more accessible to
everybody. The release of location-based data in particular is leading
to new ways of improving citizen self-services via easy-to-use,
interactive mapping interfaces on council websites. These might
include ‘where’s my nearest?’ enquiries or reporting issues in the
built environment such as faulty streetlights, abandoned vehicles or
illegal fly-tipping.
“Not only does better access to online self-services lead to an
increased ‘feel good’ factor among the public, but also frees up the
time of front line staff tasked with answering incoming queries,
leading to improved efficiencies and cost savings.”
The report also found that the growing integration of
location-based data into core applications such as CRM and ERP systems
has enabled increased sharing of information with subcontractors, such
as utilities companies, allowing faster and more accurate decision
making. Transport, traffic and highways management is the area which
has seen the greatest increase in the use of geospatial data, while the
second highest increase is in emergency planning.
“Councils have long been accused of failing to sufficiently
co-ordinate utilities’ roadworks, but our research shows that there is
now much greater sharing of information between local authorities and
sub-contractors via location-based data,” commented Dr Katy Ring,
Director of K2 Advisory and co-author of the report. “We also found
that GIS professionals in local authorities acknowledge that sharing
this sort of data can significantly simplify relationship management
with the many different parties they have to co-ordinate and liaise
with on a regular basis.”
Pitney Bowes Business Insight is addressing this critical
requirement through its Location Aware solutions and Data-as-a-Service
capabilities, comprising Location Intelligence, Data Management and
Customer Communications Management, which enable customers to harness
the power of the ‘where factor’ in their operational, business, and
strategic decisions.
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