Agencies Benefit from Data Personalized for the Citizen Experience
It’s a refrain that we’ve all probably heard at least once before: “This system wasn’t built for me.” Employees are simply not getting what they need out of the computer systems they are using.
Part of the issue might be that the recommendations employees receive from the tower are too generic and are meant to serve the interests of employees and citizens at multiple locations. Let’s continue with the DMV example. Information sent from the tower to the trench might not account for a coastal DMV location that requires more specific information on boating licenses than an office in the rural plains would.
The generic nature of the output requires employees to do more work. Agency employees must interpret the output and personalize it to a citizen’s request. In some instances, the information they receive may be so far out of context that it leads the employee to make the wrong recommendation.
LEARN MORE: How state and local agencies are automating data analysis.
Edge Computing Takes Workloads to the Customer Service Desk
Embedding intelligence by running artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) applications closer to the network’s edge can help increase employee performance while simultaneously delivering faster and more personalized results for an optimal citizen experience.
This isn’t a new concept. Many cities have already invested time and resources in building out their edge environments. Why not apply the same approach to local government offices, which already have more stable and resilient connectivity with the necessary security functionality and most likely a fair amount of processing capabilities? Take advantage of the IT infrastructure these offices have in place and use it to analyze and process smaller yet no less important workloads right at the point of citizen interactions.
Larger data sets being processed in the tower still inform these edge-hosted AI/ML workloads, but they will not be completely reliant on the data sets. Rather, it can be the other way around: Information analyzed and processed in the trenches can be sent back to the tower via a feedback loop. The more information the tower receives, the more accurate and tailored its recommendations will be in the future.
It is also important to ensure that the delivery mechanisms run smoothly and without the need for human intervention. Fortunately, government IT professionals use automation technologies to easily automate workflows, processing, system configuration and more. Automation can also help complement IT security strategies and provide greater resiliency and faster processing at the edge.