When it comes to govtech—specifically software solutions at the local level—these solutions are often departmentally isolated. If you’re familiar with the environment, you might think that makes sense: Finance manages their accounting systems, Planning owns GIS, Public Works maintains one (or several) asset management systems, and so on. However, time and time again, we hear how departmental isolation is a BIG issue, especially in terms of communication and data management. It’s not uncommon for departments to have separate information systems. Complexity (and frustrations) aside, there’s now a bigger reason why this is not a sustainable or “smart” approach- at least in our opinion.
That reason? Context.
There’s been no shortage of discussions around the use of A.I. in various sectors, and even though digital adoption is generally slower in government, many localities are seriously investigating and beginning to apply A.I.-enabled solutions to their tech stack. And this is a good thing. Municipalities across North America are facing staffing shortages, which directly impact the services we receive. Well-thought-out A.I. systems and automation could certainly alleviate some of this burden, allowing municipal staff to focus on higher-level tasks. BUT there needs to be a knowledge repository that’s as complex as the scope of municipal services.
That’s where existing platforms fall short. They don’t have the entire context of the organization and its environment. The hyper-specificity of their solutions, which made them so powerful in the last generation of software, is, in some ways, the very reason they’ll struggle to keep up in this new generation of applications.
Let’s use infrastructure as an example.
Say you’re a municipality wanting to build a new water treatment facility to support a residential housing project. First, you’ll need to engage your stakeholders and constituents and work with the Planning department to shortlist potential project locations. You’ll also want to collaborate with Public Works to determine tie-in locations with existing utility lines and assess whether the existing lines need to be replaced or retrofitted. What about environmental considerations? You’ll want to contact all relevant environmental agencies early in the process to ensure any environmental assessments (EA) meet standards. While this is happening, Finance is scratching their heads, wondering if the municipality can even fit this project into the 5-year capital plan, the sustainability team is investigating new technologies that align with climate targets, and Council is questioning whether the social impacts of the project justify the cost and risk.
This example could easily turn into a novel, but it illustrates just how intertwined information, decisions, and workflows can (and should) be for effective community development.
Your accounting software won’t know stakeholder concerns over a roads project. Your permitting system won’t understand the socioeconomic benefits of new programming. And your asset management system won’t be able to tell you if you’re on track with your climate action plan. BUT a governance platform layered on top of all these point solutions might. We believe this is the opportunity for localities to build capacity and enhance cross-departmental collaboration, especially when it comes to developing A.I.-assisted workflows, and its what we’re betting our company on.