ra2studio/Shutterstock.com

Government on the Go

How agencies are helping citizens at the right time and place.

Want to know the weather? There’s an app for that. Want to know how long the TSA security line is at the airport? There’s an app for that, too.

In 2012, President Obama’s digital government plan ordered federal agencies to create at least two mobile apps. A lot has happened since then, and at all levels of government.

More than 90 percent of American adults own a cellphone, and most of those are smartphones. Mobile apps – programs designed to work on devices such as smart phones and tablets – were first introduced commercially in 2008 and were an immediate commercial success. In fact, the average smartphone user has about 40 apps on his or her device, and uses them to find restaurants, shop and check the weather.

Apps are increasingly becoming an avenue for how citizens interact with their government as well. Government-created or -supported mobile apps offer on-the-go services such as finding and paying for parking spaces, reporting potholes and damaged streetlights, checking restaurant health safety violations, and reading e-books from the local library.

In a new report for the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Sukumar Ganapati documents the state of mobile apps at the federal, state and local levels. He describes two types of apps that have evolved:

  • Enterprise-focused apps, which are used by public employees to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively.
  • Citizen-focused apps, which offer real-time public services and engagement.

Ganapati also offers insights on lessons that could be applied by governments at all levels when they consider whether and how to approach the design and implementation of apps in their own agencies.

ENTERPRISE-FOCUSED APPS

Ganapati observes that customized, agency-developed apps for internal use by employees to do their work are still at a very early stage of development in most agencies at the federal, state and local levels. He notes: “Enterprise-focused apps should be role-based to facilitate user needs, and task-oriented toward solving a specific issue, or a set of issues.” For example, enterprise-focused apps can:

Aid in managing mobile assets. The General Services Administration’s FMS2Go app is used to manage over 200,000 vehicles in its fleet, deploying and routing them in real time with greater flexibility. In addition, remote sensor “Internet of Things” technologies can evaluate the condition of the vehicles and can provide cost savings for fleet repair and maintenance.

Increase employees’ productivity. Los Angeles’ InsideLA app allows city employees to access an employee directory, an IT help ticketing system, and connect to other internal city web apps – all through a secure login system.

Reduce field workers’ administrative burdens. The Pennsylvania Transportation Department’s Posted and Bonded Road app reduces manual, paper-based reports on surveys and audits of posted and bonded roads, and allows workers to upload photos of road conditions. Direct uploads of reports reduce intervening human errors and increase survey data quality.

Encourage collaboration and networking among agency field offices. NASA employees working on the same issue in different locations use the same app, ExplorNet, to share information in real time in the field. Mobile collaborative tools can also be crucial in emergency management and law enforcement.

CITIZEN-FOCUSED APPS

Ganapati found that most federal, state, and local government apps focus on citizen services and increasingly on engaging citizens in decision-making processes.

Federal citizen-oriented apps. As a result of the 2012 Digital Strategy, most federal agencies have at least one type of citizen-oriented app. There are five categories of federal citizen-oriented apps:

  • Information and news service apps provide information about agency services, news or data (e.g., the Commerce Department’s BusinessUSA).
  • Client services apps provide on-the-go services (e.g., the Internal Revenue Service’s IRS2go).
  • Crowdsourcing apps obtain information volunteered from users that agencies cannot obtain by themselves. (e.g., myTSA, which crowd­sources the wait time in security lines from passengers).
  • Health and safety information apps are being used by the Federal Emergency Man­agement Agency and the Food and Drug Administration to provide information on disaster assis­tance and drug shortages.
  • Educational apps are fun and explore aspects of a theme, aiming toward gamification (e.g., the Smithsonian Institu­tion’s range of apps)

State-local citizen-oriented apps. Citizen-oriented apps provided by state and local governments can be classified into four categories:

  • Information on parks, recreation, and leisure activities is oriented to tourists (e.g., park guides developed by ParksByNature Network in many states).
  • Traffic and transit information apps provide details in real time and place. The 511 apps by state departments of transportation give traffic conditions on the highways, so drivers can adjust their driving routes accordingly.
  • Public engagement apps include 311 apps, which help citizens obtain non-emergency services (e.g., fixing a pothole or a streetlight).
  • Third party civic apps for government are developed by citizen groups, nonprofit agencies, and private sector entities using local government data. Public agencies have held app competitions and hackathons to develop such apps.

DESIGNING GOVERNMENT APPS

The White House has encouraged federal agencies to adopt a “mobile first” strategy when designing or redesigning their websites. But there is more to it than that. Ganapati says there are three options agencies need to consider when developing their apps:

  • Native apps, which are downloaded onto a mobile device and take maximum advantage of the device’s hardware features (e.g., camera, etc.)
  • Web apps, which are sites that use responsive Web design features (i.e., HTML5) so the same Web app can be accessed from different kinds of devices (e.g., iPhones, Android phones, as well as various tablets).
  • Hybrid apps combine the features of native and Web apps. Like native apps, they are accessed through an app gateway and installed on a mobile device, but like web apps they can work across platforms.

Each of these options has its plusses and minuses. Native apps, for example, are technically complex and need to be customized for each type of mobile operating system. The benefit, however, is that because the app resides on the device, it could function when there is no Internet connectively. On the other hand, Web apps can be accessed and automatically optimized for different devices, thereby avoiding the cost of customizing the app. But they require access to the Internet to work. Ganapati offers a checklist of criteria for assessing which option is best, depending on an app’s intended use and users.

Ganapati cautions that not everything on government websites should be converted to an app. Rather, he encourages government agencies to “strategically assess their existing online services and engage the public in identifying those which would be most valued on various mobile devices.” After all, having an app to apply for Social Security – a once-in-a-lifetime event – is different than checking traffic reports, which could be several times a day.

Here are three recommendations that Ganapati offers for enhancing the value of mobile apps in government:

  • Optimize online services for mobile devices. Government agencies should strategically assess their online services to see if they should be made available via apps on mobile devices in order to make public services more accessible.
  • Provide open data based on common standards. Public agencies are treasure troves of public domain data that they collect in the course of their day-to-day work. Making data available proactively, in machine readable formats based on common standards, can assist third parties in creating a range of useful mobile apps.
  • Assess the feasibility of using standard data structures across and within agencies. Standardizing the way data is structured would enable different public agencies to provide consistent data. Apps can then use data from different agencies, with little or no customization across jurisdictions.

John M. Kamensky is a senior research fellow and Susan Wedge is vice president and mobile services leader for the public sector at IBM.

(Image via ra2studio/Shutterstock.com)

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.