4 Ways to Achieve Open Government with Cloud Applications

August 8, 2014

The Open Government initiative was signed in 2009 with the aim to improve government transparency. One critical aspect of it is the concept of “open data”, which urges agencies to make data and information about government operations more readily available to the public.

Analyst firm McKinsey & Company takes Open Government one step further, stating that “the open-data revolution holds the promise of not only better informing citizens but also improving the effectiveness and efficiency of services.”

As the leader in cloud database technology since 2000, we have helped hundreds of government agencies embrace Open Government while streamlining their services. Below are some of the ways that governments have adopted Caspio cloud applications to launch successful initiatives:

1. Make open government data useful and easy-to-access.

One of the most popular use cases among our government customers is bringing public data sets online. Whether it’s health inspection data or government employee salaries, agencies can quickly turn flat spreadsheet data into interactive databases embedded on their website for the public to view, search, share, and even submit feedback. Many Open Data initiatives have achieved amazing results using Caspio.

Case Study: The Florida Department of Health and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources publish database applications to share state-wide health and environmental information, all created and managed by staff with little technical experience.

2. Eliminate paper-based manual processes.

Government administrators have traditionally relied on paper-based manual processes with lengthy approval procedures, but more agencies are now adopting cloud applications to automate their operations.

Case Study: The State of Georgia built a cloud application for its state agencies to apply for newly-available grant funding. With a prototype built in a single day, the program was launched ahead of schedule and under-budget. Had they chosen a paper-based process, state funding would have been significantly delayed and adversely-affected Georgia citizens.

3. Engage communities by bringing entire programs online.

The Open Government initiative also encourages agencies to find more ways to engage with the community at all levels (individual citizens, businesses, nonprofits and the private sector). Now with a tool like Caspio, agencies can implement innovative ideas to benefit both citizens and local businesses.

Case Study: The City of Thousand Oaks public works department used Caspio to bring their entire green business certification program online and won the “Best of California” award for the program’s efficiency and effectiveness.

4. Offer location-based information that citizens care about.

With capabilities such as Google Mapping and Distance Search, Caspio makes it easy to create location-based applications to serve citizens concerned about the welfare of their community. For instance, an online database application with Distance Search allows citizens to simply enter their address or zip code to view hyper-local data such as neighborhood crime reports, nearby environmental hazards, road closures, city policy changes, and more.

With over 10 years of experience serving government agencies, we offer specialized industry expertise in addition to its innovative& cloud application platform. Learn more about how Caspio serves government.