How Government Agencies Can Use Geospatial Technology to Increase Public Engagement

Federal, state and local government agencies and departments use technology, and ever increasingly geospatial technology, in particular, to facilitate engagement with their constituents.

Critical issues regarding initiatives, news, events, and issues ranging from disaster relief and environmental emergencies down to potholes on the street, can be addressed via websites, social media and other avenues leveraging location-based technology and data.

We recently attended the Carahsoft Citizen Engagement Seminar in Washington D.C. and spoke on a panel to discuss how innovative geospatial technology and services can help government entities enhance public participation. Fred Poole, Digital Map Products’ Director of Business Development for Federal Government Solutions, highlighted several key points regarding best practices for success when using geospatial technology and solutions to drive engagement.

Use Data Visualization

Data without context is difficult to grasp. By enabling data visualization in a familiar visual context (such as a map), we can understand what the information represents and how to properly apply it. Through web-based mapping applications, geospatial data can be viewed as layers and locations on a map, allowing government entities to present important information in an easily consumable way to the public.

Keep Access Easy

The combination of geospatial data and applications based in the cloud is an important enabler of constituent engagement. With constant online access available via websites and mobile apps, the public can easily find and be informed of critical information anytime. Vice versa, government staff and administrators are able to access cloud-based applications anytime, and thus be able to communicate to their community the latest news, or provide the most current data, virtually in real time.

Close the Loop with Geospatial Technology

Constituent engagement is a two-way street. Not only are government agencies providing information but also receiving feedback from the public, and residents also expecting agencies to react and take action from their responses. Geospatial technology can offer many user-friendly ways such as interactive maps and online applications displaying agency information and facilitating two-way dialogue to facilitate greater public engagement. However, maintaining closed-loop communication is crucial. Without prompt follow up and effective responses from the agency, the public’s interest in interacting will wane.

To learn more about how Digital Map Products’ industry-leading mapping and location data solutions can help government agencies and departments streamline internal tasks, improve productivity, and enhance public engagement, visit the helpful links below:

• Sign up for a Demo of our Government Solutions
• Free Trial of Our Parcel Data Solutions
• Cities Satisfy Residents, Save Money with GIS in the Cloud