Smart government requires transparency, accountability and a dynamic anticipation of the changing needs of the citizens, especially in light of advanced technology. Additionally, there’s an opportunity for citizen engagement to allow increased interaction between government officials and citizens.
Automated Vehicle Location (AVL)
AVL is a complete vehicle tracking solution providing departments with a host of detailed information about vehicle activity. The application provides visibility, history, and reporting needs with accurate real time data. AVL provides enhanced functionality including the ability to perform turn-by-turn routing, enter Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), pre and post-vehicle inspections information, and integration with Transportation’s work order management.
Benefit to the City - Automated Vehicle Location solutions are used by departments to track our vehicles using a GPS system and managing vehicles’ locations, speed, idle time, and other data. AVL is used to enhance routing and gain fuel savings and other efficiencies.
Chatbot
The project implements an automated ChatBot with artificial intelligence (AI).
Benefit to the City - The implementation of an automated ChatBot with artificial intelligence (AI) will alleviate staff providing information available elsewhere and often repeating the same information to multiple consumers. An automated chat system will handle many of the standard, straight-forward information requests and will interface to other applications, potentially automating even mid-level requests such as account balances, application status, etc. Only the most complicated requests would require human interaction. With AI functionality, the system will steadily build a knowledgebase and can take on more of the requests as the information store grows. This will reduce the number of phone calls and/or time on the phone for staff as well as in-person counter customer service. Residents will be provided information in a timelier fashion while still having access to human interaction at any time if needed.
Smart Data
Open Data is digital data that is made available for it to be freely used, reused, and redistributed by anyone, anytime and anywhere. We upgraded and expanded the data available on our Open Data Portal, including Open Budget, Open Expenditures, City Council Strategic Priorities, Performance Dashboard, Capital Projects Explorer, and featured stories/highlights on key services.
Benefit to the City - Datasets are made freely available for anyone under the Terms of Use. This license allows worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive license to use Mesa’s open datasets, for both commercial and non-commercial use. Data that contains personal identifying information, or information that may pose as a security or confidentiality concern, will not be released as open data.
As part of Mesa’s Smart City initiative, we continue developing our data practices and better support efforts to be data informed. We recently launched the city data portal giving employees access to more data than ever before! Currently over 1,300 city data assets, such as datasets, performance measures, charts/graphs/maps, and performance stories inform managers about daily operations.
We strive to be a data-informed local government, and leaders and staff at all levels are committed to using data to make decisions. Through this expanded effort we’ve also made more datasets available on the city’s public data portal. Nearly 30 department performance measures, aligned with Council Strategic Priorities are now available to the public on our open data portal at http://data.mesaaz.gov with more expected in the coming months.
Mesa was recognized in 2020 for achieving What Works Cities Certification, for our investment in data and transparency and for putting data and evidence at the center of our decision-making. Mesa earned the 2020 What Works Cities Silver Level Certification, one of only 16 cities in the United States to earn silver status. What Works Cities Certification evaluates how effectively cities are managed by measuring the extent to which city leaders incorporate data and evidence in their decision-making against a national standard of excellence.