Does collocating private business searches like movie times or local restaurant ratings with government services increase resident engagement?
The city of Los Angeles is trying to find out as it deploys kiosks tailored to serve the public. The kiosks, as part of a pilot program, will be put in locations throughout the city to offer services targeted to the local surroundings.
“Having a kiosk in a very public place that talks about city government isn’t entirely interesting to the average person. So it’s truly important to find ways where you truly engage, you truly interact,” Ted Ross, CIO for Los Angeles, told Techwire.
“Government talking at people about government” does not make sense in places like LA Live, a sprawling entertainment and shopping complex. But the thinking is that integrating the kiosks with services like Open Table or ways to purchase movie tickets should make someone's first contact with a kiosk more likely.
“You’ll get a very large civic audience who wants to book a reservation for a restaurant or something like that, and while you’re at it, why not find out more about where you live,” Ross said.
As residents use kiosks for “other aspects of life” they can decide to find information about things like the L.A. River, a City Council calendar or their local representative, Ross said.
The kiosks will be rolled out in the next few months as the city tries working with Microsoft, Google and other vendors. No timeline has been announced for a contract.
“We’ll identify who is the right partner, but right now we’re trying to work out proof-of-concept,” Ross said.
The city is reaching out and offering services, especially in areas with accessibility problems, like areas with concentrated homeless populations, Ross said.
A similar pilot program was done in Dallas, where the city worked with AT&T to deliver city services and test the concept before awarding a contract.
