Government Technology

Data Analytics Go Public in Boston


You May Also Like


Photo from Shutterstock

December 5, 2012 By

A lot of government agencies use data analytics behind the scenes to measure program success, but the city of Boston is taking the concept a step further. A new website called Boston About Results (BAR) and the Citizen Insight mobile app let Bostonians view statistics on about 200 different data points, like fire department response times, number of vehicles towed and graffiti incidents.

Boston's Public Works department installed 578 pedestrian ramps this quarter, according to the BAR website. A single click into the Public Works section shows progress over time for seven projects run by the department. The user can view graphs comparing the city's goals with actual data, along with more detailed insights.

The website and the mobile app were the result of a $650,000 contract with software firm SAP America, which the city contracted with to improve its back-end analytics system.

“If you don’t measure the things that you do in the city well — or badly — you can’t do anything about it,” Sean Patrick O’Brien, head of SAP’s urban management and public safety division, told Boston.com. “A lot of cities are intensifying their focus on doing the right things well,” he added.


You may use or reference this story with attribution and a link to
http://www.govtech.com/Data-Analytics-Go-Public-in-Boston.html


| More

Comments

Add Your Comment

You are solely responsible for the content of your comments. We reserve the right to remove comments that are considered profane, vulgar, obscene, factually inaccurate, off-topic, or considered a personal attack.

GovTech Papers and Case Studies View Library


Government Best Practices


Collaboration for the Public Sector


Collaborative Justice: Transforming Criminal Justice Services Through Unified Collaboration
This issue brief examines video collaboration in every stage of the human justice process, demonstrating how this technology can not only make services more efficient, affordable, and accessible.

Cloud-Based Services Accelerate Public Sector Adoption of Video Collaboration
Today, thanks to new cloud technologies and high-quality networks, mobile video services - which provide not only cost savings but which help governmental interactions become more efficient - are more feasible than ever before.

Modernization as a Service: Acquiring IT through Innovative Procurement

Five Ways Collaboration is Driving Government Performance

Mobile Video Collaboration: The New Business Reality
 

Government Technology
Public CIO
Emergency Management
Digital Communities