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Web Sites Battle Kiosks for Public Access Crown

How do public information kiosks stack up against Internet Web sites as a method of delivering information and services to the public?

As state and local governments have put increased attention on improving service delivery in recent years, jurisdictions have been embracing technology as facilitators. Two of the most popular applications are multimedia kiosks and World Wide Web pages.

While kiosks have been used for a number of years, governments have been quick to embrace the Internet as a new way to improve customer service. Partly because of the added option of using the Internet for service delivery, government managers are beginning to compare and contrast kiosks and Web pages.

"Both things can coexist," said Francie Mendelsohn, a partner with Summit Research Associates, a technology assessment firm. "But you have to look at who you're serving."

The conventional wisdom is that it is not a decision between kiosks and the Internet for service delivery, but how constituents prefer to access and interact with government.

Project Colorado is an example of how the Internet has affected the way governments think about service delivery. The local, state and federal program, which is aimed at improving service delivery across government lines, was moving toward using kiosks as the primary service-delivery mechanism.

But Project Colorado managers have recently given increased consideration to home pages. "The kiosk has always been an interim solution until we can deliver services into the home," said Rick Schremp, executive director of the government technology program at the University of Colorado at Denver. "We're looking strongly at the Internet for service delivery," he said. "That's where our future is."

THE KIOSK BREAKTHROUGH
Kiosks are intended to enable people to pay various fees, get a fishing or hunting license, or conduct other self-service transactions. The units also provide information on government services. The devices provide people with the opportunity to interact with government outside normal business hours.

One of the first major touchscreen kiosk projects was Info California, which began as a pilot in 1991. Although the California Legislature eliminated the program last year at least in part because of the state's tight fiscal condition, Info California had inspired public sector managers nationwide to begin looking at the potential of kiosks.

Transaction kiosks are considered to be the best use of the technology. One reason is because a transaction, such as paying a parking ticket, is a tangible service which can be measured by managers and helps justify the cost of the unit.

Web pages aren't providing many transactions, partly because of the general distrust of Internet security. Kiosks, meanwhile, usually use much safer private telecommunications networks between the unit and a government database.

EXPENSIVE SOLUTIONS
One problem with kiosks is that they can be a hefty investment. Michael Humphrey, who coordinates technology projects for Public Technology Inc., said that while many local governments are using kiosks, some are finding them to be too expensive. "Kiosks are looked at as a cost-effective way for citizens to access public information," he said. "But they are expensive, and hard to maintain."

"There's no question that to do it right, it can cost a considerable amount of money," said Mendelsohn. "The big cost is software."

SACRAMENTO
While the cost for kiosks and applications has been coming down in recent years, it can still be a prohibitive investment in some communities. One example is Sacramento, Calif., where a constituent advisory panel recommended in 1994 that the city go online rather than purchase kiosks.

A key reason for the panel's recommendation to go with Web pages was cost, said Makini Enakaya, data analyst for Sacramento's Information/Communication Services Department. Kiosks would have cost about $35,000 each, and at least 20 units would be needed to effectively cover the city. A Web page, meanwhile, could be set up for about the price of a single kiosk. So instead of setting up kiosks, the city bought a server and had Enakaya coordinate the Web page.

ACCESSIBILITY
The sudden popularity of the Internet as a service delivery tool, however, does not mean that kiosks are on the way out. G2 Research, a Mountain View, Calif.-based firm, predicts that the public-sector market for kiosks will steadily increase for the rest of this decade.

The Web is not pushing kiosks out of the government market, said Michael North, president of kiosk vendor North Communications Inc., because the devices are just another method of delivering service. "The strength of kiosks has always been that they are available all the time," he said. Because a very small minority of people have easy access to the Internet, North said, "governments need kiosks to distribute services and information."

While Web pages offer a cost-effective avenue for providing information to the public, jurisdictions recognize that a limited number of people would be able to access that information. "Local governments are struggling to provide information in a way that is not elitist in nature," said PTI's Humphrey. "While more people do have access to the Internet than before, they are still relatively well-off people."

"There will be no problem in 10 years," said Mendelsohn of Summit. "But now, some people are uncomfortable using computers."

LOS ANGELES
Limited access to Web pages could mean that whole segments of a population could be unable to gain easy access to their government, said Caprice Young, director of infrastructure in the Los Angeles Mayor's Office. "The benefit of a kiosk is that it allows people without PCs to get this city information.

"Our goal is to provide service at the level that the customer wants," she said. "A kiosk is one method to achieve that goal."

Los Angeles is preparing to go into a joint partnership with kiosk vendors, and is prepared to spend $500,000 on both the units and a Web page. The city issued RFPs late last year, and the information kiosks eventually used may later be expanded to include transaction capabilities. Los Angeles already provides Internet access from libraries, so everyone has an avenue to use the city's Web page.

Some people will access information from the Web while at work, and wouldn't have as much use for the kiosk, Young said. Other people would use kiosks because it could be more convenient than getting to a place with Web access.

MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts is also taking the dual-technology route. The state will deploy an initial 120 kiosks with interactive applications around the state this spring to augment an already-existing Web page. Both technologies are being used to reach as broad an audience as possible, said Jim Bradford, chief operating officer for the Massachusetts Management Information Services Office. "If the information was just on the Web, we wouldn't hit a broad enough audience," he said. Kiosks would provide access to those without easy Internet access, while the Web would serve those who find it more convenient to use a PC and go online than use a kiosk, he said. "The two technologies are similar in the way we present them."

The state intends to go into joint marketing ventures to help alleviate some of the ongoing maintenance of the units and applications. For example, some utility companies may create applications on kiosks and enable customers to check accounts and pay bills.

TEXAS
The Texas Employment Commission's Info/Texas kiosk has been running since 1994 and has provided over a million sessions disseminating job opportunity data. The 70 kiosks deployed throughout the state are leased through an innovative agreement between the state and some vendors, including North Communications, with the state paying fees based on the number of transactions.

The commission also has a Web page, which is up but still in development. Using both technologies has benefits because it provides the public with more avenues for interaction with the government, said Mike Sheridan, unemployment insurance director of the Texas Employment Commission. "Some things work better on a kiosk, others with a Web page," he said.

Some of the commission's customers, such as employers wanting to put out job opportunity information, are better served through an online connection, as many of them will have access to PCs. Other customers, such as those looking for work, are often better served by a kiosk.

FEDERAL PLANS
The federal government is working on both kiosks and Web pages to deliver services and information. Almost every federal department has some electronic access now, although some departments are more comprehensive than others in this area.

The U.S. Postal Service is leading a federal kiosk system, and the project is in the pilot phase. Several prototype kiosks from vendors are being tested, and evaluations will be made later this year on which models will provide the best solutions. "We will see which kiosk is best," said Mark Saunders, a Postal Service spokesman.

The Postal Service sees kiosks as a way to deliver service, Saunders said, along with home delivery through Web pages and interactive television. A "virtual Post Office" is being run with a cable company in Florida, and the program may be expanded in the future, Saunders said.

WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTS
In the end, the method used to deliver service depends on what the customers want, and isn't necessarily an either/or choice between technologies. When deciding what to use, jurisdictions need to be in touch with their communities, as each will have different needs. Residents in Silicon Valley's cities may be very comfortable with PCs and have a large ratio of people who own computers with access to the Internet. Rural areas and inner cities may not have the same comfort level with PCs -- if there is one in the household. These communities may be best served by a transaction kiosk, or even interactive telephone service.

"In the future, there's not going to be an exclusive way," said Schremp. "It will all be market driven."

The service has to be delivered to where the person is, he said. "What it comes down to is if people are using it and if they are getting value from it."

For further information, contact Francie Mendelsohn, Summit Research Associates 301/670-0980.


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What the Public Wants
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Nearly 25,000 people used 15 Info California kiosks located in Sacramento and San Diego during their first month of operation in 1992. The most requested topics included employment listings, student aid, beaches, university and community college information, state parks, hunting/fishing licenses and AIDS information.

Another survey of Info California kiosks, conducted between Feb 1 and June 30, 1995, found the following:

Total number of sessions: 143,012
Average time used per session: 2.3 minutes
Average number of users/day per kiosk: 25
Seven of the top 10 sites for usage were Lucky's grocery stores. The other three sites were a shopping center and two other grocers.
Language usage was 83 percent English and 17 percent Spanish.
The top 15 topics were, in order of access: state parks introduction, camping/tours info, boating laws, earthquake information, hunting/fishing licenses, State Parks information, student aid information, prenatal care, community colleges, California State Universities, unemployment information, state parks reservations, University of California, disability insurance and tax information.
TEXAS
Info Texas kiosks, a program of the Texas Employment Commission (TEC), ask users to fill out a survey at the end of each session. Of those who completed the survey, more than half said the kiosk session saved a trip and/or telephone call to a TEC local office, and two-thirds said they would recommend the kiosk to others.

TEC estimates that a session costs between 50 and 60 cents. About 75 percent of users choose English and 25 percent Spanish.

The most popular topics on the employment kiosks are job banks -- including TEC Job Express, America's Job Bank and the Governor's Job Bank -- legal information about job rights and information on the Job Training Partnership program.

CHICAGO
Chicago has deployed an extensive kiosk system throughout the city over the last year in an effort to improve access to services and ease the burden on city workers. "We looked at the mission of government -- to deliver services," said Judith McIntyre, program manager/deputy at Chicago's Department of General Services. "That's why we started the project. We're trying to bridge to citizens services that technology can do in place of humans. We were interested particularly in delivery of services to people who may have problems getting it."

McIntyre said the biggest challenge was to "stop thinking about the various departments and start thinking about the services. After all, citizens don't care about departments and what they do, they just want to be able to get what they need."

Number of kiosks in city: 48
Locations: Citywide, including Midway and O'Hare airports and various shopping malls. All locations are indoors to prevent damage and vandalism.
Highest number of users/month: 135,000 users between Nov. 16 to Dec. 15.
Second highest number of users/month: 106,803 between July 16 and Aug. 15.
Languages: English and Spanish (plan to go to five languages eventually).
Most active location: Harlem/Irving Mall.
Most accessed information: Calendar of Events, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls, Homework Hotline.
Costs: $500,000 initial; estimated $100,000 maintenance/year for 50 kiosks.
-- JK