The deal brings together two government technology startups for the “seamless integration of Konveio’s document engagement experience on CitizenLab platforms so that local governments can display interactive PDFs and capture feedback directly on their digital community engagement projects,” according to a statement.
The tool aims to be useful for not only citizens interested in keeping tabs on local government happenings — and offering feedback — but also planners looking for input on draft plans and maps, according to that statement.
“Integrating Konveio with CitizenLab creates a seamless user experience that supports community engagement through the full planning life cycle by including an elegant way of presenting and capturing feedback on official city documents,” said Chris Haller, CEO of Konveio, in that statement. “CitizenLab is a leader in the digital engagement space, and we’re excited to incorporate document engagement into a more holistic methodology for local governments’ civic projects.”
More than 400 public agencies across the world use the CitizenLab community platform, a tool that helps with such tasks as online surveys and participation in budget planning. Konveio reports that more than 100 local governments each year use the company’s technology to host plans.
The two companies have a prior relationship via the CivStart government innovation hub — an example of how accelerators play a role in encouraging progress in the local gov tech space.
“Bringing complementary solutions together for more comprehensive service to local government residents is one of the key ways we hope to use our accelerator program to better the entire gov tech ecosystem,” said Anthony Jamison, CEO of CivStart, in a statement.
