A new government study says that social media sites like Twitter and online mapping technology and are the future of government/citizen interaction…
The study, conducted by Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialists Esri Australia, looked at local government attitudes towards Gov 2.0 – the federal government’s push for increased openness and transparency by all levels of government through collaborative, web-based tools such as social media platforms, blogs and wikis.
The study found 77 per cent of local government currently use mapping technologies, with 88 per cent calling for an expansion of mapping usage.
Esri Australia managing director Brett Bundock said the findings were a valuable insight into the future of governance and showed that councils strongly supported Gov 2.0.
“Nation-wide, councils see GIS at the forefront of government and citizen interaction, helping deliver Gov 2.0 concepts of community engagement and government accountability,” Mr Bundock said.
“They also point to the importance of GIS and social media integration as the public calls for greater access to services and resources through the internet and mobile technologies.
Mr Bundock also cited Brisbane City Council’s FloodMap, a key information source for emergency response teams during the disastrous Brisbane floods, which was also widely accessed by the public after word spread through Facebook and Twitter, as an example of government and social media working in tandem.
“FloodMap presented information such as closed roads, high water levels and evacuation centres visually and became a critical tool for the general public to plan evacuations – this was largely due its high profile on social media sites,” Mr Bundock said.