The role of cloud computing in public sector analytics is rapidly expanding.
The practical applications of cloud computing are virtually limitless. As its capabilities grow every day, so too does the number of problems it can be used to solve. Private enterprises aren’t the only ones taking advantage of cloud computing, either. Here are five problems that public sector officials in different countries are addressing with cloud computing.
Fiscal stimulus distribution
Following the coronavirus outbreak, the UK government needed to distribute fiscal stimulus as quickly as possible. The government “turned to cloud computing solutions to help run its entire national tax system in reverse,” as Tech HQ puts it. The article adds: “The government’s cloud strategy makes clear that cloud technology, when properly implemented, has the potential to improve the speed of delivery while increasing security and creating opportunities for organizations to innovate.”
Disaster Preparedness
The City of Los Angeles Information Technology Agency uses Google Maps Platform to visually provide citizens the latest need-to-know information related to mudslides, wildfires, and other events within one hour. Separately, officials in Eagle County, CO used Google Maps Platform and Google Workspace to modernize the county’s emergency operations center and improve the delivery of crucial crisis information to local residents amid natural disasters. This technology helped with the evacuation of 3,500 residents during the Lake Christine Fire.
Water Management
In the Netherlands, government officials relied on cloud computing “to analyze real-time data from 15,000 sensors to identify changes in infrastructure and water flow so the government could act quickly and with precision to mitigate potential flooding” Tech HQ explains.
Road Safety
Also in the Netherlands, officials rely on cloud computing to combine data from sensors in streets and weather forecasts to determine when it is necessary to grit roads for icy conditions. This makes roads safer and also helps preserve city budgets by determining when it would be unnecessary to grit roads.
Preserving Budgets
The Kingston and Sutton London Borough Councils used Google Workspace to implement a communications solution that enables local authorities to beat budget cuts by sharing resources. Elsewhere, the Chicago Department of Transportation saved $24 million in duplicative work thanks to its internal maps app that relies on Google Cloud.
