As the coronavirus began to sweep through the United States, cities have scrambled to quickly roll out digital tools to help residents in need, a task made harder by ancient government software systems.
But within 72 hours in March, New York City officials were able to set up a coronavirus information portal. In April, it took Washington, D.C., city officials just a few days to build a system where families affected by the virus could reach out for assistance via phone or email.
The two cities were able to pull these tools together so quickly in part because they worked with a company called Unqork, which builds software that enables customers to build websites and complex digital systems without writing a line of code.
Once the Unqork system was up and running, getting people the right information and services became rapidly streamlined, says Chris Geldart, the director of the D.C. Department of Public Works who was tapped by Mayor Muriel Bowser to lead local operations in response…
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Source : fastcompany.com
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