Responding to COVID-19 With Government Tech
“Necessity is the mother of invention” — English Proverb
In 2020 the Government Technology industry saw the greatest need for new technical solutions possibly ever. The COVID-19 crisis forced a challenge on government agencies, and the pandemic spurred those agencies to see government tech as a positive change vs a burden.
As remote work became the new normal, both capacity and security became the top priority. State and local governments that had already invested in emerging tech found themselves in a much better and more prepared position than those who didn’t innovate prior, even if some of the technology is seen as controversial.
As COVID-19 swept the United States and cases surged in many areas, drones helped local police departments locate and enforce local social distancing rules / mandates. Those same drones can be used to pick-up and deliver lab samples and medical supplies allowing for reduced exposure for medical staff. They can also be used for disinfecting public areas with aerial spraying of potentially contaminated places.
With one of the common symptoms of COVID being a fever, thermal imaging also became much more commonplace. As facilities and stores began to reopen, some opted for the technology to be placed at this point of entry and exit. It’s not perfect, but when used with other measures such as testing, masks, and social distancing, it adds another ‘layer of protection.’ While this technology is not widely used in the US, it has grown to be common in places like Europe and Asia.
The use of cellphone location will always be seen as controversial, but in a year like 2020 it proved to be extremely important. In many places like Singapore, Europe, and even the United States, it became vital for mobile location-based contact tracing. The hope with utilizing this tech is to avoid a massive outbreak by tracking down those who have come into contact with a positive-tested person. Both Apple and Google released an application for state governments to customize.
Information sharing was also spotlighted in 2020, both from a state and federal level, as it became paramount for the government to provide up-to-date information. Yes, sharing information the crisis was a must and they did so through the media, social platforms, and national portals, but they also needed to share and conduct day-to-day activities remotely. Both courts and land records offices had to shift from in person dealings to completely virtual in some cases; it is and was a huge disruption. Take records access for example. Historically, accessing records online might not have been a top priority for most states and counties, but during a pandemic with many forced to work from home, digitized records have seemed more of a need than a want.
As we look forward in 2021 the pandemic has highlighted the need for people to embrace technology that will help support the government, employees, and its citizens. The government and public sector will need to remain focused on embracing innovation proactively.
Sources:
https://www.govtech.com/products/Airports-Emerge-as-Testbeds-for-New-Tech-During-Pandemic.html
