Recently, we wrote about how we had provided a platform-based approach to capturing geolocation-based issues within our forms builder solution, eDesigner.

This added to our already wide gamut of services available within OneVu which enables a consistent way of:

• surfacing data from back-office applications in a single view,
• building online forms,
• creating processes and cases that users can track online,
• receiving payments (with no code integration to GOV.UK Pay),
• receiving notifications / alerts for every service use case (using GOV.UK Notify),
• and surfacing local services from service directories as a means of preventing subsequent social care/health service.

Now we’re adding yet more platform-based, council-wide approaches - particularly around the theme of prevention.

We’ve already mentioned three elements above: building online forms, capturing geolocation-based info, and creating processes and cases. With the latest upgrade of OneVu, non-technical users can be responsible for the creation of an entirely digital mechanism to report, track and monitor location-based issues.

In doing so, this enables citizens to view things that the council already know about/is working on; thereby preventing duplicate/triplicate reports being submitted of the same thing.

They do this by being able to:

a) build online forms with a map in them, then

b) set this to automatically create a trackable case, which contains the location of the issue and, in real time,

c) this automatically populates into a new ‘Issues’ area of OneVu allowing citizens to see things already reported or being worked on.

This is something we’re immensely proud of. And we’ve just taken it even further.

With our partner, Yotta, we’ve introduced two new ‘no code’ mechanisms related to issues/ incidents/defects. The first is the ability to provide OneVu with a list of asset/defect codes from the Yotta Alloy system and, using solely this, to automatically populate all of the issues/incidents/ defects to customers in a map centred around where they live.

So, as an example, by just giving OneVu the defect code for ‘pothole’,  we are instantly able to show every pothole held in the Alloy system along with a huge amount of underlying detail about the pothole, such as its job and inspection status.

Secondly, we’ve provided a new integration action which can create a job in Alloy, in real time and without any code. This means a non-technical user could, for example, build an online form to report an issue with roads, streetlights, anything else and for this to automatically generate a job. Of course, because of the first element, as soon as this job is created, it is instantly visible on the ‘Issues’ map, thereby aiding prevention of duplicate reports. This means every asset/defect can be displayed in a map from the back-office system and each new job/incident can be raised from a form built with no code.  

OneVu is not the first system to take a platform-based approach to showing known issues such as potholes. Nevertheless, it is definitely the first to have ALL the different council-wide functions listed, in a way that is designed to:

• make councils more digitally self sufficient,
• be proactive in preventing contact/avoidable job creation,
• and solve customer queries in the cheapest and readily available change - digital.

This powerful functionality is made possible without any technical knowledge being required by users and delivers exceptional customer experience for your citizens.