Digitalizing selected public services offers numerous benefits for local and regional governments. One of the key considerations is identifying digital tools that are available and determining how they can be effectively applied in practice to better serve the city’s needs.
This article features four case studies showcasing how local and regional governments worldwide are using digital tools to improve the lives of their communities.
Mozambique: community digital healthcare platform
The Government of Mozambique has launched upSCALE, a digital platform, to support its community-based health intervention programme “Agentes polivalentes elementares” (APE). This system is available for local and regional governments in the country.
Background
Mozambique’s National Health Sector Strategic Plan 2014–2024 employs community-based interventions to rreach the last mile of health promotion, disease prevention, and primary healthcare delivery. APEs, which stand for Multi-purpose Elementary Agents, are community members trained to provide basic healthcare and integrated community care management.
Mozambique faces the following challenges in community health data:
- Integration of community-level data into the national health management information system.
- Limited visibility of health data at a detailed level.
upSCALE digital healthcare platform
The upSCALE Digital Healthcare Platform, developed by the Malaria Consortium, is a digital platform with mobile applications to improve the quality and coverage of health services at the community level by addressing the following challenges:
- Insufficient compliance of APEs with clinical guidelines.
- Insufficient supply of commodities.
- Limited access to community health information.
Its functions include:
- Collected real-time data and localized information for surveillance and response to disease, as well as early detection of outbreaks.
- Local, regional, and national governments can access data to make informed decisions. The data also provides insights into where challenges occur and supports the development of solutions.
- Assists APEs in their ongoing management of patients in the community through instructions and online support from supervisors.
- Visualisation of the real-time stock levels of all their APE clusters for non-medical and medical commodities.
Source: Malaria Consortium
Which digital tools are uSED?
The upSCALE platform is developed through CommCare, an open-source, unified data collection and programme delivery platform for front-line services and case management, especially in low-resource settings.
All APE data are stored in the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), a cloud platform for building and managing information systems. DHIS2 will also display the aggregated data for all APE monthly indicators.
upSCALE datasets are pushed from CommCare to DHIS2 each time the application submits a case file to the server after an APE completes a data collection exercise.
Adaptation
upSCALE is currently implemented in 11 provinces in Mozambique. More than 3,200 APEs and 299 supervisors are using the platform.
Benefits FOR local governments
The implementation of upSCALE brings the following benefits to local and regional governments:
- Better surveillance and response to local healthcare issues.
- Established protocols for programme supervision, involving the interaction between the province and district supervisors.
- Data-informed decision-making is used by local and regional governments to receive monthly statistics.
Source: Malaria Consortium
Southern Downs Region: bushfire hazard mapping, AUSTRALIA
Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC), Australia, develops a bushfire hazard mapping with QGIS, a geospatial data processing and visualization tool.
Background
Bushfires are a common problem in the state of Queensland, causing loss of life and property. The Queensland state government requires each local government to identify the bushfire hazard in its area.
SRDC integrated QGIS with Geographic Resources Analysis Support System (GRASS) to perform the task in-house.
Which digital tools are uSED?
QGIS is an open-source, desktop Geographic Information System (GIS) that allows local governments to explore spatial relationships in their data, hence generating insights for urban management.
GRASS is a computational engine for vector and raster data management and geoprocessing. It is particularly useful for environmental management due to its capabilities in image processing, terrain analysis, spatial statistics, and temporal analysis.
Steps
To map bushfires within the Southern Downs Region, the regional council implemented the following steps.
On QGIS:
- Slope assessment, mapping, and categorisation of different slope ranges
- Aspect (the direction that a slope faces in relation to the cardinal points) assessment, mapping, and categorisation of the different aspect ranges
- Vegetation assessment and mapping
- Score combination to produce a risk hazard score, and hence identify the severity of the bushfire hazard
- Field verification and qualitative assessment
- Final bushfire risk hazard map production
With the GRASS plugin, SDRC can import contours for the entire region and thus produce a contour raster map. This is how the government acquires the slope and aspect map.
Benefits FOR local governments
Geospatial data processing and visualisation tools like QGIS and GRASS help local governments to acquire, understand, and communicate spatial and locational information of territorialized issues. They can support local governments in understanding the distribution of transport nodes, the proximity of amenities, and the spatial pattern of the urban heat island, enabling data-informed decisions and clearer communication with citizens.
Source: QGIS
Mexico City, Mexico: open data portal
The Digital Agency for Public Innovation of Mexico City, Mexico, developed an open data portal using the Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network (CKAN), a cloud-based data management system, to enable public access to data.
Background
Mexico City’s open data strategy aims to make government information accessible to all stakeholders in the city, including municipal agencies and citizens. The open data portal is an official platform of Mexico City designed to create, gather, display, and share data.
The open data portal helps citizens analyze government data, regardless of technical skills, using interactive visualizations, multiple data formats, and freely available data.
Which digital tools are utilised?
The open data portal migrated from a licensed software platform to CKAN in 2021.
CKAN is a data management platform for publishing, sharing, and using data. It enables local governments to host datasets, offer API access, integrate civic technologies, and establish a central data platform.
As an open-source platform, CKAN saves Mexico City around $100,000 per year.
Mexico City combines an open-source platform with in-house development to enhance its open data portal and reach more people. It also developed an interactive visualisation tool that lets users create data visualisations with a few clicks.
Results
To date, the open data portal has 221 datasets from 29 government agencies in 17 categories. From 1 March 2020 to 16 March 2021, the portal was accessed by a total of 2.2 million users, averaging 6,000 daily visits.
Benefits FOR local governments
CKAN and other similar cloud-based data management systems help local governments centralize, standardize, and expand data management across agencies. By offering a unified platform for publishing and accessing datasets, they enhance data interoperability and decrease fragmentation between departments.
Source: WeGo and Datasketch
Andhra Pradesh, India: revenue mobilisation through taxation
Andhra Pradesh, India, uses a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), DIGIT, to mobilise revenue through taxation and fund public services.
Background
The state of Andhra Pradesh experienced significant urbanisation, resulting in both challenges and opportunities for urban management. In this context, revenue mobilization through property taxation is crucial for the state to fund essential services and promote inclusive and resilient growth.
Since 2016, the government of Andhra Pradesh has initiated various programmes to enhance public service delivery and digitalisation, which creates a need for digital transformation in governance.
Challenges
The state faced the following challenges in mobilising revenue through taxation and delivering public services:
- Legacy system
Cities within the state used paper-based systems or outdated technologies, or faced scalability issues due to multiple vendors.
- Data silos
The cities operated stand-alone systems, which hindered information sharing. Although data were manually prepared, there were challenges in accessing quality data.
- Delayed demand generation
Challenges included inconsistent bill distribution schedules, manual procedures, and delays in updating property records due to city expansions.
- Poor compliance
Inadequate adherence to operational requirements and municipal regulations, along with different interpretations of municipal acts, resulted in poor compliance.
Solutions
Andhra Pradesh implemented a tax management system with DPI.
- Integrated tax management system:
The tax management system included a robust registry, a user-friendly design, and open APIs for integration. Service and complaint access points, like call centres and web portals, allowed citizens to use any channel. Integration with services like water and power improved overall service delivery.
- GIS integration:
A comprehensive GIS-based survey ensured all properties were included in the registry, enhancing statewide tax coverage and providing visibility across processes.
The tax management system is also supported by a steering committee to oversee the process and capacity-building programme for civic servants.
Which digital tools are uSED?
DPI includes open technology standards and infrastructure that link data management and exchange platforms, facilitating smooth information exchange and secure interactions among various stakeholders. One of the DPI platforms is DIGIT.
DIGIT is an urban governance platform that provides API based access to government functions.
Results
The tax management system yielded the following results:
- Property tax revenue surged from approximately $69 million in the 2016 Fiscal Year to $249 million in the 2023 Fiscal Year (+260%)
- Total property coverage increased to 87 million properties by the 2023 Fiscal Year (+96%).
- Early rebates for citizens improved first-quarter tax collection by 35%.
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Benefits FOR local governments
By digitally transforming tax management systems and implementing DPI, local and regional governments can enhance revenue collection, decrease inefficiencies, and boost compliance through more transparent and integrated processes.
Beyond taxation, DPI facilitates interoperability among public services by linking systems like water, land records, and citizen services. This boosts data quality, encourages collaboration, and strengthens evidence-based governance across different sectors.
Source: eGov foundation
Conclusion
This storymap illustrates how local and regional governments can leverage digital tools across a wide range of functions, from healthcare management and hazard mapping to revenue mobilisation.
Beyond the tools highlighted here, UNDP SDG Local Action has compiled a resource on digital tools covering data collection and analysis, governance, data visualization, cloud services, and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
To explore the full guidelines, read our “Digital Tools for Local Governments.”