Stafford County announces that it finished ninth nationwide in the 20th Anniversary Digital Counties Survey. Stafford placed in the 150,000-249,999-population category for the survey with Arlington placing first – the only other Virginia county in the top 10.
The survey, developed in partnership with the National Association of Counties and conducted by the Center for Digital Government, identifies the best technology practices among U.S. counties, including initiatives that streamline the delivery of government services: provide data analytics to allow decisions based on performance and outcomes; enhance cybersecurity; and apply innovative and emerging technologies to county priorities.
“We are providing cutting-edge service to our residents and using technology to make government better,” said Randal Vosburg, Stafford County Administrator. “I am proud of Stafford’s Information Services and what this team has accomplished.”
“Winning a Digital Counties Survey award was a goal for our County. To that end, we have worked hard to refine and enhance our offerings along with implementing new technology,” said Stafford Chief Director of Information Services Andrew Spence.
Stafford gained recognition for its Virginia Smart Community Testbed, which houses developing technologies for the commonwealth. These developments include Internet of Things platforms that will fully integrate with 5G and other new and emerging technologies for smart cities. The test bed is a “shared knowledge platform” to develop relevant smart technology solutions. It’s a public-private partnership with multiple industry partners focusing on practical use cases to produce innovative solutions using smart technology.
Other innovations cited in the winning nomination include using analytics and dashboards to learn how constituents gather information and hone in on the information they want. The County’s chatbot, Ask Blu, collects data through the County website and social media channels to find what a visitor was looking for and if they found it. If something stumps Blu, it can be tweaked to be more helpful moving forward.
The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute focused on state and local government technology policy and best practices. The National Association of Counties unites county officials nationwide to advocate for county government priorities in federal policymaking; promote exemplary county policies and practices; nurture leadership skills and expand knowledge networks; optimize county and taxpayer resources and cost savings; and enrich the public’s understanding of county government.
To see a complete list of winners, please visit: Digital Counties Survey 2023 20th Anniversary Winners Announced! (govtech.com).
