Digital Birmingham is leading thinking on how the city might exploit digital technologies in the Birmingham Total Place.
Total Place is a government initiative encouraging local areas to identify how public service organisations can work together to avoid duplication and deliver services that are more joined up, holistic and customer-focussed. The main driver is the need to do more for less. Birmingham is one of 13 Total Place pilots.
Digital and technological connectivity is a key enabler of the radical, transformational change needed in the Total Place. But put technology and the re-design of public services together and it is often assumed that the benefits will come in the form of large databases to share information between organisations. While this may be an important application of technology in the Total Place context, this is only part of the picture.
Technology isn’t just about record keeping; it’s part of the way people live, work and learn, and how public organisations can work smarter.The Chief Executive of Kent has for example underlined that Total Place must understand that Web 2.0 is part of the Total Place transformational agenda.
Digital Birmingham is engaging Total Place stakeholders in discussions about what some of the other possibilities could be, including a study visit to the iHouse in Sandwell which showcases a range of assistive and green home technologies.
Over the coming months, Digital Birmingham will be identifying case study examples to further demonstrate how digital technologies can support more effective, integrated services and the associated cost-benefits so that this can continue to influence Total Place thinking in the city.
