Raleigh, NC – October 29, 2014 – Since the inception of North Carolina’s Innovation Center (iCenter), Meridian has worked with the state in providing self-service kiosks to be evaluated by state employees, students and private industry in a working lab environment.
Lawmakers and state officials are calling the iCenter a “try before you buy” model. Yesterday, during an address celebrating the one-year anniversary of the iCenter, Governor Pat McCrory announced that North Carolina is going to lead a National Innovation Community made up of 25 states that will collaborate to bring innovative ideas and practices to government technology.
“It’s exciting for our state to be leading the way in technology and innovation, and we’ve been grateful for the opportunity to showcase the benefits of self-service to North Carolina,” said Meridian CEO Chris Gilder. “There’s no doubt self-service is going to reshape how government agencies operate; we’re glad to have played a vital role in the iCenter’s initial success and look forward to North Carolina leading the way in this collaborative project.”
To this point, Meridian has provided eight self-service kiosks to the iCenter, each with different functionality, accomplishing different solutions. These self-service solutions are being tested across a variety of state agencies: Agriculture, Commerce, Cultural Resources, Environment & Natural Resources, Information Technology Services and Transportation. More recently, Meridian has initiated the iCenter’s Beacon Technology Project. The devices can be located anywhere and work using a wireless Bluetooth signal. They can enhance customer engagement with information sharing and user experience customization.
The beacons work in concert with Meridian’s Spout mobile application, which, combined with the use of QR codes, quickly delivers custom information to anyone with a mobile device. The Spout Software portal allows for customization of information delivery via a back-end user interface. “The possibilities with beacon technology and Spout are truly endless,” said Spout Software Senior Vice President Tony Temple. “Spout technology is a way for states to bring citizen engagement to the forefront and to utilize technology that is literally at everyone’s fingertips.”
According to the iCenter’s website, “The State’s museums, aquariums, historic sites and zoo are testing the technology to provide dynamic and interactive content, manage queues and enable purchases.”
“Moving forward, Meridian will continue to work with [State Chief Information Officer] Chris Estes and his team, collaborating to develop innovative solutions that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of all state agencies,” said Temple. With the announcement yesterday that 25 more states will join North Carolina in the collaborative process, more innovative solutions are sure to find their way into state government agencies in the near future.