m
v mississippi interactive REPORT 2014
INSIDE Twelve Months of Giving................ 2 From the General Manager............ 2 Application Spotlight...................... 3
Mississippi’s Transparent Initiative DFA Increases Transparency Through Online Services
M provide citizens with the means to transississippi has taken a proactive stance to
Leading the Mobile Charge
Celebrating Mobile Milestones in Mississippi
I
n January of 2014, it was reported that more Americans accessed the Internet from their smartphones and tablets as opposed to using a PC. This statistic is not a surprise to Mississippi Interactive (MSI), which implemented a mobile-forward
approach to eGovernment in 2010 and has not looked back since. In 2014, MSI continued to build on its success in the mobile arena by launching more than 18 redesigned mobile-optimized websites for the State of Mississippi; most notably for: ms.gov, the Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, and the Office of
parently engage with state government. In 2013,
Mississippi State Treasurer Lynn Fitch. Secretary of State Hosemann stressed the
MSI partnered with The Mississippi Department
importance of mobile access when he said, “Users are coming to our site from mobile
of Finance and Administration (DFA) to expand
devices more than ever before. It is vital our services are available online on any
transparency in Mississippi through the redesign
device from any location in the state.” More than 40 percent of traffic to the Secretary
of the State Transparency Website (http://www.
of State website is from mobile visitors.
transparency.mississippi.gov/). Featuring regularly
Mobility proved especially important with the launch of a Commercial Drivers License
updated budget appropriations, expenditures,
(CDL) Medical Card Application for the Department of Public Safety (DPS). In Mississippi,
and workforce data, citizens have access to agen-
commercial truck drivers are required to submit a medical certificate and pass a vision
cies’ financial activity right at their fingertips.
exam to hold a commercial driver’s license. With the vast majority of drivers always on
A multitude of search functions allows users to
the go, their window of opportunity for in-person renewals and submissions is limited.
pull back the curtain on government and allows
The launch of a mobile-optimized CDL Application allows drivers to apply for and
taxpayers of Mississippi full access to macro and
submit the appropriate information to the department, and pay from any mobile device,
micro views. From looking solely at the state
allowing them to be road-ready without having to visit a DPS location.
| continued on page 4 |
| continued on page 3 |
From the General Manager “Our success has really been based on partnerships from the very beginning.” – Bill Gates
M
Twelve Months of Giving MSI Receives NIC Portal of the Year Honor for Community Service
L
ast year MSI was recognized as NIC’s 2013 Portal of the Year. Each year MSI’s parent company, NIC, selects a state portal that best represents CEO Harry Herington’s challenge to “get ahead by giving back.” NIC subsidiaries are encouraged to contribute
ississippi Interactive’s (MSI)
to their communities both physically and financially, and annual submissions are closely
numerous successes in 2014 were
reviewed and selected by NIC’s executive team. With 30 NIC state portals, MSI was thrilled to
a direct reflection of our state partner relationships. This year, my first as
have been chosen as the top portal among such stiff competition! In 2013, the Mississippi
MSI general manager, I have had the
Interactive (MSI) team
privilege to work with Mississippi’s
completed the second “Twelve
innovative leaders to achieve incredible
Months of Giving” outreach
milestones. Milestones including:
campaign. This year’s activi-
• Continually growing Mississippi’s
ties not only strengthened the
mobile-first strategy through the
bond to our community, but
launch of first-of-their-kind services.
also strengthened our bond
The Department of Public Safety’s
to one another. In striving to
CDL Medical Card Mobile service
represent all members of our
utilizes mobile functionality to reach
team, MSI participated in a
beyond traditional PC users to those
well-rounded collection of
CDL drivers on the go.
events, drives, and sponsor-
• Downloads of Mississippi’s native mobile applications topping 100,000. • Prominent features in local and
ships throughout the year. Some of the staff ’s favorite events of the year were the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K and The Little Light House Holiday Toy Drive. Both of these events have become highly antici-
national media outlets. In the last
pated annual highlights. We are fortunate enough to have been able to grow our relationship
year MSI services were highlighted
with The Little Light House of Mississippi through multiple event sponsorships, and we look
in nine media features.
forward to continuing to do so in the coming years.
• Being recognized as NIC’s Portal of
Through the St. Andrew’s Cathedral Breakfast Club, the MSI team also served breakfast to
the Year for outstanding community
Jackson’s homeless for the second summer in a row. Other outreach efforts in 2013 included a
enrichment.
Salvation Army Fire Drive to help restore lost merchandise from fire, sponsorship of the Wounded
As MSI embarks on its fifth year in
Warrior Golf Tournament, attendance at the Jackson Zoo’s event “Zoo Brew,” participation in the
Mississippi, our main focus will be
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s annual Walk to Cure Diabetes, and membership in the
on continual collaboration with our
Jackson Chapter of Habitat Young Professionals.
partners, who have embraced the same
Since the beginning of MSI’s “Twelve Months of Giving” outreach campaign, our team
passion for eGovernment advance-
has come to realize the positive impact on the community and on ourselves. There is an
ment as we have. We have just begun to
unmatchable joy that comes from working to improve one’s community, and we have found
scratch the surface of innovation here
that it is contagious. Team members are constantly looking for new and exciting ways to give
in the state.
back individually or as part of our team, and our list of charities, groups, events, and drives
Dana Wilson
MSI General Manager
continues to grow. We are fortunate to live in a city that has so many outreach opportunities, and even more fortunate to have a team that is so supportive and active in all of our efforts. In 2013, the MSI team was able to contribute more than 379 volunteer hours and close to $10,000 in physical and financial donations, and we look forward to topping that in years to come! n
2 | mississippi interactive REPORT 2014
Application Spotlight MDOTtraffic Delivers Statewide Traffic Alerts
L
aunched in 2013, MDOTtraffic has become the state’s premier traffic and alerts mobile application. Developed by the MS Depart-
ment of Transportation (MDOT) and Mississippi Interactive (MSI), this mobile app gives iOS and Android users the ability to receive local traffic-related news, incident alerts, and streaming camera images while
Did You Know? • Ms.gov has received 21 national awards in the past three years. • MSI has launched 10 mobile apps, with downloads totaling more than 100,000. • In 2014 more than $33 million was
they’re on the go. Push, text, or email notifications of real-time traffic
processed on behalf of the state
alerts assists users in avoiding major accidents, construction, and road
through the eGovernment program.
maintenance during their daily commute and can be customized based on a user’s location. Live camera feeds from an extensive list of more than 400 cameras are strategically placed throughout the state on all of the major roads and highways, and shaded county maps enable users to quickly locate “ice on road and bridge” alerts. The convenient mobile application was
• Page views on transparency.ms.gov increased more than 750 percent from 2,558 in March 2013 to 19,351 in March 2014. • In August 2014 MSI launched the
built as a companion to the Department’s already successful MDOTtraffic.com website, and
100th eGovernment service since
has been downloaded more than 47,000 times since its launch.
contract inception.
Leading the Mobile Charge | continued from page 1 |
MSI’s native mobile application portfolio
2015 will mark not only the fifth year
in development for Mississippi government
of MSI’s successful mobile-first approach
agencies, and we are proud to partner
now contains more than 10 apps designed
to eGovernment, but also the fifth year of
with a state that continues to address the
specifically for Android and iOS devices.
MSI’s partnership with the State of Missis-
need for innovation in eGovernment and
Total downloads for these applications
sippi. New mobile applications are already
mobile advancements. n
have exceeded 100,000 in 2014 as citizens continue to take advantage of the state’s mobile offerings, including: • MDOTtraffic provides live traffic feeds from more than 400 cameras across the state and provides real-time traffic alerts for users traveling on state highways and roads. See the Application Spotlight for more information. • MS Ready mobile application is the Department of Health’s emergency alert and preparedness application designed to keep citizens informed of emergencies through real-time push notifications. • Pocket Ranger is a dynamic mobile app for outdoor enthusiasts that contains a wealth of hunting, fishing, and wildlife information. The interactive mapping provides GPS features and offline map use for hunters in any location in the state. mississippi interactive REPORT 2014 | 3
m
v
Mississippi Interactive, LLC 200 S. Lamar St., Suite 800 Jackson, MS 39201 (601) 351-5023; Fax (601) 852-1145 support@msegov.com www.msegov.com
© 2015 Trozzolo.com
Mississippi’s Transparent Initiative | continued from page 1 |
mobile-enhanced site takes transparency
Procurement Search (https://www.ms.gov/
budget to drilling down to specific agency
to a new level by not only engaging citizens
dfa/contract_bid_search/), MSI and DFA’s
expenditures, constituents are offered a
interactively, but also encouraging them
latest transparency project, acts as the next
hassle-free way to educate themselves about
to participate in government on a person-
platform for engaging Mississippians and
local and state government. Beyond that,
to-person level. The site provides a weekly
the state’s partners. Mississippi is not only
job seekers in Mississippi can access salary
view of all meetings taking place agency-
interested in the transparency of its govern-
statistics by occupation, or by state agency, to
wide and includes a state agency search
ment for its constituents, but recognizes that
benchmark potential career paths or changes.
function as well. Viewing the calendar by
accessibility to business partners could also
specific agency highlights all meetings from
prove beneficial. This streamlined application
and as a continuation of upholding state
the search date forward and offers visitors
puts current competitive solicitations and
statutes, MSI teamed up with DFA to launch
the option to subscribe to particular agencies
previously awarded contracts for the State
the Public Meeting Notices website (https://
for meeting updates.
of Mississippi on any mobile device, tablet,
As an extension of transparency.ms.gov,
www.ms.gov/dfa/pmn), which offers a
In a move taking transparency from
or computer, offering comprehensive details
central source for all public meeting notices
predominately citizen driven to citizen and
on the many contracts and bids available
throughout the State of Mississippi. The
business driven, the new Online Contract and
throughout our state. n