Platform for management of internet based public communications and public comment

Abstract

An Internet-based integrated technology platform that simultaneously supports the management of Public Information Sites—Web sites used to both (1) inform the public; and (2) capture and manage public comment (including submission of images—while at the same time providing support for electronic communication for project teams that manage public involvement projects. The support includes sharing of graphic, text and collaborative tasks. The system and method allow revisions to comments and dynamic feedback in agency decision making based on comments with greater responsiveness. The system is also suited for implementing charettes with a large number of participants.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority from the U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 60 / 419,645 filed on Oct. 18, 2002, 60 / 474,740 filed on May 30, 2003, 60 / 451,082 filed on Feb. 28, 2003, and 60 / 466,769 filed on Apr. 30, 2003, all of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates in general to providing an integrated technology platform for management of public information sites, which inform the public and capture and manage public comment while providing support for backend project management.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Traditional Internet-based communications with the public at large are in the context of providing information (often coupled with advertising content) as in online newspaper associated portals, government sites, and the like. When backend operations interact with users, e.g., customer relation management software, they typically provide a point-to-point model in w...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]The present invention overcomes these drawbacks and provides an integrated technology platform that supports both (i) Public information Web site(s) for informing the public; and (ii) capturing and managing public comment in an electronically secure environment. This enables efficient utilization of public participation by project teams that manage public involvement projects. As a result of the efficient integration of various components in a systematic manner to facilitate collaboration, the present invention speeds up decision making and reduces the cost in public involvement projects. The preferred embodiments of the invention employ simultaneous communications management architecture. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a communication manager unifies the project team online substantially in real time.

[0013]In a preferred embodiment of the invention, communications manager comprises shared code that is reused in several different contexts. The code is modular to facilitate reusablity and employs a database designed to ensure consistency and avoid unnecessary data redundancy. Communications manager handles and redirects, to different code to accommodate different browsers used by different users. In addition, various levels of permissions provide security. Communications manager can also provide Web site maintenance support, for instance, by updates to the dynamic text areas, creation of Web sites with the use of templates, integrated handling of different Web sites with customizations handled to distinguish each site when desired, and providing a separate web address for submission of public comments while remaining integrated with the public Web site, automatic font and color control, and supporting substantially unlimited number of active pages.

[0014]The present invention allows publication, preferably immediately or on an ongoing basis, of project work-product to enable a concurrent public feedback loop to create a desired level of transparency. The back-end integration allows enterprises, and public agencies to manage their public comments, including optionally limiting to comments from a more selected audience, across many projects at the same time while, preferably, supporting multiple, possibly distinct, teams of consultants, agency staff, stakeholder organizations, officials with electronic project management, work-flow, document and image management, content management, Web-site management, and full reporting technologies.

[0017]In addition to receiving public comments, the present invention also facilitates moderated public discussions compliant with predetermined public comment standards. Preferably in an embodiment of the invention, documents may be published to both internal project team and an external Web site. Similarly, images may be published to both the internal project team and the Web site. The present invention integrates project management with the ability to publish, prepare reports based on or categorize public comments along with the ability to create, report and publish surveys.

[0019]This facilitation of public comments not only reduces the cost of making such submissions, it also allows less active stakeholders to stay involved. The ability to generate reports integrating various comments, analysis and surveys provides robust visualization, graphics, maps and the like. However, this solicitation and management of public comments remains open and neutral to allow diverse viewpoints to be presented and considered.

[0025]In another aspect, the present invention provides support for charettes, including when a large number of individuals, even strangers, come together to explore and consider a wider variety of design choices or solutions in short period of time. This is possible due to the integration of various levels of access with management of submissions resulting in rapid categorization and analysis of the submissions. The interactivity made possible by the invention allows cooperative interactions while reducing the impact of potentially disruptive or non-productive submissions.

Problems solved by technology

These characteristics of the known, or merely theoretically possible, solutions for interaction with the public-at-large make them slow and unsuitable for projects requiring interactions with a large number of participants, who necessarily have more limited roles in the overall project.

However, merely providing a Web portal and an electronic mail address is insufficient for optimal participation by the public in rule making as envisaged and provided for in various legislative and other provisions.

Effectively managing a large number of emails and other electronic inputs will increasingly stress the existing systems resulting in an overall increase in the cost of government.

Moreover, receiving various submissions in multiple formats may result in both intra-system incompatibility and even make some of the information inaccessible overtime with no systematic method for upgrading or otherwise managing the submissions.

Current implementations also result in isolation of issues, which results in a failure to utilize experiences obtained through solving one issue in solving other issues.

Further more, little collaboration between various agencies and representatives within an agency exists since they usually work on isolated issues.

Another problem associated with traditional systems is that it is difficult for members of the public-at-large to gather needed information related to their requests.

It is therefore nearly impossible for these customers to obtain a complete picture of all the needed information at a project level.

Yet another problem associated with the point-to-point model is accessibility.

The point-to-point models are limited to phone conversations and emails with the occasional online tracking service for customer requests.

This makes it very difficult to access this information from different devices such as cell phones and PDAs.

Another challenge is in providing support for an online charetter effort.

It is not possible to implement such an effort with a large number of participating individuals due to the logistical and organizational challenges that are inevitably present with large numbers.

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