Are you welcoming a new “baby”? A “child”? A “dependent”? What we call things matters when it comes to data sharing.
There are many challenges to improving the quality of government services and reducing burden on the public when using these services. When you really think about what people want from their government services, it’s just to get the job done and get back to watching Netflix.
In order to reduce that burden, we need to consider how much information the user has to give us as service providers and how we might reduce the amount of times they need to provide to same or similar proof or information.
The problem is that the government by nature is a siloed behemoth, without natural incentives to share data across departments. And yet, a person’s life events cross departmental boundaries. It’s the equivalent of stores shifting the burden onto customers and making us use the self-checkout, but in fact there is a different checkout for each aisle of the grocery store. Right now, each department kind of does its own thing, which can be a bit of a mess.
How might we find ways to create connective tissue between government departments, while still existing in a world where each department continues to act in its own self interest?
One possible approach might be to create a “whole-of-government ontology”. What does this mean?
Imagine if the government created a common language for all its different departments to use when describing their data and services. That’s basically what a “whole-of-government ontology” is.
It would be incredibly helpful because it would make it much easier for different government departments to share information and work together.
But, it wouldn’t be easy to create this common language because different agencies have their own ways of naming things, data hierarchies and structures. Plus, the government would need to make sure everyone’s privacy was protected and that nobody’s data was being misused.
Creating a “whole-of-government ontology” would mean creating a shared language for all government departments to use when describing their data and services. This could help departments work together more efficiently by making it easier to share information. But realistically, we can probably just hope to make each department aware of the other departments’ roles in a wider life event journey.
If the government were able to create this common language, it could lead to more effective and efficient government services. For example, looking at the process of registering a birth. Currently, this process can involve multiple government departments including hospitals, local councils, and central government. Each department may collect and maintain its own data, which can lead to inefficiencies and duplications. If all these agencies were using a shared language to describe their data and services, the process could be streamlined, making it easier and faster for parents to register a birth.
Another example could be the journey of someone facing a financial shock, such as losing their job. In this case, they may need to access multiple government services, including housing and unemployment benefits. With a shared language in place, these agencies could work together more seamlessly to provide the support needed by the individual during this difficult time.
A whole-of-government ontology could potentially lead to better government services by making it easier for agencies to work together and share information. However, it would require significant coordination and agreement among government departments and careful management of privacy concerns. If implemented successfully, it could make a significant positive impact on the lives of citizens accessing government services.
A first step in this direction could simply be something like the way you are currently able to use your driving licence photo on your passport application in the UK. Something as seemingly simple as this makes a huge difference to the quality of the passport application journey and gets people back to watching their streaming shows in no time.