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211 Technology Platform –Ontario’s Most Recent Addition:A Mobile-First Online Search Solution: What it Is and How We Did It!

AIRS Conference

May 22, 2017 – Tampa, Florida

Andrew Benson, Toronto, Canada

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Workshop Objectives

• Share the approach to Ontario’s technology-enabled business transformation initiative

• Describe the four components of the 211 Technology Platform

• Demonstrate the Business Intelligence Solution, 211 Online Mobile-First Platform and 211 Ontario API solutions

• Engage in discussion / Q&A

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Presentation Overview

• Context: Regional to Provincial Service Delivery

• The Vision: Community Up (transformation)

• The Technology: 211 Technology Framework (enablement)

• The Systems: Demonstrations (BI, 211 Online, API)

• Q&A

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Ontario Context

30+ Data Partners across Ontario share local data to support 211 service delivery

Six Regional Service Partners deliver province-wide telephone service & manage regional responsibilities

Transform from a regional network of independent service providers to a provincially integrated system

RoadMap: Ontario Transformation & Pan-Canadian Alignment

Funding secured to expand service

100% service coverage in Ontario

Integrated provincial system

Integrated pan-Canadian system

Value Proposition

Navigate Curate Inform

Business Strategy -- Community Up

Professional and effective information & referral relies heavily on the quality of the resource data collected and knowledge of the local landscape.

• Community Up is a principled approach to designing a system where local service delivery agencies, United Ways, government decision-makers and municipal partners have a role in the 211 system

• Community Up leverages the capacity and relationships of organizations, and the expertise of their people to build a stronger system, and improve the user experience.

• Community Up, in the context of information management, envisages data being collected locally, managed regionally, governed provincially, and aligned nationally

For more information, download the ‘211 in Ontario: Vision and Road Map’ document at:www.211ontario.ca/aboutus

“The next three years will be a critical period for 211 in Ontario – focused on formalizing and strengthening relationships, creating efficiencies through the use of technology, and improving our ability to report back to communities on user needs.”

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Goal #1 Align service providers and key

stakeholders within an integrated 211 provincial system that values community expertise and

promotes partnerships.

Goal #2 Build a strong brand that is credible

and trusted by Ontarians.

Goal #3 Invest in technologies that enable

system integration and create new

opportunities for partnerships and efficiencies.

Goal #4 Build a fully sustainable

funding model that supports service

delivery and expansion.

Strategic Goals

More efficient and effective use of Human Agency

resources

Enhanced community planning for Social

Service Improvement Stakeholders*

More reliable community & social services information

and referral for Canadians

Faster, better, multi-lingual access to the community & social services network for

Canadians

Comprehensive, consistent and qualified Human services

information & referral

Human services demand & usage information

Canadians more effectively connected to appropriate community

& social services

Greater self-reliance for Canadians to navigate and access community

and social services

Canadians are enabled to fully engage in their

communities

Canadian social infrastructure is more

responsive

Service Outputs

DirectOutcomes

IntermediateOutcomes

StrategicOutcomes

Contribution to improved social policy outcomes

Desired Outcomes – Logic Model

Business Functions

Level of Standardization

Leve

l of

Inte

grat

ion

Low

High

High

INTEGRATE

DIVERSIFY

UNIFY

STANDARDIZE

Access Channel Management

Knowledge Management

Training and Certification

Stakeholder Relations & Advocacy

Funding Planning

Service Development and Evaluation

Marketing Plan Development

Human Services I&R

Strategy Development

Human services Demand

Service Demand Planning

TECHNOLOGYINFRASTRUCTURE

Integrate, Standardize, Unify, Diversify

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Current vs. Future State

Enablement: 211 Technology Platform211 Technology Platform is a conceptual framework of technical components and business capabilities that enables an integrated model of 211 service delivery

• Open Data: a single data repository that enables collection and sharing information and referral records

• Integrated Phone: a cloud-based contact management platform that enables load balancing and skills based routing of callers

• Knowledge Mobilization: a content management and business intelligence system that enables cross-sector collaboration and reporting on unmet needs and service gaps

• 211 Online: a web platform that enables easier access to online resources for the public and improved coordination of social media channels

211 Technology Architecture (V1)

Integrated Phoned

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Integrated Phone – Goals & ROI

Goals:

• Improve Quality of Service for Callers

• Increase Efficiency of 211 Phone Service

• Enhance Flexibility of Phone System

• Capitalize on Future Opportunity

ROI (Load Balancing):

• $1M in operating costs saved over 5 years, assuming no increase in call volume

• 47% increase in calls that can be handled by existing resources

Performance, Satisfaction, Outcomes

✓ Significant increase in SLA achieved through mobilizing latent capacity

✓ Highly satisfied callers

✓ Demonstrable caller outcomes

Knowledge Mobilization

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Self-Service BIData IntegrationData integration is the combination of technical and businessprocesses used to combine data from disparate sources intomeaningful and valuable information. A complete data integrationsolution delivers trusted data from a variety of sources.

Self-service business intelligence (SSBI) is an approach to dataanalytics that enables business users to access and work withcorporate data even though they do not have a background instatistical analysis, business intelligence (BI) or data mining.

Source: IBM

Source: Search Business Analytics

Knowledge Mobilization (BI)

211 BI (Community Intelligence)

BI Content & Assets

• Dashboards

• Reports

• Calls

• Needs

• Resources

• Datasets

• Measures

• Dimensions

• Visualizations

BI System Capabilities

• Print Reports

• Analyze in Excel

• Publish to Web

• Print Reports

• Enterprise gateway

• Power BI Desktop

• Groups

• Content packs

BI – On Any Device

211 Online

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• Mobile first, responsive design

• Works on any device and any screen size

Mobile-First Responsive Design

• Fully bilingual site and content (French and English)

• Fully compliant with AODA standards (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act).

Fully Bilingual and AODA Compliant

• Search the full 211 Ontario directory based on keyword (like Google)

• Narrow your searches based on location or best match

• View results in either list or map view

• Easily search and view results on a phone, tablet or desktop

211 Keyword Search

• Search for community resources by browsing through 120 topics

• Narrow your searches based on location or best match

• View results in either list or map view

• Topics are updated on a regular basis

• Community resource data is updated several times each day

211 Topic Search

• View results in either list view (right) or map view (below)

• Filter results on distance to you, or best match

211 Search Results (List and Map View)

• View details on community resources easily on any device

• Share, Email or Print information on resources

• Navigate resources using the breadcrumb menu

211 Service Listing Details

• Embed the 211 Ontario keyword and topic search in your own site, ensuring Ontarians can access community resources online from anywhere

• Select from 120 topics and any location

• Generate the code snippet, and simply add to your site (just like embedding a YouTube video)

Embed 211 Search in Your Site

• Read our blog that includes interesting articles on a range of topics

• Sign up for our newsletter to stay on top of 211 news

211 Navigation and Blog

• Suggest a new listing to 211

• Submit edits to current listing

• Context sensitive help

Suggest and Edit Listings

• Order free 211 promotional materials, including: posters, bookmarks, caller stories, and a whole lot more

Order Free 211 Promotional Materials

• Promote public service announcements and messages from the public benefits sector

• Amplify messages within 211 social media channels

Promote Public Benefit Messages

211 Online Search Architecture

• HSDS schema integrated into iCarol database

• Ontario 211 Services subscribes to iCarol HSDS replication service

• HSDS tables replicated to 211 Ontario database hosted in Azure

• Azure Search indexer connects to Azure SQL database to index resources

• Azure Web App abstracts away complexity of HTTP calls & JSON payload

• 211 Ontario website calls RESTful API for topics and keyword searches

• 211Ontario.ca responsive design website (includes YouTube-like embed code for embedding Search Widget in external sites)

AzureSearch

Azure SQL Database

Azure Web App (RESTful API)

211 Ontario websitepublic

iCarol

HSDS

HSDS

INDEXER

SUBSCRIBE

AZURE SEARCH API(REST SERVICES)

· MOBILE-FIRST· SEARCH WIDGET· CONTENT MGT

HTTP / JSON

Charity Logic

211 Ontario

211 Ontario

211 Online Data Model (HSDS+)

• Open Referral

• AIRS Linked Data

• iCarol HSDS+

iCarol Categories Map to 211 Topics

iCarol: Custom Categories 211 Ontario Website: Topics

Open (Shared) Data

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Announcing…211 Ontario API

• Easy access to the 211 Ontario resource directory data

• Enable developers to query the 211 resource directory and fine tune results

• Data returned for presentation in apps, websites and LoB systems

• Trial and Production versions

• Same API used by www.211Ontario.ca

211 API – Build Apps and Websites

• 14 API operations

• Multiple parameters to control data returned, including location, topic, subtopic, organizations

• Control # results and paging

• Open standards

• Automated code generation for developers

• Full documentation

DEMO (BI, 211 Online, API)

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Q&A

AIRS Conference

May 22, 2017 – Tampa, Florida

Andrew Benson, Toronto, Canada