The product launches as the pandemic eases and public agencies — no longer facing lockdowns that took many meetings totally online during the worst days of the COVID-19 outbreak — are figuring out the right mix of virtual and in-person civic participation, with a hybrid model increasingly attractive for some officials.
The new cloud-based Granicus platform, sold on a subscription basis, can make meetings more accessible and increase that citizen participation, Bob Ainsbury, the company’s chief product officer, told Government Technology.
“Being transparent is central to trust and participation,” he said.
The new product can automate manual functions, agenda approvals and minutes management; take in feedback from officials and residents; and provide access to documents and recording via any device, among other tasks, according to a statement from the company. Agencies using the platform can simulcast meetings on their own sites or on YouTube and other social media.
Ainsbury said the platform was under development for two years, with work sparked by the pandemic and its requirements and limitations.
“There was time pressure to do this because of COVID,” he said. “We had to make some rapid shifts.”
The launch of govMeetings Live Cast follows last year’s acquisition by Granicus of GovQA, whose technology focuses on public records and compliance workflows. At the time, Granicus promoted the deal as building the strength of its Civic Engagement Platform tool, and helping governments provide consistent and unified digital, automated services to communities.
Around that time, Granicus CEO Mark Hynes, in an interview with Government Technology, detailed the longer-term plans of the gov tech vendor, a vision that includes more platform integration.
