Services
Civico Audio Streaming Services
The Civico enterprise specialises in enabling Local Authorities and public sector organisations, internationally, to use audio streaming and a range of multimedia web-based tools to re-engage citizens in their democratic process.
Integrated within local government communication strategies, and supporting democratic renewal and citizen engagement, Civico delivers professional, accessible and affordable audio streaming to create interactive content that is highly accessible and relevant to a generation immersed in online living and new social structures.
Many local authorities across the EU have found the results of the eParticipate’s pilot initiative ‘video web casting of local council meetings’ compelling but cost prohibitive against the demands and limitations of the service (typically 6 ½ hours per month). Their concerns included; video web castings dependency on specialist staff, the range of influences filming may have on members and council procedure, and the limitations for full accessibility and inclusion among citizens. Council’s we researched regard ‘in the home’ and ‘everyday’ technologies are unlikely to support video web casting to the point of value for a number of years.
The Civico service directly addresses these issues. At a quarter of the cost, providing unlimited streaming hours, it offers an unobtrusive, robust and highly accessible online audio broadcasting service (with full listen again facilities).
Research demonstrates, providing stream content, which is contextualised with additional features such as: links to related details, supportive information and index jump points offers a measurable 25% increase in citizen participation in local democratic activities and interactions, especially with regards to council meetings attendance. This reach could extend further via mainstream digital radio and provides a solid base of web casting, which can develop along side ‘everyday’ technologies within a citizen context.
The Civico service further supports online; discussion forums and citizen blogs – surveys and questionnaires – e-partitions – Polls and live chats; and supports Local Authorities to harness the Internet and new social networks to widen participation, reinvigorate civic democracy and draws on reserves of social capital.
Addressing the key constituents of Trust, Access and Understanding, the Civico service enables councils to broaden the public’s active participation in their local democratic processes.
Aligned to European, national and local eDemocracy and eGoverment policies, it is a strategic communication tool, which provides content in a format people respond to, brings service improvements and offers cost value benefits.
Forged from within Region’s Digital District, Civico draws on the regions expertise in the field of digital media streaming such as the award winning stream of Lord Stephen Carters ‘Digital Britain Report’ from the ICC for BCC earlier this year, and commissions to stream a variety of debates, events and conferences such as that of: the ‘Hello Digital World Conference’ from Birmingham’s Millennium Point and the Personal Democracy Forum from the Torre Agbar, Barcelona.
