GDS appoints open source lead
The Government Digital Service (GDS) now has a lead official for work on open source technology, with Anna Shipman (pictured) stepping into the newly created role.
She has been with the organisation for several years, having led the development of its open source infrastructure provisioning project vCloud Tools, and been technical architect for the Platform as a Service programme.
GDS said her role will involve leading a more concerted approach to open source, with the aim of improving internal re-use and making higher impact contributions to the wider open source community.
Derbyshire police to use O2 for mobile working
Mobile network provider O2 has said that Derbyshire Constabulary is to equip 1,500 police officers with new smartphones and applications, working with a partnership of the company with the Airwave emergency services network.
This follows a trial of the technology at a similar mid-size police force that showed electronic processing of 60,000 witness statement saved an average of 27 minutes and £52 per statement.
“This is the next generation of the familiar police paper notebook,” said Assistant Chief Constable Chris Haward. “Instead of travelling to and from the police station to enter information into systems from paper notebooks, the officers can send and receive information directly from the frontline.”
Barnet racks up savings from Capita deal
The London Borough of Barnet has saved £31 million on a line of its business processes following an outsourcing deal with Capita, the company has reported.
It said that a review of the 10-year contract, which was agreed in 2013, has shown the relevant services are being delivered for £6 million per year less, with other savings from procurement and additional council tax income received. In addition, 90% of the contracts key performance indicators have been met, and the proportion of residents saying they were satisfied with services has risen from 52% to 76%.
Mid Kent Services appoints Connexica for BI
Mid Kent Services, a partnership of local authorities from the region, has appointed business intelligence software providers to work on a project aimed at improving their services.
The borough councils involved – Maidstone, Swale & Tunbridge and Wells – have been using the firm’s CXAIR software since the middle of the year to analyse a range of data. The company said they have now identified a number of areas in which costs can be minimised and funding allocated more effectively.
Image from GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0
