Sept. 25, 2023
Information Systems Technology
Chesterfield Information Systems Technology (IST) was recently recognized at the 2023 Commonwealth of Virginia Innovative Technology Symposium (COVITS) Conference as the recipient of a Commonwealth Technology Award.
The recognition, which comes in the category of Innovative Use of Big Data and Analytics, is for a project called Analytics Wrapped, which focuses on the way Chesterfield County sought to revolutionize how it engages with its residents online. In this endeavor, IST aimed to shift from a fragmented, pageview-centric approach to a more data-driven strategy for web content management.
The initiative included multiple county departments, using Google Analytics as the backbone to better understand user behavior across the board. IST then packaged the complex data it gathered into reports for county departments that offered an engaging and digestible overview of key metrics and user behavior.
“Receiving this award is an affirmation of our team's dedicated effort,” said CIO Scott Furman. “Through the Analytics Wrapped Initiative, we've been able to better understand our constituents' ever-evolving needs and more agilely adapt our delivery of information and services accordingly.”
The project led to a significant reduction in the size of the county’s website, Chesterfield.gov, by cutting it down from over 3,500 pages to 800. Through this process, IST introduced more than 100 responsive online forms that are optimized for mobile users and since its launch the county has received more than 100,000 submissions from residents.
“The results of our Analytics Wrapped initiative are profound,” said eGovernment Services Senior Engineer Chris Coleman. “We've created a more streamlined, more effective, and more engaging Chesterfield.gov—a website that doesn't just speak to our residents but listens to them, learns from them, and most importantly, serves them better."
Coleman represented Chesterfield IST at the awards ceremony, which was held Sept. 13 in Richmond.