The Virtual Citizen Service Office (OVAC-DANA), developed specifically to offer non-face-to-face assistance via videoconference to people affected by the flood of October 29, has served more than 2,000 people affected by the DANA storm in just three months.
This was highlighted by the Director General of Information and Communication Technologies, Javier Balfagón, during his participation in the XV edition of the National Congress of Innovation and Public Services (CNIS), held in Madrid, to present the latest improvements of the Generalitat in services to citizens.
The head of ICT at the Generalitat stressed that, faced with an extreme situation like the one experienced last October, the DGTIC "offered urgent solutions with the technological tools we already had, but in some totally unforeseen cases it was necessary to look for ad-hoc solutions.".
According to the Director General of ICT, proof of this is "this videoconference service platform that allows us to offer assistance from qualified civil servants to citizens for the electronic processing of the multiple lines of aid that were opened after the DANA storm.".
“The OVAC-DANA,” he continued, «emerged as a response to an extraordinary situation and with the aim of offering a new communication channel that would allow us to expand the ways we can assist citizens. It also represents an accessible, flexible, and secure digital transformation of the processes of care, advice, and management, from person to person.”.
The design of the OVAC-DANA was carried out by the DGTIC, under the Ministry of Finance and Economy, in collaboration with the Directorate General for Administrative Simplification and the Citizen Services department with the aim of facilitating the process of applying for aid online, with the same legal security as face-to-face applications, and offering a direct communication channel to resolve any doubt or problem quickly.
A project we carried out with the platform of our partner Councilbox and in partnership with Telefónica.
Most inquiries are made via mobile.
Since its launch last December, the usage rate of the Virtual Office has shown steady and significant growth. More than 2,000 requests have been processed, of which 54.47% were made from citizens' mobile phones.
The Director General of ICT highlighted that, from the platform, citizens "can access all the information and services available to them to make the right decisions at any given time, as well as receive assistance without having to travel, which has been especially useful in speeding up the application for aid and the response from the Generalitat.".
The National Congress of Innovation and Public Services (CNIS), where this project was presented, is a national benchmark in electronic administration and brings together representatives from the public and private sectors to discuss and share best practices in innovation, digital transformation, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, among others.
Assisted and secure video call
According to Balfagón, the objective for which the OVAC-DANA was created was "to guarantee all people access to assistance, from anywhere and at any time, eliminating geographical and time restrictions, and to facilitate processing, optimizing administrative processes, to reduce response times and offer a more agile and effective service to citizens.".
The platform allows users to request a secure video call appointment with government staff and submit documentation for review and validation by public employees before the scheduled date. Furthermore, all communications recorded through the platform are certified, providing evidence of sending, opening, and clicking.
During the appointment, you can complete the process or procedure and provide the necessary information and documentation, as well as sign and accept consents, as requested.
Here are some links that discuss the presentation:
Ministry of Digital Transformation
Many thanks to Javier Balfagón and the entire team at the Generalitat Valenciana for trusting us.
