Generative AI, business acquisitions, sustainability among 2024 government IT trends

The government IT marketplace is constantly evolving. Some of the most recent developments include new AI tools for public safety, transit and office productivity, software acquisitions by Autodesk and Versaterm and govtech giant Tyler Technology’s internal investment in environmentally sustainable business practices.

On Tuesday, Tyler Technologies published its fifth annual corporate responsibility report, showing the company’s environmental, social and governance activities in 2023. The report shows the company achieved a 93.7% completion rate for security and privacy training, upgraded its solar generation monitoring software and cleared 60% of its private data center workloads in Dallas, Texas, for more energy-efficient operations. 

Earlier this month, CentralSquare Technologies, a software provider to the public sector, announced its use of Amazon Web Services to deliver enhanced cloud migration guidance and services through the company’s public safety portfolio. In a press release, company CEO Manolis Kotzabasakis said hosting certain systems, such as computer-aided dispatch, in the cloud ensures communication and data-sharing are reliable, even during large-scale disasters when power and internet may be down. Granicus, another public sector IT company, signed a similar agreement with AWS in March.

Generative AI is the emerging technology of the moment — with state and local governments across the country looking for ways to incorporate the rapidly advancing technology into their workflows, many businesses are ramping up their efforts to develop new AI products.

At the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, last month, the Vancouver govtech firm UrbanLogiq unveiled Ethica, a generative AI chatbot that can access government databases to generate responses and explanations for users looking for answers about digital services. Ethica is currently in beta testing, and the company expects a full production roll-out later this year.

Wisconsin software company Polco in March began field testing for a new conversational AI application aimed at bolstering public sector decision-making. Polly, the new “digital employee,” can track data metrics, recommend budget priorities and write strategic plans, which may have implications for the future government workforce. Polco plans to roll out new AI capabilities in May, according to a press release.

Hayden AI, a company that makes spatial analytics software, this month announced a new tool for automated double-parking enforcement using the same technology it offers for automated bus lane, bus stop and bike lane enforcement. Designed to improve road safety and public transit performance by reducing instances of illegal double parking, the new tool can support transit workers by automatically detecting and enforcing illegal double parking violations at scale.

On Monday, 3D modeling software firm Autodesk announced it will take a minority stake in Aurigo Software, a company that develops cloud software for planning and building infrastructure projects like roads and bridges. The move represents a convenient pairing of design and engineering tools with planning software, often sold to governments, water authorities and airports. 

Also this week, Versaterm, a public safety technology supplier, acquired Integrated Computer Systems, a Texas company that sells computer-aided dispatch, records management and associated software through its Athena product line. Though the terms of the deal were not disclosed, firm CEO and president Warren Loomis called the acquisition “a key moment in creating a comprehensive public safety ecosystem.”