Technology Innovation Showcase

Implementation of findhelp.org

Cobb County has successfully implemented finhelp.org, a digital platform designed to streamline access to social services for its residents. This strategic initiative, launched from June 3 to September 30, 2024, and funded by an ARPA grant, provides a centralized, online database of vetted resources including mental health support, housing, food assistance, healthcare, employment, and education.

The project originated from County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid’s request for an online mental health resource, which expanded through collaboration with Cobb Collaborative and Cobb Douglas Public Health.

Key benefits and innovative aspects of findhelp.org include:

• Enhanced citizen access: It offers 24/7 access to critical resources from any device, eliminating the need for multiple searches or office visits.
• Simplified navigation: An intuitive search engine with filters helps user quickly find services based on eligibility, type, and location.
• Vetted resources: The findhelp.org team regularly vets listed organizations to ensure quality and relevance, a critical feature as county staff lack this expertise.
• Improved collaboration and data insights: The platform fosters better connections among nonprofits, government agencies, and service providers, reducing duplication. It also provides real-time data on service demand enabling better resource allocation and identification of community needs.
• Trackable referrals: Users and providers can track the status of referrals within the platform, confirming whether services were received.
• Empowerment through self-service: It encourages individuals to find and enroll in services with dignity and ease, without needing in-person visits.

The implementation involved a 17-week roadmap including project kickoff, scope review, assessments, platform enablement, and extensive community outreach through various marketing channels. Key stakeholders included Chairwoman Cupid, county leadership, Cobb Douglas Public Health, Cobb Collaborative, and a dedicated internal implementation team.

Since its launch on September 30, 2024, the platform had seen 18,707 searches by January 16, 2025, with 56 percent related to housing needs and significant searches for food, money, and health. This data is being used to inform local task forces and leadership to better address critical county needs. Cobb County plans to continue monitoring engagement, expanding resource listings, and exploring further integrations to maximize community impact.

A walk through the people's house

The Georgia Building Authority (GBA), spearheaded by First Lady Marty Kemp, launched “A walk through the people’s house,” an interactive kiosk tour of the Georgia governor’s mansion, in February 2024. This business process innovation enhances the visitor experience by offering a self-guided tour option via interactive kiosks and iPads, complementing traditional guided tours.

The project addresses the challenge of limited docent availability by providing the same rich information formerly delivered by volunteers, but with added benefits. It significantly improves accessibility and inclusivity for both Georgia residents and international visitors through multilingual support, English, Spanish, French, and German, and captions for the hearing impaired. This digital solution ensures that the mansion’s valuable federal period art and furnishings collection remains accessible to a broader audience, maintaining public education about Georgia’s cultural heritage.

What makes this project innovative is its dynamic content management, allowing staff to easily update and customize the tour with seasonal themes, new visuals, and additional languages remotely. It also creates a safer environment for docents and frees up mansion staff to focus on other duties by streamlining visitor flow.

The implementation followed a structured roadmap, involving content creation, multilingual audio generation using Revoicer, video production with VEED, and technical integration with OptiSigns for content distribution. Key contributors included First Lady Kemp, conception and welcome video, and the GBA IT team, technical setup and training.

The project has significantly improved efficiency for mansion staff and received positive feedback from visitors regarding its ease of use and accurate translations, particularly non-English speaking guests. The tour is ongoing with continuous updates to reflect changes in the mansion’s collection.

Enhanced engagement through secure and scalable fingerprint processing: The Georgia AFIS and Rap Back integration

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has launched a transformative project to enhance its Georgia Rap Back subscription service by upgrading its automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) and integrating it with a secure, scalable cloud environment. Implemented from December 5, 2023, to March 31, 2025, this initiative aims to streamline fingerprinting and background check processes for various employment, licensing, and volunteer roles across the state.

The project addresses inefficiencies and the need for repeated background checks by providing continuous monitoring and real-time notifications of criminal history changes. This significantly improves data protection through advanced cybersecurity measures and ensures compliance with privacy regulations.

Key benefits and innovations of this project include:

• Operational efficiency: Reduces redundancy in background checks, streamline processes, and provides real-time access to critical criminal history information for GBI and other authorized agencies.
• Enhanced public safety: Ensures continuous monitoring of individuals in positions of trust.
• Increased accessibility and convenience: Improves citizen engagement with government services by offering a more efficient and reliable system for background checks.
• Scalability: The cloud-based infrastructure allows for the seamless inclusion of additional agencies, expanding the system’s reach and impact.

The project followed a structured roadmap including planning, design, implementation, rigorous testing, deployment, and ongoing support. Collaborators included legislators, advocates; vendors, technical expertise; GBI and Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) staff, oversight and coordination; and citizens and end-users, beneficiaries whose feedback shaped the user-friendly system.

The project has already brough substantial improvements by providing timely, accurate criminal history information, enhancing cybersecurity, and fostering greater trust in the system.

Rad referral revamp

The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) has successfully implemented the forensic referral program (FRP), a new digital tool built on Microsoft’s Power Platform. Launched between February 3 and June 25, 2024, FRP significantly streamlines the initiation and tracking of forensic orders within the DBHDD jail-based restoration program (JBRP).

The project addresses critical challenges in the previous manual, email- and Excel-based referral process, which led to delays in admitting individuals to state hospitals for competency restoration services. With state psychiatric hospitals often at capacity, wait times averaging 210 to 222 days for men and women respectively, FRP supports JBRP, which offers a faster alternative for defendants not requiring hospital-level care.

Key benefits and innovations of the FRP include:

• Improved efficiency and speed: Referral processing time has been reduced from over a week to within 24 hours, and admission time from referral to program admission has decreased from an average of 30 days to five days. The average time from admission to reevaluation also improved by 30 days.
• Enhanced data and oversight: FRP provides a more accurate data collection tool for tracking admissions, case outcomes, and key performance indicators (KPI), enabling better program comparison and contract management.
• Streamlined collaboration: It acts as a secure technological intermediary between DBHDD and contracted JBRP providers, facilitating seamless sharing of documentation, progress notes, and real-time updates.
• User-friendly interface: The power app offers features like sorting, filtering, search capabilities, data export to Excel, and audit logs. It also provides a holistic view of an individual’s related data.
• Automated workflows and data integrity: The system enforces a comprehensive workflow, auto-fills data to increase integrity, and ensures security around data access.
• Scalability: The platform currently hosts five JBRP centers and can easily add more with plans to expand usage to additional external contractors and internal DBHDD programs.

The project was a collaborative effort between the DBHD Office of Forensic Services, business sponsor and subject matter experts, and IT staff with support from Microsoft. This solution optimizes DBHDD resources, reduces bottlenecks, and improves outcomes for a vulnerable population, setting a foundation for more scalable forensic and mental health services in Georgia.

DDS offers customer self-service kiosks at grocers and DDS lobbies

The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) has significantly enhanced customer convenience by implementing self-service kiosks for various driver’s licensing needs. Launched between October 1, 2023, and August 1, 2024, these kiosks are now available at select Kroger and Publix grocery store locations statewide, as well as within high-volume DDS service center lobbies.

This initiative aims to solve the problem of long wait times and the need for in-person visits by providing a faster, more efficient, and secure way for Georgians to handle their driver’s license transactions. Customers can now renew, replace, or reinstate most noncommercial licenses, ID cards, and even select commercial driver’s licenses (CDL). The kiosks allow users to enter their information, take a new photo, make payments, and immediately receive a temporary paper license, with the permanent card mailed within 45 days. Customers also benefit from a $5 fee reduction for kiosk transactions.

This project integrates DDS services into existing self-service kiosks used by the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR), allowing citizens to potentially handle both vehicle registration and driver’s license needs in a single trip to the grocery store. The system is secure, performing a one-to-one comparison for authentication.

The implementation was a collaborative effort involving DDS and DOR. As of December 31, 2024, the kiosks have seen significant usage, with 49,220 transactions at 29 DDS lobby kiosks and 2,053 successful uses at 39 grocery kiosks. This self-service option saves customers time and allows DDS staff to focus on other critical tasks. Customer feedback highlights the ease and convenience of the new system.

EVA

The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), through its WorkSource Georgia initiative, has launched the employment virtual agent (EVA) project to expand access to career development services across the state. Implemented from January 1, 2024, to February 26, 2025, EVA aims to bridge the digital divide and address the limited number of career service centers, especially in rural areas where broadband access can be unreliable.

EVA utilizes interactive kiosks placed in high-traffic community locations like libraries and veteran service centers. These kiosks provide job seekers with direct, face-to-face virtual meetings with employment specialists, offering guidance on job searching, resume building, and training opportunities. This virtual face-to-face interaction is a key differentiator from traditional phone or chat support, fostering trust and enabling more effective assistance for individuals with communication barriers.

The project is a cost-effective solution, with EVA units offering an estimated 260 percent cost reduction compared to establishing new physical WorkSource offices. A single WorkSource counselor can manage up to four kiosks remotely, maximizing efficiency, and allowing for service expansion without significant additional infrastructure.

The roadmap involved selecting technology, Cisco Desk Pro; procuring kiosks; developing policies; and establishing a scheduling system. Four kiosks are currently deployed, with a phased expansion planned for technical colleges and veteran service centers. The project is a collaborative effort among the WorkSource Georgia team, the TCSG IT and data resources (ITDR) team, and community partners.

EVA kiosks have demonstrably broadened access to high-quality employment assistance for underserved communities. This innovative approach allows for efficient service delivery, reduces geographic barriers for external customers, and enhances productivity for internal staff by minimizing the need for physical presence in remote offices. As the program expands, it is expected to further empower job seekers across Georgia while ensuring sustainable growth of career services.