BURLINGTON, ON, CANADA – (November, 2021) – Qwhery, in partnership with Durham Region, launched myDurham 311, the Region’s first-of-its-kind smart home device voice service.
Durham Region
The Region of Durham, Ontario, Canada is committed to improving their residents’ experience. Focused on making information more accessible to individuals, their Smart City strategy includes creating an omnichannel approach to communication.
Their ongoing efforts in providing more effective services for residents was shown when they were recognized by the Intelligent Community Forum as one of 2021’s Smart21. Wanting to take it a step further, they started with making geospatial data and services a key component of their Smart City Strategy.
Smart City Challenge
In the Spring of that same year, the Region, in partnership with the Ontario Centre of Innovation and Spark Centre challenged various enterprises to help make Regional services more publicly accessible, and through Qwhery’s prior knowledge and tools, we were able to develop the collaboration.
The challenge prompt asked, “How can Durham Region leverage Smart Home Technologies and 5G to empower citizens to interact with Regional services?” With Qwhery having existing integration with many ArcGIS Solutions and APIs, and our solution’s ability to consume spatial data from Durham’s lower tier municipalities through open data portals, we were able to secure the opportunity to continue the collaboration.
For local citizens, there is nothing worse than the wait times while attempting to call 311 and not being able to find the answers for content and services on municipal websites that you need, this is where Qwhery was able to come into play.
myDurham 311
The collaboration between Qwhery and the Region of Durham gave birth to myDurham 311, a tool designed to help customers access information, and frequently asked questions, through smart home devices. The ability to find out about Regional facilities, the nearest bus stop, waste pick up, and elected officials has become that much easier. To enable the voice application, simply say, “Hey Google, talk to myDurham 311,” or “Alexa, open myDurham 311” to their respective device, and go from there.
The app is available through Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa Marketplace; or for those who do not have access to the devices, the app can be downloaded from a mobile device’s app store.
Qwhery Inc.
Qwhery Inc, is a leader in implementing voice technology and geographic information systems. Their flagship product, Q11, connects smart home devices and voice assistants to local government open data portals. The Qwhery cloud helps Cities connect the services that they provide to their residents in a way that is truly unique – through smart home technology, open data and community engagement. More information can be found at Qwhery.com. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
