Wikis in the public sector: Efficient knowledge distribution and reliable information

The efficient availability of information is becoming increasingly important in the public sector. Well-structured wiki systems can help to promote the distribution of knowledge, reduce bureaucracy and make information easy to find. One potential of wikis in the public sector lies in their ability to involve employees more closely in administrative processes. They can contribute their expertise and incorporate the experience of their colleagues into their decisions.

Creating freedom with wikis

‘Offices, departments, control centres, information and cooperation centres, units and specialist departments benefit greatly from the fact that they can store and develop their knowledge in wikis quickly and without lengthy approval and release procedures. This is particularly important in times of upheaval,’ says Dr Richard Heigl, CEO of Hallo Welt! GmbH. The Regensburg-based company specialises in making the principles of Wikipedia usable for companies and public authorities. ‘With wikis, we create space to work more effectively and save resources, to provide substitutes with knowledge in the event of illness or holidays or to make rules, guidelines and responsibilities easier to find,’ says Heigl. BlueSpice, the company's main solution, enables authorities to document knowledge efficiently and make it accessible.

At the same time, certain information must be quality-assured. BlueSpice also comes into play here: ‘You can also work with workflows and approvals where necessary. We therefore provide a broad tool set that can be used to operate a cross-departmental knowledge database as well as an ISO-certifiable management system,’ says Heigl.

Increasing reliability with AI

HalloWelt! is currently working on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into wikis in order to increase the reliability of the information provided. Together with the BMBF, GovTech Campus, Fraunhofer IVV and deepset GmbH, the company was recently able to combine wikis with chatbots and utilise the technology for a funding manual within just a few months.

The current focus is on increasing the reliability of the information provided to users via digital agents. ‘In addition, we still have numerous ideas on how humans and AI can work together in a meaningful way to process and share expertise. We expect to report on this at the Smart Country Convention,’ says Heigl.