The town of Križevci is a local self-government in northern Croatia, with more than 20,000 inhabitants. He is continuously working on the improvement of his services through the digitization and modernization of business. It has a scalable infrastructure used by the Central State Office (CDU). He implemented electronic document management, connected to the e-Matica and Tax Administration systems, enabled e-inputs to kindergartens through the e-Citizens system, and introduced a geographic information system (GIS) for the review of spatial and utility data. There are also services available to citizens such as online reporting of utility problems (Popravmo.hr), card payment of fees and support for the use of e-services in the city library.
Challenge: How faster and easier to get information about the construction conditions on the plots?
The City of Križevci faces challenges in providing timely and accurate information on construction conditions based on spatial plans, i.e. the General Urban Plan (GUP) and the Urban Development Plan (UPU). Existing systems require significant time and resources for employees, which reduces efficiency and citizen satisfaction. The city administration is looking for a digital solution that would partially automate this process and enable faster and more accurate availability of information on construction conditions, in accordance with the applicable spatial plans. One possible solution is a virtual assistant with artificial intelligence (AI) features. AI chatbot). Before investing in such a system, the Križevci city administration wants to assess the acceptability and effectiveness of such a way of communicating with citizens. He also wants to better understand the way of construction and implementation and the cost of such a virtual assistant.
Solution: Testing before investing in GUP chatbots
The city of Križevci has expressed interest in free service Pre-investment testing (Test before invest) at the EDIH Adria consortium. Several meetings and workshops were held between employees of the City of Križevci and the University of Pula and Infobip as an expert team of EDIH Adria. The city's expert services submitted a list of 20 cadastral parcels with associated data and spatial planning documentation. EDIH Adria's expert team has developed a prototype of an AI system, i.e. GUP chatbot for testing purposes: analyzed the submitted data and spatial plans, defined logical structures for the interpretation of construction conditions, and elaborated the concept of a user interface for the entry of cadastral particles through the WhatsApp application.
Characteristics of the prototype GUP chatbota:
- AI assistant based on artificial intelligence, Large Language Models (BLT) technology. Large language models, LLM).
- Allows citizens to WhatsApp App send a textual inquiry to the city administration on the conditions of construction on cadastral parcels – whether construction is allowed and for what purpose, how many floors a building, etc., may have.
- Fast and precise provides answers on the construction conditions on each plot.
- The answers are based on data from the current General Urban Plan and Urban Development Plan.
- Available 0-24, every day of the week, irrespective of the working hours of the city administration.
- Can be integrated with existing the Geo-Information System (GIS).
- It can be implemented as live chat (widget) on the city's website.
- It can be updated quickly and easily, in case of changes to the GUP.
TBI Project Outcomes
In addition to the prototype of the GUP assistant, the expert team of EDIH Adria has prepared a final report for the City of Križevci as part of the free pre-investment testing service, which contains:
- GUP Technical Specifications chatbota
- Analysis of test results and recommendations of EDIH Adria team
- Estimation of the cost of construction and implementation of GUP chatbota
- List of potential suppliers and billing models
‘The pre-investment testing service allowed us to examine whether a virtual AI assistant could help us improve transparency and communication with citizens regarding spatial planning information. We have gained extremely useful knowledge and insights. After testing, we believe that a GUP virtual assistant with AI features could be a new step in digital transformation and quality and efficient informing our citizens about spatial and planning issues.’ Mario Rajn, Mr.Mayor of Križevci in mandates 2017-2021 and 2021-2025
Expected results
By applying such a solution, the following business benefits are expected:
- Reducing the processing time of a part of citizens’ enquiries from a few days to a few seconds.
- Increasing customer satisfaction, through 24/7 service availability and communication via a known channel (WhatsApp).
- Reduction of administrative burden – urban administration staff are relieved of some of the routine responses.
- Basis for further digitalisation – the modular solution can be upgraded and used for other types of information (e.g. utilities, problem reporting, etc.).
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