FCDO and IRIS (Integrated Real Time Intelligence System)
INDUSTRY
Expertise
Business Intelligence, Digital Transformation, AWS, Hardened Cloud Environments
Duration
Started March 2022, deployed to service in March 2023 and transitioned to FCDO in February 2024
Creating cutting edge technology solutions for the public sector through collaboration.
SVGC Digital partnered with AKER Systems to develop and create new state-of-the-art digital solutions that enhanced the summary and presentation of data for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Overview
In March 2023 SVGC Digital, alongside AKER Systems, completed the first release of IRIS (Integrated Real Time Intelligence System), a modernisation of an existing system used within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The system is a central source of information that reports on the customer services that are delivered by FCDO, from initial contact to the final assistance provided and all of the actions in between. Our partner, AKER Systems, created a hardened cloud environment and a new data warehouse that enabled source data to flow, whilst SVGC Digital created the business logic and visualisations in Power BI dashboards to summarise and present the data for FCDO user consumption.
IRIS updates from an event-driven system with near real-time updates, substantially improving the user experience.
The Challenge
FCDO required a new solution that would allow in-house control of updates and the freedom to create new ad-hoc dashboards, whilst continuing to use the legacy system. The challenge was replicating a system that had been created 10 years ago and which had many version iterations during the period.
This meant there were many indiscernible and complex data transformations that had to be unpicked along the way and added to the data model. In addition, our team had to create a design that provided the same functionality as the legacy system whilst proposing suitable changes and alternatives to fit with the new digital architecture.
Why SVGC
Our unique and blended team of business, security and digital experts provided the high-quality, rapid and cost-effective solutions FCDO required. With vast knowledge within data science, SVGC Digital was best placed to offer technology expertise and take FCDO to the next stage of this project.
Working collaboratively with AKER Systems, following the principles and practices of an ISO44001 collaborative working relationship, meant that the customer received the best solutions possible, as a result of the combined expertise.
The Method
In order to ensure the project was cost effective, able to meet the customer’s needs and would deliver a system that would last, our team dedicated time for discovery, requirements analysis. As well as keeping a persistent focus on achieving the target outcomes, we ensured regulatory compliance (GDPR and security) from the outset and at all stages of the digital transformation.
Using our unique requirements expertise, we elicited and analysed the requirements and designed a test approach focussed on the provision of a resilient service. That objective was achieved and has delivered a significant reduction in the amount of support which would otherwise have been required.
AKER Systems provided data security and engineering expertise which allowed the new database creation, bringing together the multiple data sources to replicate the legacy data model. Their build of the hardened cloud environment and design of the data pipelines, coupled with our team of digital experts took the data from multiple digital services, processed and cleaned it, then added it into a structured data warehouse.
Working collaboratively with AKER Systems enabled SVGC to deliver a new system that displayed data from a legacy system, as well as offering more flexibility and choice for the user with filters and visuals. Data errors and bugs that existed in the legacy system were also found and removed, so the data now shown is more accurate than ever before.
The Outcome
Using our proven expertise in data science, SVGC Digital provided the Power BI skills, data wrangling knowledge and visualisation, as well as analytical experience to build the highly complex Power BI dashboards in such a way that they operate in a near-real time environment. Drawing from our experience, we were able to provide the initial dashboard design which helped to guide the customer on what they required in their wireframes and how they wanted the dashboards to operate together within a single application from the multiple environments that had existed before.
FCDO’s Naima Khan said “The launch, and the timing, were the result of months of hard work by your core teams working closely with FCDO in a challenging environment. As the project promised, IRIS is delivering significant benefit: accessible without a password, visible on mobile, faster than the Consular Performance Platform, and more configurable. IRIS is a solid foundation for the integration of real-time data. It epitomises our new agile launch practises and the feedback from the network has been very positive”.
The Future
Our Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning experience has enabled us to structure the data pipelines such that they would support the future use of Predictive Analytics for even greater insight.
Working collaboratively with AKER Systems enabled us to deliver a new system that displayed data from a legacy system, as well as offering more flexibility and choice for the user with filters and visuals. Data errors and bugs that existed in the legacy system were also found and removed, so the data now shown is more accurate than ever before.
By combining minds and expertise and working closely with the FCDO in this way, we’ve been able to produce a system that transforms business processes, saves time and money and delivers highly accurate data. Proving that the right combination of human integrity and technology can achieve great things.
If you’re looking to develop your internal data system to work better for you, get in touch with us today.
