APIs and SDKs for Digital Government Applications

Application development is incessantly growing and evolving. Developers are constantly looking to enhance the functionality and value of their offerings to keep their existing market share and acquire new customers.

Code can improve navigation and upgrade infrastructure to enhance performance. To keep developments up-to-speed, software engineers often rely on standards-based APIs and SDKs. They empower their end-users to utilize new features in an application, creating a more productive and efficient workflow.

Document management is a critical component of business workflow, and it adds important processes to data collection and review. The fewer mouse clicks and applications people have to utilize to get the job done, the more productive they can be.

Adding document management functionality into an application is easier than you think. What functionalities can you integrate with SDKs and APIs?

• Document and form creation or assembly
• Document capture or scanning, OCR, and conversion
• Document eSignatures and workflow management
• Document viewing, for when a native file viewer is not available
• Document markups such as redaction, watermarking, and annotation
• Collaboration, comparison, and viewing of documents
• Image management, conversion, and compression
• Document retention and discovery
• Mobile device rendering and barcode scanning

 

Using Document Management SDKs and APIs in Structured Data Applications

Whatever government business process an application serves, there are many associated document types. Take human capital management workflows, which incorporates onboarding, separation agreements, job applications, vacation request forms, and policy guides.

Procurement activities require RFP templates, master service agreements, purchase orders, and sole source document templates. State and local governments frequently use licensing application forms for liquor sales, business incorporation, and vehicle permits. Justice departments manage a broad range of electronic document workflow types and physical records such as family, real estate, and criminal law.

In addition to all of those forms that typically go through a manual paper process, you must also consider approvals. Electronic signatures are increasingly becoming accepted as legal forms of acknowledgment and approval. Plus, governments can streamline FOIA request resolutions by redacting documents before sending them or making them available on their website on a privileged or open and transparent basis to ensure accountability.

Government offices are increasingly leveraging their websites as constituent self-service channels. They offer online application forms for permits and provide access to public meeting minutes or government tenders.

These situations and many more call for a better way to manage documents, forms, and files. Application developers can easily implement digital document workflows using simple functionality integrations known as SDKs and APIs. When an application can optimize the end user experience with more productive tools, why wait? Government information workers can streamline document management processes with access to a document viewer that enables collaboration, redaction, annotation, and more.

 

Adding Document Lifecycle Management While Mitigating Risk

The use of open source tools to custom-build these functions into commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) applications can incur unexpected project delays. Not only for the SaaS company, but for their government customers. This delay to code out functionalities can cause many problems including:

• Training developers on a specific open source stack
• Time wasted building a functionality where supported APIs and SDKs already exist
• Mandatory requirements to meet regulatory standards such as government privacy and transparency FOIA, PIPEDA, 21 CFR Part 11, and HIPAA
• Technical requirements such as support for TWAIN or ISIS scanner drivers
• Uncertain roadmaps in terms of interoperability with your code

Many government organizations prefer solutions built on licensed applications. They need escrow agreements to protect their long-term investment and use of core applications like ERP, claims management case management, and healthcare information

Are you a product manager or lead developer looking to extend your feature set with document management functionality? Keep focused on your core application roadmap, and mitigate risks like functionality or compliance gaps with API modules which are QA tested, supported, and fully documented.

Government clients and prospects are often more motivated to try proven, pre-packaged solutions, and can’t justify buying promises of future functionality. Maintain your competitive posture by leveraging open APIs in your application stack. Learn more on www.accusoft.com.