Group surveys kiosk scene

Federal Interagency Kiosk Forum

Kiosks across the federal government are undergoing something tantamount to a kiosk census.

The newly created federal Interagency Kiosk Forum is conducting a survey of how agencies are using kiosks. The survey, the first of its kind, seeks to determine the extent of federal kiosk programs and to gather information about agency kiosk projects.

The group is circulating a two-page survey that asks agencies about how they are using kiosks and whether they have any plans for such programs. The survey asks agencies about the number of kiosks they have, whether there are plans to introduce kiosks in the coming year and the percentage of kiosks they have that are accessible to disabled people.

The survey also asks agencies what technologies the kiosks use, what functions they perform and the amount they expect to spend on kiosks. It also asks participants to rank the capabilities and features that they would like to see in a kiosk and the number of kiosks that an agency program might use in coming years.

The tally is one of the first tasks of the kiosk group, which was formed earlier this year.

The survey would aid the group in one of its overarching goals: to discuss the creation of joint kiosks or a single interagency kiosk with content provided by all federal agencies. That would enable agencies to formulate a common kiosk program so citizens would not be confronted with scores of kiosks from individual government organizations.

The kiosk forum also is working on creating a draft agreement that could be used for a common kiosk program.