VVSG - Kennisnetwerk
About VVSG and the new Knowledge Network The Flemish Association of Cities and Municipalities (VVSG) supports local governments with advice, knowledge sharing and advocacy. Via thematic networks, training courses and digital tools, VVSG helps to strengthen and professionalise municipal and city operations.
To take this knowledge sharing and collaboration to a higher level, VVSG contacted the Onepoint Group, which then called in DX-Solutions for the development of a powerful, future-oriented platform: the VVSG Knowledge Network at www.vvsg.be. This platform replaces the existing website and bundles both existing digital resources and new content in one central place.
The focus was on fast and easy findability of information via Elasticsearch and extensive search functionalities. In addition, the platform integrates common social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook) and offers a professional library with policy, legal and practical information. The member platform with online working groups makes vvsg.be the online community for employees of local governments.
The knowledge network consists of three usage levels:
A public section with news items, training courses and vacancies.
A protected member platform with working groups and associated policy documents.
Extenso: an integrated professional library with, among other things, legislation, parliamentary questions, circular letters, case law and practical models.
With this central and secure digital environment, VVSG wants to become the reference point for everyone who works professionally with local governments. A place where information can not only be found, but is also actively shared and discussed.
Advanced knowledge platform with smart search functionality
For VVSG we developed an extensive knowledge network that processes large amounts of data and a high flow of visitors daily. Central to the project was the implementation of Elasticsearch, allowing users to find relevant information at lightning speed, even in complex and extensive datasets.
The platform was built API-driven, with multiple content sources and the necessary security layers. We took into account different user rights, roles and subscription types.
Extra functionaliteiten zoals Single Sign-On (SSO)
for external partners, an integrated forum, saved search results and adjustable notifications ensure an optimal user experience. In this way the knowledge network became not only informative, but also interactive and user-friendly.
Knowledge network and collaboration platform based on Pimcore
For VVSG we realised a powerful knowledge network and collaboration platform, built on Pimcore. This included both front- and backend development, fully tailored to the specific needs of the organisation.
Besides hosting the platform, we implemented secure access so that external parties can gain access safely and easily. Thanks to flexible APIs, data from various data sources can be uploaded and integrated effortlessly.
The platform clearly distinguishes between a freely accessible public part and a closed environment for subscribers. In this way valuable knowledge is shared in the right way, while exclusive content remains protected for members.
One central platform for knowledge and collaboration
With the new knowledge network, VVSG has one central platform where all relevant information – from legal texts and vacancies to areas of attention and data of mandataries – is bundled.
This not only promotes knowledge sharing with local governments, but also strengthens the collaboration between VVSG and its partners. By bringing all data and functionalities together in one user-friendly place, users get faster access to what they need and the information always stays up to date.
The result is a more efficient, more transparent and more interactive platform that takes the connection between VVSG and local governments to a higher level.