The City of Abilene, Texas has begun streaming their City Council and Commissions meetings, as well as its own specialty content, online in clear high-definition video.
Meeting videos are first streamed live on the Abilene website, then posted in the online archive at http://www.abilenetx.com/AgendasAndMinutes/. The archived meeting videos are indexed for easy navigation, with marked points to different agenda items. All archived videos can be paused, rewound and forwarded, to allow the viewer to easily jump to specific points on the topics that matter the most to them.
Since partnering with Swagit Productions LLC to facilitate this transition to streaming media, Abilene’s online viewers can now watch any recorded video at any time and at any location. This allows the public to stay aware of Abilene proceedings without requiring them to attend the meeting in person, showing – and proving – Abilene’s dedication to increasing government transparency.
As with Abilene, many government entities are choosing to use the newer high definition production camera solution. These high definition camera’s exceptional quality improves the overall viewing experience and make for a better, more professional, media product.
City Manager Robert Hanna explains why the City of Abilene needed the products offered by Swagit. “An absence of transparency creates an absence of trust” said Hanna. “Abilene is striving to create an environment where trust and transparency are the foundations of what we do and how we serve the public. SWAGIT technology helps us achieve this goal.”
Abilene City Council meetings, and any video the city chooses to record and post, can be viewed on any device – computer, smartphone, tablet and more – capable of displaying streaming media, allowing residents to keep up to date with their government’s business on their own schedule.