"Smart Ningxiang" APP is gaining much popularity this summer, with more than 400,000 users, which not only catches huge attention among the local residents, but also attracts neighboring cities and counties to learn from its experience.

It is not an easy task for Ningxiang, a county-level city with a population of 1.4 million, to design a suitable APP. The APP now boasts more than 400,000 users after its launch three years ago, which is really impressive. How can it get popular among the citizens?

Zhang Ling, a citizen of Ningxiang City uses the APP every day to check the freshmen registration for her daughter who is going to be a primary school student.

To ensure a convenient and fair student enrolment, public elementary and secondary schools in the downtown areas of Ningxiang all use the APP for student registration. Parents like Zhang Ling submitted all documents and materials through the APP from June 23 to June 25.

After the registration, the APP will show a real-time schedule, and send the results to parents via text messages. At present, schools have released the lists of prospective students, and parents can check updates through the APP.

The APP has become a must for citizens in Ningxiang City. Besides student registration, tuition fees of public elementary and secondary schools in the downtown areas of Ningxiang are also paid on the APP.

What's more, the citizens with this APP have access to reading news, getting life services, and even dealing with work-related affairs.

Let's take tourism as an example. Visitors can enjoy services like the introduction of scenic spots (those above 4A level), automatic speech recognition and guide services on this APP. The APP also provides real-time information and travel schedules based on visitor flows, weather forecast and video surveillance, which ensures a comfortable trip for visitors.   

This year, the APP has launched new programs like e-invoice center, online library card, online information office of the worker's basic endowment insurance and online appointments of children's vaccine, etc.

"Our original aspiration is to offer an e-government platform on which citizens can handle some examination and approval services at home. Now, what we offer is much beyond that. The APP has launched 510 online examination and approval services, and updates information of local convergence media and livelihood services. It is a platform focusing on the local people's work and life," said Jiang Jiahong who is the director of Data Resource Center of Ningxiang City.

"You can sign in and get meeting materials by scanning codes through the APP. It is out of my expectation that this APP covers such a wide service area," said Li Jiabing. He attended the 2021 Digital Government and Smart City Construction Business Training Session in Ningxiang City on July 16 and found that the meeting provides e-materials instead of paper versions. 

Being practical and useful is what "Ningxiang Smart City Management Office" APP has been seeking for since its birth.

Since its launch in 2018, the APP, as a convenience platform, has opened online payments covering water, electricity, cable TV broadband and fines. What’ more, users can also check information about personal housing accumulation fund loan, real property and social insurance, etc.

In 2020, the APP was upgraded, with all government services, public services  and news updates available on it.

The center of the APP's home page is set with columns like headlines, current political news and livelihood news, etc; the upper part of the home page covers government services including "read," "transaction," "questions" and "comments"; and in its bottom are "business services," "daily services," "interaction" and "me" with which citizens have access to "online examination and approval," utilities, transport code, travel information, signing in and issuing invoices. Needless to say, this APP enables local citizens to go for a better and convenient life. 

"The construction of convergence media platforms nationwide is underway, but many merely focus on information transmission instead of the integration of government services, news and public services. The APP starts from 'addition' to 'integration,' making outstanding progress on innovation, which can be attributed to the pilot project 'internet+government services.' The project plays a vital role in the construction of convergence media owing to its achievements on big data and AI," said the official of Ningxiang Convergence Media Center.   

Supported by advanced technology and focusing on content construction, the APP remains committed to innovation and strives to be a shining model of convergence media.