Project DIME: tracking government project spending on Google Cloud

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) partnered with Symph and Google Cloud to build Project DIME, a platform for good governance in the Philippines. Project DIME is DBM's idea, developed with the Open Government Partnership (OGP), and it uses technology to show how the government spends money, especially on large-scale projects. The aim is more trust and transparency in government, and the platform runs on Google Cloud.

Why Google Cloud suits public sector projects

Project DIME relies on Google Cloud, which is designed to meet the demands of public sector work.

Government data has to be secure, and Google Cloud covers that with two services:

• Cloud Armor, a web application firewall that protects Project DIME from malicious attacks and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attempts.
• Security Command Center (SCC), one place for proactive threat detection so the project data stays intact.

Government projects can be complex and data-intensive, and Google Cloud's services scale up and down with demand:

• App Engine hosts the Project DIME application and scales so it keeps running smoothly when user traffic and data loads change.
• Cloud SQL is a managed relational database service that stores and manages the critical project data in Project DIME. It has high availability and scales, so the data is always accessible.

Data visualization makes it easier to show where a project stands. Google Cloud has a wide range of data analytics tools that can be integrated with Project DIME, so stakeholders can get dashboards that show project progress and possible roadblocks.

For development, Project DIME used Cloud Build, a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) service that handles development and deployment and keeps the application secure and up to date.

Google Cloud for other government agencies

Project DIME is a blueprint other government agencies in the Philippines can follow to move to Google Cloud. Google Cloud's services can be adapted to what each department and initiative needs, from permit applications to tracking public health initiatives.

Symph's part

Symph is a Google Cloud partner with expertise in software development, and we had a key role in implementing Project DIME. Our experience and Google Cloud's infrastructure help government agencies put transparency first and build trust with the Filipino people.

If your agency is planning something similar

If your government agency is looking at technology for good governance, Google Cloud is a secure, scalable and transparent platform for it. We cannot recommend specific partners, but many qualified Google Cloud partners, Symph among them, have experience with government projects. To talk through what is possible, email us at info@symph.co.