The metaverse: Revolutionizing the way government agencies function

While there is no single, unified view of the metaverse, we define it as a network of three-dimensional virtual worlds that, in its ideal state, focuses on immersive experiences, digital economies, and social connections.

The metaverse has the potential to revolutionize the way government agencies operate. Here are just a few of the possible use cases for the public sector, organized under our five fields of play.

1. Learning: The metaverse offers a cost-effective and efficient way to provide training. For example, health care professionals can be trained to deal with trauma patients through immersive role-playing. Such safe, virtual environments can be used in a wide variety of environments and scenarios, such as combat training for military personnel.

2. Collaboration: Government agencies can use the metaverse as a platform for collaboration and information-sharing to increase efficiencies and cooperation. Remote teams can use immersive virtual models to optimize planning, such as testing new models of care management. And any number of personalized forums for virtual support groups can be built to increase community outreach, engagement, and support where services are lacking.

3. Enterprise simulations: Current operations can be evaluated and improved in the metaverse. Immersive R&D spaces can act as test beds for new programs, products, or services. Virtual replicas of cities and countries can be used to enhance urban planning or to simulate scenarios related to climate change and evaluate potential solutions.

4. Storefronts: Existing services can be replicated in the metaverse to improve the public’s accessibility to and engagement with government agencies. Town hall meetings can be conducted virtually, for example, allowing citizens to participate in real time regardless of their physical location. Virtual embassies and service branches can help governments provide better services and more information to citizens.

5. Reimagined experiences: The metaverse can be used to design new experiences for the masses, such as virtual tourism spaces that promote cultural events or offer tours of historic sites. It can also help niche communities—for example, the public sector can leverage the mixed sensory capabilities of virtual environments to improve how services are offered to people with disabilities, such as through better visual communication for people who are deaf.

There are many other use cases—and countless more that have yet to be conceived—but the nascency of the metaverse gives rise to several factors that governments should consider before investing, including:

• Regulations and their role in balancing competition, innovation, privacy, and security
• Digital identity and the process of issuance and authentication of government IDs in the metaverse to limit fraud
• Changes in government service delivery mechanisms and channels to citizens
• Adaption of government operations across different departments and levels
• Collaboration with technology players to upskill workers and stay up to date on the latest developments
• Reliable access for all citizens to high-capacity, low-latency internet in a cost-effective manner

The metaverse has the potential to greatly benefit the public sector by increasing citizen engagement, providing cost-effective training, and improving collaboration and information-sharing among agencies. The applications are still in the early stages, but we can expect to see ever-increasing use of the metaverse in the future.