We are looking into a self-service kiosk in our lobby for the public to complete the permit process. We use Accela (web browser based) and push for full online submittals, but a lot of people still come to our office.
Does anyone have a public use computer in your lobby or a custom-built kiosk system?
If so, how do you:
- Scan documents?
- Process payments?
Thanks!
As a Computer Engineer, did a few similar projects. We did not have a public use computer in our lobby, but we had one of the enterprise all in one printers in our group where you have the kiosk which is simply a self contained computer system. There are now enterprise all in one printers that can connect to the kiosk with SSO (single sign on). So that the scanner will scan and put them in a correct incoming directory and print out thier docs. You don't say the quality of your IT department.
So buying one of the printer, scanner, fax enterprise class with full maintenance might be your ticket. Separate from the kioske, or in its own kioske. USING SSO to connect the scans with the account is the ticket
If I was the lead engineer, the scanner would name the document with the username and the date. Place it in a directory accessable by a linux system, the ancient FTP systems were great for this, as the security is already built in and its free. The linux system would have a script checking the directory every 15 seconds and placing the new documents in the correct subdirectory associated with the user.
The users should be able to upload the documents from home to the same subdirectory by logging in. BUT the upload directory should be write only to keep perverts and other maggots from using it to post illegal porn or other bad documents.
As an engineer for the Stock Exchanges, we used this method to allow the big brokerage houses to upload important files
Other major companies such as 20th century fox, Warner brothers and others used this to allow many external users to upload files or to have us save the files to one location to be securely processed without reinventing the wheel.
We are looking into a self-service kiosk in our lobby for the public to complete the permit process. We use Accela (web browser based) and push for full online submittals, but a lot of people still come to our office.
Does anyone have a public use computer in your lobby or a custom-built kiosk system?
If so, how do you:
- Scan documents?
- Process payments?
Thanks!
1.
- Use Case: Public or semi-public scanning/printing station.
- Features:
- SSO integration (Single Sign-On) to authenticate users.
- Auto-routing of scanned documents based on login identity.
- Can be part of a kiosk or standalone.
2.
- Document Name Convention:
username_YYYYMMDD_HHMM.pdf
- Storage Mechanism:
- Scanned files land in a shared incoming directory.
- Script on a Linux server monitors the directory (e.g., using inotify or a 15-second cron loop).
- Files are auto-sorted into per-user subdirectories (/home/scans/username/).
3.
- Remote Access:
- Users can log in from home to upload documents via SFTP, web UI, or custom client.
- Security Controls:
- Upload directory is write-only to prevent users from reading each other's data.
- Eliminates risk of inappropriate content circulation or unauthorized access.
- FTP Caveats:
- While traditional FTP has embedded access controls, modern SFTP (via OpenSSH) or HTTPS (with access tokens) is typically preferred.
- For sensitive environments (e.g., financial or media sectors), ensure:
- Encrypted in transit.
- Auditable logging.
- Automated purging or archiving.
- Access Controls:
- Least-privilege principle.
- Directory permissions (e.g., chmod 733 upload_dir for write-only access).
This architecture has been validated across:
- Stock Exchanges – Secure, high-volume file uploads from brokerages.
- Entertainment Studios – External stakeholders submitting large assets securely.
There are a lot of paywall software enhancements out there. As I have not used them in an enterprise, this would require more research. Remember, use high security stuff as being government you will be targeted for hacking
Suggested Enhancements
- Web Interface (Optional): Build a lightweight Django/Flask/Node.js UI for uploads, status checks, and logs.
- Notifications: Email or webhook alerts for scan/upload completion.
- Audit Logging: Track filename, user, timestamp, IP, and actions.
- Cloud Sync (Optional): Upload or mirror to cloud storage (S3, Azure Blob, etc.) for remote processing or backup.
