Need a pothole filled? There's an app for that

by Dan Leahul, revolutionmagazine.com 18-Aug-09, 14:26

LONDON - The American city of Pittsburgh has welcomed an iPhone app that gives residents' a direct link to the city complaints department, by allowing users to send geo-tagged pictures of potholes, graffiti or other civic maintenance needs.

Called iBurgh, the app is free to download from the Apple iTunes store and has been approved by Pittsburgh councillors, who imagine the app as "changing the democratic process", or "e-democracy".

The app is embedded with GPS data, which pinpoints the problems exact location. Users can include a picture with their complaint, and a short description, time and date, which is sent directly the city's 311, or helpline, department.

Each submission is given a tracking number so residents can follow the city's response to their complaint.

iBurgh was developed by YinzCam, which lent the technology to Pittsburgh city hall to ensure it would sync up with its complaints department.

YinzCam also created an app that allows fans of its ice hockey team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, to watch replays of plays while in the stadium.

Bill Peduto, a Pittsburgh city councilman, told the Pittsburgh Business Times: "We want to establish Pittsburgh as the home of e-democracy.

"Since the invention of the printing press, there really hasn't been a development that gives us the ability to change the democratic process. This is a way for government to be directly responsive to people, instead of waiting for complaints to pile up."

The nearby city of Boston is also working on a similar app for its municipal maintenance crews.

Comments

Daniel Farey-Jones - 18/08/2009

Who remembers the UK's Traffic Cone Hotline?

Ben Berkowitz - 19/08/2009

SeeClickFix Iphone app. allows anyone to report potholes or any other non-emergency issue to any government in the world for free. If your city does not have a watch area for them yet, create one at http://www.seeclickfix.com/fixers and then download the seeclickfix app. from the store and start reporting. The ap. also allows you to see all the other issues that your neigbors have reported as well.