Smartphone App Would Allow Piedmonters to Report Minor Problems to City
Piedmont’s new Information Technology Task Force will propose initiatives and oversee the consultant.
On February 2nd, the Piedmont City Council appointed five knowledgeable citizens to the Information Technology Task Force to help develop a five year strategic plan, working with ClientFirst Technology Consulting, the City’s Information Technology Consultant. Piedmont resident John Lambert is the representative for ClientFirst.
The City Council has approved an Agreement with ClientFirst Technology Consulting in the amount of $24,618 for the development of a five year Information Technology Strategic Plan.
One simple technology, SeeClickFix, adopted by San Francisco and Oakland is a new smartphone application that allows citizens to photograph and instantly report minor problems –pot holes, graffiti, idling vehicles, trash — to a City Department. It’s a quick and easy way to report non-emergency issues to the City wherever and whenever a citizen notices them.
See, Click, Fix reports examples from across the U.S.:
In Dallas, a thoughtful citizen reported a traffic light timing problem on SeeClickFix, and saw an immediate improvement in traffic flow after government officials watching the area took quick action.
In Philadelphia, an engaged citywide advocacy group used SeeClickFix to mobilize citizens to document instances of vehicle idling, leading to new initiatives to help clean the air.
Astute police officers in New Haven, receiving direct alerts on their BlackBerries from citizens reporting quality-of-life crime issues within their SeeClickFix “watch areas,” have spearheaded a number of major arrests.
I’d like to know how much SeeClickFix will cost on an ongoing basis. Is such a solution necessary in a city our size? It’s highly unlikely I’d install this app.
I expect emailing a photo to a well-publicized email address would suffice for reporting most issues. In my experience, the public works department has been very responsive to every phone call I’ve made.