[bikeqld] Fwd: [NewMobilityCafe] [World Streets Daily] Toolbox: SeeClickFix

[Michael Yeates]

For those interested in IT ... or/and influencing/assisting 
government and other orgs to improve cycling facilities.

MY...........................

Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:52:20 -0700 (PDT)
>Subject: [NewMobilityCafe] [World Streets Daily] Toolbox: SeeClickFix
>
>A possible World Streets goal: To find one or two cities in any part 
>of the world that might be interested in putting this tool to work 
>in their community. To test its applicability and usefulness in a 
>range of non-US situations. Candidates?
>
>And now from Streetsblog:
>
>SeeClickFix: Is little Brother the Next Big Thing?
>
>The next generation of community-driven reporting of quality-of-life 
>issues -- like potholes, graffiti, garbage buildup, or broken street 
>lights -- is SeeClickFix, software that enables users to populate a 
>map with cases that are then forwarded to the responsible city 
>agency. Much like a 311 system, SeeClickFix is predicated on the 
>assumption that an aware and engaged public that uses technology can 
>get its city government to efficiently resolve problems.
>
>Unlike most 311 systems, the visual mapping function enables users 
>to see all existing complaints about a particular problem or to add 
>their voice to an existing case, thus promoting it to a more urgent 
>position in the queue. Users can create "watch areas" and receive 
>notices when other users identify a problem within it. Each case 
>generates an e-mail that is sent to the appropriate agency 
>responsible for fixing it.
>
>According to founder Ben Berkowitz, who is based in New Haven, 
>Connecticut, SeeClickFix got its first trial run last year when New 
>Haven's mayor, John DeStefano, Jr., was looking for a way to better 
>respond to public quality-of-life complaints and to reduce 
>duplication of efforts within agencies. DeStefano required the city 
>to respond to cases that had been generated by the public on 
>SeeClickFix and report the status of the cases online.
>
>The system was so successful that the city now uses SeeClickFix as a 
>proxy 311, with agencies such as the DOT, DPW, and police department 
>using it for non-emergency issues. DeStefano was so happy with the 
>service that he sent a letter to more that 100 other mayors 
>encouraging them to try it.
>
>Berkowitz says the system has now expanded beyond the local 
>government to utility companies and non-profits. He said they have 
>seen numerous cases of good Samaritans responding to complaints 
>without prompting, such as one carpenter who fixed several park 
>benches he located on the site.
>
>"That's the beauty of open source," says Berkowitz. "At first, we 
>thought of calling it Little Brother, like 'Little Brother is 
>Watching,' but then we realized we needed to be a bit more kind to government."
>
>Berkowitz explains that SeeClickFix often coordinates with 
>newspapers, such as those in Boston, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, 
>to promote the software to the public, then advocates for the city 
>to try responding to cases and noting the progress online. When the 
>Philadelphia Inquirer added the SeeClickFix widget to its site, 
>Philadelphia 311 soon started responding online to newly-generated cases.
>
>In San Francisco, Phil Bronstein, editor-at-large of Hearst 
>Newspapers Division, is a big fan of SeeClickFix and is planning to 
>use the mapping widget on SFGate.com. Kevin Skaggs, executive 
>producer of SFGate, said a collaboration with SeeClickFix has been 
>in the works since Bronstein blogged about them last year, and that 
>SFGate will use the widget in a few months on its new hyper-local 
>Chronicle sites.
>
>The new Chron sites will resemble the New York Times' recently 
>launched local blogs, where SeeClickFix is already a presence. As of 
>now, the Times has incorporated the map widget into the New Jersey 
>edition of "The Local," which covers Maplewood, Millburn and South 
>Orange. Berkowitz hopes the Times' Brooklyn blog, targeted at 
>readers in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, will follow suit. If that 
>happens, he sees city residents using SeeClickFix as a tool for 
>broad scale community improvement.
>
>"We know that it can be much bigger than 311 in New York," says 
>Berkowitz. "It's a really great method for getting a dialogue started."
>
>Posted: 25 Mar 2009 12:01 PM PDT
>With reporting by Brad Aaron.
>
>--
>Posted By Eric Britton (France) to 
><http://newmobilityagenda.blogspot.com/2009/03/toolbox-seeclickfix.html>World 
>Streets Daily at 3/26/2009 10:51:00 AM

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