SeeClickFix.com

At the Finance and Common Council meetings held yesterday, both committees voted to approve the purchase of a software program application for phones called “SeeClickFix.”  “This software which will cost $1,200 per year, will allow citizens to report potholes, street lights out, and graffiti,” stated Alderperson Theodore Ruffalo.  It geocodes the location of the caller, and it gives the caller the ability to attach a photo of the item being reported on.

According to their website:  http://seeclickfix.com/how_seeclickfix_works:

“You’re just one click away from raising awareness about issues in your neighborhood. SeeClickFix encourages active citizenship, by offering a variety of platforms to report your concerns. Citizens may report issues through their website, mobile apps, widgets, and voice mail.

Three basic principles

Empowerment. SeeClickFix allows anyone to report and track non-emergency issues anywhere in the world via the internet. This empowers citizens, community groups, media organizations and governments to take care of and improve their neighborhoods.

Efficiency. Two heads are better than one and 300 heads are better than two. In computer terminology, distributed sensing is particularly powerful at recognizing patterns, such as those that gradually take shape on a street. Besides, the government can’t be in all places at all times.  We make it easy and fun for everyone to see, click and fix.

Engagement. Citizens who take the time to report even minor issues and see them fixed are likely to get more engaged in their local communities. It’s called a self-reinforcing loop. This also makes people happy and everyone benefits from that.

Work: We provide the technology…

but engaged communities do the hard work by collaborating to get stuff done:

See a non-emergency issue in anywhere in the world, and file a public report online or via mobile phone. Or, see them as they are reported
by creating keyword and geography-based “watch areas.”  For example:

• Citizens report issues on the go, and set up watch areas to monitor their block (aka “eyes on the street”).
• Neighborhood groups and advocates follow reports of blocked bike lanes, broken windows or idling vehicles.
• Governments watch for potholes and cracked sidewalks, while a police captain can monitor crime issues being reported within his/her precinct.
• Media outlets and local bloggers are the first to know when issues “pop up” in their areas.

Track issues in your neighborhood:

• Citizens vote on neighborhood issues, or promote more efficient community governance by instantly forwarding them to a person who might be able to help.
• Neighborhood groups, elected officials and advocates monitor key issues, and publicly propose solutions on how to resolve them.
• Governments and other entities responsible for the public space (such as utilities and property owners) become more accountable to the public by acknowledging problems and providing effective communication about solutions.
• Media outlets use SeeClickFix to build upon citizen-driven news content and attract readership.

Fix a problem by publicly broadcasting the issue to the appropriate parties
for resolution, working collectively to raise the profile of key concerns, or by
taking direct action. Here are a few examples:

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.

In Hartford, a local news outlet helped mobilize citizens to do something
about speeding on their streets by tracking citizen-reported issues and writing a weekly “SeeClickFix” column about the citizen-generated content.

Now, imagine a world in which every resident feels empowered and can play an active role in their neighborhood. Imagine if everyone trusted and felt taken care of by their local government. We know that there are already a lot of involved citizens and hard-working local authorities out there. We seek to use the power of the internet to bring them closer together and make our
neighborhoods better places to live and work.