Take the SeeClickFix Challenge

Today kicks off the SeeClickFix Challenge on the SmarterCities blog, "a collaborative intelligence project for building a planet of smarter cities."

For the next two weeks, SmarterCities is asking everyone in the SeeClickFix community to post their experiences using the site. Success stories, suggestions, frustrations, or points of clarification--the idea is to create a forum for our users to strenghthen networks within SCF communities and generate dialogue about the future needs of our users.

New Haven Independent Editor Paul Bass has already contributed. As has Dustin Haisler from the City of Manor, Texas, and two fixers in Germany!

Quick steps on how to submit:

1. Visit the submissions page of the SmarterCities Tumblr Site.
2. Scroll down to the bottom
3. Post your SCF stories in the box that says "Post"
   

We look forward to reading your stories soon. The SCF Challenge ends February 21.

SeeClickFix Your Way through Philly's Nor'easter

(photo taken by SCF user Rich at 1842 Gladstone St., Philadelphia)

Snowed-in in Philly?
SeeClickFix has your back.

Check out the custom widget that Philly.com generated so that residents of the City of Brotherly Love can make sure their streets get plowed. SCF's Philly community has been buzzing all day, as fixers around the city continue to fill up their watch areas with locations in need of plowing.

SCF wishes the best of luck to all our users in Philly, as they brave their city's second biggest blizzard on record!

Another DC Success Story on SeeClickFix

The City Fix DC, a blog about sustainable transport in the DC area, posted a story today lauding SeeClickFix’s role in getting a pedestrian-unfriendly intersection repaired. Blogger Erica Schlaikjer cited the fix as another example of how SCF puts a “more responsive government… at your fingertips.”

SCF users described the intersection of U Street and Florida Avenue in the Adams Morgan neighborhood as “a serious safety hazard” and a “tragedy waiting to happen.” Representatives from the local city councilman’s office immediately responded, with information on a streetscape reconstruction project that was set to target this intersection.

Through continued dialogue, citizens were able to convince the DC Department of Transportation that this intersection deserved interim action. And just last week, the DDOT used SCF to publish a list of completed fixes, including new signs, road lines, and signal timings.

City Fix DC points out that that more repairs are still needed and will be handled by the long-term plan. However, the DDOT’s quick response to the unexpected problem shows the power of the SCF community to prompt action to issues that need to be addressed more rapidly than the timeframes set by long-term planning goals.

Check out other DC Success Stories Here.

SeeClickFix released on Android!!!

Today we're happy to announce the "world's first" application for
reporting non-emergency issues on the android platform. You can
download the application from the android market under Applications >
Tools or by searching for "seeclickfix".

Our mobile engineers have been working hard testing the application on
a variety of android phones, including the Nexus One. Feel free to
send feedback or bug reports to support@seeclickfix.com .

Instructions for downloading the iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android
applications are available at http://www.seeclickfix.com/apps along
with an introductory video.

SeeClickFix at NY Tech Meet-Up

Though NYC is not our home, it is our closest big city home so we felt really welcomed by the croud at NYC Tech Meet-Up last and Scott and Dawn.

A big thanks to Alain from the Latters who got us on the bill and Andrew Rasiej who asked the question of the moment, "What do we have to do to make this work in NYC?"

The answer - Ask NYC 311 to use it.

Also, a huge shout-out to our mystery NYC Public Servant (Civil Servant on SCF) who was thanked last night for fixing citizens issue reported on the site.
We'll follow-up more on the emerging NYC Masked Hero soon but that's just a teaser for now. (Gotham City needs you Civil Servant!)

The speech below

Watch live streaming video from nytechmeetup at livestream.com

New Yorkers Get What New Yorkers Want

Long hailed as a news outlet of the people, New York 1 recently reported about SeeClickFix and the city 311 Department's potential to incorporate the new technology.

Interviewing local New Yorkers, New York 1 found that many people were enthusiastic to see the city adapt SeeClickFix to their own existing system.

Personal Democracy Forum Founder Andrew Rasiej said in the news interview, governments are really playing a game of catch-up with new emerging technologies.

He sees SeeClickFix as one of many new applications that allow people to have better lives where they live.

The city of New York is looking into how they can incorporate SeeClickFix into their current system because as New York 1 has made clear: New Yorkers want New York to remain one of the best places to live.

Tucson Gets its Groove

Tuscon, AZ has signed up for the SeeClickFix Plus App along with New Haven, CT and Manor, TX.

The beautifully designed Tucson Sentinel recently ran article for its readers explaining why the city has switched from their previously awkward city service system to SeeClickFix.

In the article, Andrew Greenhill, chief of staff for Mayor Bob Walkup of Tucson said, "This system will let us solve problems and save money."

He added of the switch from their old reporting system to SeeClickFix, "Better quality data will allow us to fix more potholes, more quickly."

Tucson has realized that SeeClickFix not only makes delegation of work orders flow more smoothly, it also frees up time and resources so that more problems can be fixed.

"We'll be able to move money from running the (current) system to filling potholes," said Greenhill.

And for all the hopes that SeeClickFix has had since its inception, this summation by Greenhill not only reaffirms the genesis of the company but far exceeds every goal.

And with that in mind, SeeClickFix is both honored and enthusiastic about the future of Government 2.0 and its implementation in cities like Tucson.