A Few of My Favorite Government Features

Thursday, February 27, 2014 - By Anonymous - No comments



SeeClickFix's Citizen Relationship Management Suite (CRM) has grown substantially over the past year and a half, quickly becoming an integral part of our municipal partners' everyday workflow. The idea behind it is simple, we automate as much as possible and for everything else we built an efficient non-technical user interface. Below is a few of my favorite features the SeeClickFix CRM has to offer.
Insight:
The most recent addition to our CRM called Insight is far and beyond my favorite. Currently being beta tested with a few select cities, Insight makes it simple to pour through serious amounts of data to create charts and graphs highlighting everything from trends over time to the volume of reports.

Attaching Images:
The simple act of attaching images is a long standing municipal innovation that the SeeClickFix mobile app brought to the table. Often taken for granted these days, attaching a photo to service requests decreases the issue resolution time substantially.

Heat-maps:
The heat-map is one of the fastest and easiest ways to visualize geographical data on a map. Shown below is the density of graffiti reports in Washington DC. It's not all that surprising but if you notice at the bottom of the map, vandals tend to steer clear of the White House.


Google Maps:
Last but not least we have Google Maps. This is the ultimate in user friendliness for non-technical users. With integrated features like Google Street View it's easy to check out where you are going before you leave the office.

Thats my list, there are a lot of other features in our CRM but that's a quick snapshot of my favorites.

Randolph, MA in the Top 10!

- By Anonymous - No comments

This week an article was posted on Wicked Local Randolph about the town cracking the top 10 of our List of Top Performing Cities. A long time ago our Co-founders came up with an algorithm (below) to allow smaller cities like Randolph and #1 ranked Tontitown (pop. 2,548) to compete with Chicago and Albuquerque (also in the top 10). 

The Algorithm:
Activity Score:
Total Number of Users, Watch Areas, Reports and Comments
Results Score:
Past 90 days: Activity x (%Fixed +(%Fixed / Average Days to Resolution))
"We are using technology, data, and accountability, to improve our performances across the spectrum of government services. Our scores are positive, but we can always do better."
- Brian Howard
Randolph Assistant Town Manager/Town Clerk


Residents saw it, clicked it, and got the services they needed as part of a national program designed to help municipal departments be more responsive to problems when they arise. The town ranked ninth in the country in the time it took to respond to requests by residents for municipal services. The top town was Tonitown, AR., while Malden came in third. Randolph has logged 1,535 calls for municipal services that translated into 211 results.

For the full Wicked Local article:
http://randolph.wickedlocal.com/article/20140225/NEWS/140227739



The SeeClickFix Fellows at the 33% Mark

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - By Unknown - No comments

On January 1 SeeClickFix and CTNext welcomed the first three SeeClickFix Fellows. Michael Kaufmann, Steven Young and Andrew Williams joined the SeeClickFix team for 6 months. During the day they work on the other side of the office from their core competencies, engineers working in biz dev and vice versa. At night they work on their products.

We are two months into the fellowship. There are 4 months left in the fellow's nights and weekend runway. After that they have been kindly offered a home at New Haven's co-working space, The Grove where they will likely continue to grow their products and figure out how to support themselves financially.

Andrew Williams hails from Virginia but now calls #NHV his home. Steven comes from San Francisco as Andrew's engineering half at http://www.PlacingLiterature.com. Placing Literature is a crowdsourcing website that maps literary scenes that take place in real locations.  There are 1350 places mapped in the first six months and their core focus during the fellowship is making the database more robust. This is the first time the founders are living in the same city while working on their startup.



Mike Kauffman is developing MoVi Interactive, an innovative tech firm specializing in wearable technology and the user experience. MoVi creates applications that leverage data captured by physical sensors such as Fitbit, Nike FuelBand and Jawbone Up- to name a few. The flagship application, Fitness Faceoff, is the first full-blown fitness strategy game and is set to release in March.

"Being a part of the SCF Fellowship program will give me an opportunity to learn from active and experienced entrepreneurs. Giving me insight into the day to day operations and what it takes to run a young company. When starting a new venture, you will quickly realize that everyday presents a new "monkey wrench" - it has been reassuring to know that I have access to advice and guidance." --Michael Kaufmann

We are loving the prototype designs of Fitness Faceoff at SCF and are excited to see the beta to be launched in March.

Council Member Kallos Promotes Digital Engagement in NYC

- By Tucker - No comments

Council Member Ben Kallos is leveraging web tools to connect with citizens in NYC's 5th District.

Kallos recently announced that his team has added a SeeClickFix widget to the Councilman's website at benkallos.com/seeclickfix where citizens are able to input service requests. These requests are monitored directly by Kallos' staff, who are excited to be up and running with the SeeClickFix CRM. Kallos feels that the 5th District will play an important role in bringing citizen engagement tools like SeeClickFix to the rest of New York City in the near future.
As reported by Tech President:
Kallos hosted a Google Hangout with about ten participants to announce his online constituent services, including SeeClickFix, and to discuss issues of concern to his constituents and the New York City technology community. For the SeeClickFix effort, he is building on an established program run by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, which has been using the platform on the island, part of his district along with the Upper East Side, since 2010.
During the hangout, Kallos said he would like to work on negotiating a contract to implement SeeClickFix more broadly in New York City, along with other similar services. He also announced that constituents could contact him via Skype or text to a Google Voice number in addition to attending regular open meetings in his office and throughout his district. He noted that even though there is a perception about the Upper East Side being very wealthy, there are still many residents, especially the more elderly, who may have feature phones but no Internet access.
Kallos isn't the first city political official to make these moves. SeeClickFix has also already been in use by a Brooklyn Community Board and Bronx City Council member Fernando Cabrera, who has also been using texting since 2010.

Great Customer Experience in Holyoke

- By Anonymous - No comments

I came across this request in Holyoke yesterday, and wanted to share it as a great example of one of the thousands of positive customer experiences we see delivered by our municipal partners. Thanks for using SeeClickFix.



'Tis the Season for Potholes

Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - By Anonymous - No comments

With pothole season upon us SeeClickFix HQ is buzzing with excitement. Every Spring we see a considerable spike in citizen engagement platform wide. Our CEO Ben Berkowitz is famous for saying "potholes are the gateway to citizen engagement" and as the data shows he is spot on. We are all looking forward to see what municipalities have in store for their citizens this year!

 Last year Chicago had some fun instituting the first annual "Potholepalooza" encouraging citizens to get out there and report potholes using the SeeClickFix app. 

 Chicago IL Press Release:
Tired of Drivin ‘N Cryin’ in Traffic over the Minor Threat of potholes in the Pavement?  Ready to see nothing but The White Stripeson the roadway and not worry about The Cars swerving to avoid potholes?
This weekend, if you are motorist or a Motörhead, participate in the first-ever “Potholepalooza,”  the Chicago Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) call to Chicagoans to report as many street potholes as possible.  Then watch the show next week as CDOT has The Cure for your Moody Blues and fills all of the potholes reported from Friday, April 5 through Sunday April 6 so that your car doesn’t do the Harlem Shake and give you Divine Fits


 Heat map of Chicago DURING Potholepalooza:


















Heat map of Chicago AFTER Potholepalooza:
















Champaign Illinois is off to an early start with an article published a few weeks ago informing citizens on how those annoying potholes are created and how SeeClickFix can help.
Filling potholes is a continuing process that takes place year round, weather permitting. For example, in the period between June 2012 and July 2013, Champaign filled 21,000 potholes
“I have a feeling that once spring gets here, we’ll have more than enough potholes to keep us busy,”
When Champaign residents see potholes around town they can take advantage of the public works’ department’s app SeeClickFix. The app, which launched last year, allows people to take photos of the problem. Then, it geolocates where the photo was and adds it into the database to be fixed, said Champaign Public Works public information officer Kris Koester. The resident who submits the photo will receive a notification when the request is added into the database and when it is fixed.

 The Daily Illini Article




Why We Exist

- By Kam Lasater - No comments

The graffiti related frustrations that sparked the founding of SeeClickFix have been well documented. Our CEO, Ben Berkowitz, has told the story at least a thousand times. He encountered difficulties when he tried to report graffiti to his local municipality and felt compelled to take action. Ben and the co-founders created SeeClickFix to help address the friction points that arise in the realm of non-emergency complaints.

Here is a small sample of articles that include more details about SeeClickFix's beginnings: 

Graffiti on Stop Sign
An Everyday Urban Frustration: Issue #946126

Just last month, SeeClickFix processed 8,573 graffiti requests. The majority of them are handled in the manner of Issue # 946126. The reports are dispatched and the problems are fixed. Let's celebrate those who are keeping the trains running on time.

Thank you to the City of Albuquerque for fixing that issue and to the hundreds of other SeeClickFix partners who are responding every day.

Congratulations to the Winners of the first SeeClickFix + Kaggle Predictive Analytics and 311 Visualization Competition

Monday, February 24, 2014 - By Unknown - No comments



SeeClickFix just hosted a Kaggle competition to predict which 311 issues are most

important to citizens. Kaggle, an online platform that hosts data analytics competitions, offers

a place for companies to post their data online and present a challenge to solve. Kaggle’s

community of more than 100,000 data scientists browse these company competitions and mine

data to try and produce the best model in order to win.



So, what exactly makes these data scientists so special? Software Advice, a website that

reviews business intelligence tools, analyzed the top 100 Kaggle prize-winners to get a better

understanding of what these data gurus have in common. Below are some of the top findings.

Time in school and performance in data competitions have a direct correlation. More than 80

percent of the top 100 performers on Kaggle have a Master’s degree or higher.

Computer science and mathematics are the main areas of study by the top Kaggle performers.

However, engineering, econometrics and statistics were close behind. While most of these

areas of study complement a career in data analytics, a few surprising programs surfaced, such

as philosophy and law. The idea being that the characteristics and skills needed to excel as a

data scientist aren’t necessarily tied to a specific background.



The See, Click, Predict, Fix competition had 313 teams competing for a chance to

make a positive social change in the world (and gain some extra cash!).

And the winners are...

First Place:
Second Place:
Third Place:
Best Visualization Prize:
Second Place Visualization Prize:
This post was co-written by Ben Berkowitz and Jessica Melton of SoftwareAdvice.com

SeeClickFix and Socrata Partner for Open Data Day

Friday, February 21, 2014 - By Anonymous - 1 comment

In support of Open Data Day, SeeClickFix and Socrata are collaborating to provide the SeeClickFix Socrata Download tool through February 24, 2014. We are excited to see how participants use and visualize the data in new and different ways.

Update: Commonwealth of Massachusetts Partnership

- By Anonymous - No comments



 "The platform allows the state to provide a common mobile phone app (iPhone, Android and other smartphones) for reporting non-emergency issues that are automatically routed, by location and issue type, to the correct municipality, department or team responsible for fixing it."


"Over the last year, more than 16,000 issues were reported and resolved across 57 communities in Massachusetts through the statewide program, Commonwealth Connect. The program, developed through a partnership with the City of Boston and New Haven-based SeeClickFix, allows residents to report issues through their mobile devices and automatically geo-map and route reports."




Saturday is International Open Data Day at SeeClickFix and around the world this weekend

Wednesday, February 19, 2014 - By Unknown - No comments

A number of folks are hosting International Open Data Day around the world and we're excited to be the host in our home town of #NHV.

The SeeClickFix API is available at http://dev.seeclickfix.com. We've heard ideas for building apps like Snowcrew.org on top of the API that lend context to certain types of service requests. We've also heard ideas for location aware apps that react to SeeClickFix data. In the past we have seen predictive algorithms and visualizations and we hope that we see more of these as well. In one case we have even seen an entire mobile application with near feature parody to in-house SeeClickFix apps built in Romania.

If you are near New Haven and have technical chops join us this Saturday.
Details here:


International Open Data Hackathon [CT Edition]



Fast Company highlights some of our favorite citizen requests from 2013

Tuesday, February 18, 2014 - By Unknown - No comments

Last week Ben Schiller at Fast Company interviewed us about some of our favorite issues from 2013.
Check it out!


SeeClickFix Goes Surfside (Florida)

- By Zack Beatty - No comments



We are pleased to announce that our latest municipal partner is the Town of Surfside, Florida! They're rolling out our hosted government CRM platform to departments across the board, from Public Works, to Parks and Recreation, to Code Compliance.

Sunny weather, sandy beaches, and now SeeClickFix: Surfside, what's not to like?

We look forward to partnering with other cities, towns, and villages in Miami-Dade County in 2014.

Snowcrew.org Launches in beta on top of the SeeClickFix platform. Roooar!!!

Thursday, February 13, 2014 - By Unknown - 1 comment

Last week Snowcrew.org launched in private beta with newly knighted Yetis signing on their friends and neigbors to volunteer shoveling assistance to the elderly, injured and disabled.


The day after Snowcrew went into private beta Yetis were called into action in New Jersey. Nancy Tilford asked for help shoveling in Sussex County. Seven Yetis rushed to her and her husband's aid validating the Snowcrew platform and prompting the tool out of private beta into beta. There are still known bugs that the Snowcrew team is squashing but you can start growing your grew. 374 Yetis have signed up in the last few days and today Snowcrew announces its beta launch.

If you are physically unable to shovel and need assistance please sign-up for Snowcrew to request assistance from a neighbor. If you want to help out today in the storm you can bring up Snowcrew.org and find requests nearby from neighbors who need a hand. Every new user is given an ordered Yeti id and a referral link that you can share to help build your crew. More features to come but Snowcrew hopes you enjoy this early release.

We're very excited about this civic expansion on top of the SeeClickFix platform. If you want to build an app on top of the SeeClickFix API contact us and we'll help you get started.

The New Haven Register has a bit more of the Story on Snowcrew thanks to Helen Harvey, Staff Writer at the Register.




Sacramento County 311 Launches with SeeClickFix

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - By Kam Lasater - No comments

This week Sacramento 311 announced their new mobile app provided by SeeClickFix. The solution provides for different service request types based on the geo-dynamic location of the report. This gives the county flexibility in their service request offering that they didn't have previously.

Their press release is here: http://www.saccounty.net/news/latest-news/Pages/311.aspx

The press has has already picked up on the story: http://www.lodinews.com/news/article_9bdfb9a9-e869-582e-a2dc-5d926ec5779a.html



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7,000 Thank You's and other fun facts from the SeeClickFix Year in Review

Monday, February 10, 2014 - By Unknown - No comments

If you have not yet seen our 2013 Year in Review Check it out: