CitySourced is a mobile civic engagement platform, helping citizens report civic issues directly to the municipal officials, by taking a picture or video and using their GPS to track the exact location.
Real Time Reporting Technology for the Government:
CitySourced uses iCityHall technology built for the municipalities which also contains a suite of API’s which can be integrated in their CRM, AMS or GIS systems. The API’s would be really useful for the officials, once their IT team gets it integrated in their current systems, they don’t need to spend time learning any new process, they can just start monitoring and keep track and account of things.
CitySourced app uses GPS along with the mobile camera, to track down the exact location of the issue. Having a visual data does help in understanding what the person is talking about or trying to explain, and getting the location, completes the details, now the officials can plan and take actions accordingly. They need not worry about any faulty or incomplete data.
Push Notifications for the Citizens:
Once a person reports an issue, the system immediately pushes a status update back to the reporting person’s mobile phone. It also provides an automated feedback system for the citizens and also reports back the status once the issue has been taken care of. This is where the government can really engage with the people, and also the people themselves will get more closer in understanding their rights and responsibilities towards the society.
Technology behind CitySourced:
The System runs on Microsoft’s Azure & Esri ArcGIS in the cloud. They also help the System Analyst to configure and maintain the deployed solution. If the officials do not want it on cloud and want to have a local control over it, CitySourced also has an on-premise solution.
CitySourced uses EsriMaps which features rich integration with the Geographic Information Systems Ecosystem. It uses your existing GIS infrastructure and integrates with Esri’s API’s and mobile SDK’s to deliver up to date information to the officials and the citizens.
Coming to a Conclusion:
I don’t want to give any lectures or activist talks, I am not any, but sincerely thinking, this is a must have system that should be deployed by every municipality and other responsible departments.
This is an app for every citizen, so they can engage with the officials and also get a feel of social responsibility.
The CitySourced app is available for iPhone, Android, Windows and Blackberry.
Photo Source: Tony Tran
