Improving Citizen Engagement: Gov 2.0
4 likes3,128 views
Citizen engagement applications using GIS allow governments to receive real-time feedback from citizens on smartphones. This helps governments understand community needs and improve services. Smart cities recognize citizens as sensors, making it easy for public to report issues online or on mobile devices. The City of Glendale collaborated on an app for citizens to report issues like potholes with photos and locations sent to the city for tracking and resolution. Incorporating citizen data helps governments operate more smoothly and responsively to community needs.
Improving Citizen Engagement: Gov 2.0
- 1. Improving Citizen Engagement G o v 2 . 0
- 2. The Citizen as a Sensor Governments are increasingly developing online geographic information system (GIS)-based applications to engage with citizens. These applications are helping the public easily connect with government and in turn helping government better understand the citizenry it serves. Web and mobile apps allow government organizations to receive immediate feedback from citizens including reports of incidents, suggestions, and general comments. A person walking through a park can pull out a smartphone and provide a real- time report on problems or ideas for improvement. Casting a wider net for citizen input, these apps help government know what’s happening on the ground in a community so it can maximize existing resources and improve services. esri.com/gov20
- 3. Smart Cities Smart cities recognize citizens as important data sources. As such, these cities are making it easy for the public to deliver real-time comments online or via mobile devices, which is a stark contrast to the time-consuming processes of calling or visiting city hall. Adding citizens to vast sensor networks of cameras, smart meters, and other data-collection systems gives government a more detailed understanding of a community. Input can be automatically fed into a GIS to help agencies improve processes and analyses. Citizen Reporting The City of Glendale collaborated with Esri partner CitySourced to create a smartphone application that allows citizens to report community issues, such as graffiti, potholes, and broken streetlights, on the spot. Residents can take a picture, categorize it, comment on it, and send this along with the GPS-captured location to the city government. Once the report is submitted, the citizen sees a map showing the location of the incident. The citizen-reported data is automatically incorporated into the city’s customer request system to ensure that the complaint is routed to the appropriate city service, tracked, and resolved. The citizen is informed of its progress. Residents can also go to citysourced.com and search for Glendale, California, to see a map of all reported incidents.
- 4. “We were getting criticism from the public about lack of access to the data associated with the program including comments that we weren’t taking care of the easements dedicated to our organization. Now that we are providing transparency to the data, that criticism has evaporated. In fact, it’s turned around, and we’re getting compliments from our elected officials and the general public for this application.” — Katherine Nelson, Planner/Coordinator, ontgomery County, Maryland, Planning Department M The Geographic Connection Geography connects citizens and the people who serve in government, and GIS naturally facilitates communication about place-based issues. With a steady stream of public input, governments have an increased ability to base operations on need in the community, whether it involves repairing a broken streetlight or creating safe bike lanes. As citizen-generated data becomes part of the government workflow, operations become smoother and more responsive. Ongoing connection between citizens and government also helps organizations achieve accountability and transparency. Crime Mapping Reporting Easement Violations The Omega Group’s Crimemapping.com allows law The Montgomery County Planning Department in enforcement agencies to automatically upload crime data Maryland created an online forest easement map for public consumption online. Citizens can learn about (montgomeryplanning.org/easements) that shows crime activity near their homes or businesses on the site information including the land record, ways to protect or by subscribing to Crime Alerts, automated e-mail easements, and boundaries. Additionally, people can notifications that are sent out when new activity occurs in report easement violations through the map. a specified area. Crimemapping.com displays incidents in Miami, Florida. Clicking an People can click a forest conservation easement (yellow) and report a icon reveals details about the crime. violation directly to the planning department.
- 5. To learn more about GIS and open data, visit esri.com/gov20. Delivering Citizen-centric Services There are several ways to develop successful applications Planning for citizen input and some key guidelines to keep in mind. The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe For a dependable, accurate foundation for your citizen- County worked with Esri partner CitySourced and generated data, build apps based on your authoritative transportation consultants Fehr & Peers to gain public data. Then make sure those apps work seamlessly with input on the Reno Sparks Bicycle and Pedestrian Master existing GIS workflows, which ensures that the data you Plan. At renosparksbpp.com, stakeholders in the cities collect will work with back-office systems and prevents of Reno and Sparks can view a map of public feedback citizen data silos. on issues such as where bike lanes and curb ramps are Once the apps are developed, market availability and let needed. People can submit their comments and photos citizens know what you’re monitoring. When people alert you on the website or via a free smartphone app. to an issue or concern, generate automatic responses that let them know you’ve received their input and keep them up to date on the issues as they progress and are resolved. As you look for the best way to develop the apps, your organization can consider these options: • Create apps in-house with Esri’s web mapping APIs that support the creation of rich, interactive applications using JavaScript™, Flex™, or Silverlight ®. Embed applications in web pages or launch stand-alone web apps from a web page. • Work with Esri partners that have experience building GIS-based web applications that tie in to existing systems. • Make your data available to third-party developers that are eager to build interactive applications that meet citizen needs. A web-based map provides a convenient way for citizens to comment on bicyclist and pedestrian master plans.
- 6. About Esri Our Focus Contact Esri Since 1969, Esri has been helping Esri software is used by hundreds 1-800-GIS-XPRT (1-800-447-9778) organizations map and model our of thousands of organizations that Phone: 909-793-2853 world. Esri’s GIS software tools apply GIS to solve problems and Fax: 909-793-5953 and methodologies enable these make our world a better place to info@esri.com organizations to effectively analyze live. We pay close attention to our esri.com and manage their geographic users to ensure they have the best Offices worldwide information and make better tools possible to accomplish their esri.com/locations decisions. They are supported by our missions. A comprehensive suite of experienced and knowledgeable staff training options offered worldwide and extensive network of business helps our users fully leverage their partners and international distributors. GIS applications. A full-service GIS company, Esri Esri is a socially conscious business, supports the implementation of GIS actively supporting organizations technology on desktops, servers, involved in education, conservation, online services, and mobile devices. sustainable development, and These GIS solutions are flexible, humanitarian affairs. customizable, and easy to use. 380 New York Street Redlands, CA 92373-8100 USA Copyright © 2011 Esri. All rights reserved. Esri, the Esri globe logo, @esri.com, and esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners. 125409 XXXX6.5M4/11ed Printed in USA