Like you, I spent much of the last week stuck indoors, taking refuge from the storms and wishing I could do more to help my neighbors and constituents. Many of my neighbors were in constant contact with one another thanks to community email listservs, which were used to convey offers of help and information on conditions and the status of power restoration and snow removal operations. Even when thousands were without power, the dialogues continued unabated via mobile devices.
Regrettably, the valuable information exchange among neighbors was disconnected from the way that the utilities and government agencies exchange information with citizens. Someday soon, citizens and service providers may utilize a common network, such that we can crowdsource our response to future crises.
Logo for CitySourced
Already, a group of entrepreneurs has developed an iPhone application that permits residents to upload information about city problems, such as potholes or graffiti. It’s not hard to imagine a platform that would could allow citizen reporting of real-time crisis conditions as well. Citizens could have a single place to tell PEPCO, the State and the County about, for example, a tree that has taken down a power line and obstructs traffic. The responders, in turn, could use the platform to communicate with residents – and one another – about the status of their remedies. This would let the utilities and government agencies cooperate on critical path needs, and identify efficiencies in how their resources are dispatched.
Conceptually, this simply builds on the 311 program that Governor O’Malley utilized in the City of Baltimore, and it complements the StateStat concept beautifully. It would enhance these ideas, by permitting real-time, two-way feedback between citizens and service providers. Best, the technology for these systems exists and is relatively inexpensive.
As the state, counties, and utilities review the recent crisis, and consider ways we can improve our response to future events, I hope crowdsourcing will get some serious consideration.
Filed in: Uncategorized.
No more snide comments about folks testifying in your committee? We all get frustrated, but you’re an elected official who shouldn’t blame citizens for your woes.
Take a look at http://www.howsmystreet.net (click on the “Over all time” to see the effect of the reports). This is crowdsourced snow-removal and road-condition reporting. While the map brings up Pittsburgh as the center, the reports can be taken from anywhere in the world. So, residents of any city/neighborhood can help each other out by sharing information easily.
2011…
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