Kelowna now has an 'app' for that

[oneh2obabe]

Wayne Moore - Story: 85872
Jan 15, 2013 / 5:00 am

Is there a problem the City of Kelowna needs to deal with?

Icy/snow covered roads or sidewalks, graffiti, maybe an abandoned vehicle, noisy neighbour or issues with drainage or storm water.

The city now has an 'App' for that.

A 'web app' was launched Monday that will allow people to place a service request with the city using their mobile device like a tablet or smart phone.

Unlike other 'App's' that are downloaded from 'app' stores, this one can be added to any home screen from the city's website, www.kelowna.ca/mobilesr.

From there, residents can create a service request using a series of drop down menus which allow you to identify specific locations, the specific problem and include a picture if desired.

It was less than three years ago, in 2010, the city introduced on-line access to make it easier to report problems around the city.

Performance Improvement Consultant, Clint McKenzie, says the new mobile devise reporting system will save both the public and staff time.

"Specifically, when looking at the public it will serve as a convenience to report issues on the go and for staff it will reduce the time to gather and confirm information," says McKenzie.

"Fewer sites visits to a reported area will be required based on the photo submissions now available on the application."

McKenzie says various staff members have tested the application which resulted in several improvements made prior to Monday's launch.

He says staff did research other municipalities utilizing similar technology to ensure an easy to use and cost effective set up.

McKenzie says each of the approximately 30 problem types available on the 'app' feed directly back to the responsible city department.

"There is no re-keying of any of the information before it is sent to the responsible department. It's quick and direct the first time through," adds McKenzie.

The city's advertising campaign will begin Wednesday.

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... .htm#85872

[French Castanut]

Can we order coffee with that app?

[BRANT1]

another reason people can stare at their cell phone all day

[Graphite]

This is really useful thanks for posting it. I am sure it will actually come in pretty handy. For one I will download this thing.

[oneh2obabe]

Whether you use the new "app" or not, reporting potholes in K'town made the national news.

Pothole reporting goes high-tech in Kelowna


Kelowna residents can now use their smartphones to report problems such graffiti, potholes, and dead animals in their city.

The city launched the smartphone application — which allows people to take photos of hazards like icy sidewalks and fallen trees, then send a report to the appropriate department for service — on Wednesday.

"You know the picture being worth a thousand words, this puts huge information in your hands to be able to deal with the issues for sure," said Clint McKenzie, a performance improvement consultant for the city.

Users can inform the city of about 40 different issues ranging from broken parking meters to dead animals, and the idea is catching on in municipalities across B.C.

The City of Vancouver is looking into developing a similar application, while residents of Kamloops and Surrey are already using a similar app.

"The two features that municipalities are tapping into is the ability to use that 'my location' from the device to let the city know where you are, where the problem is at the time you experience it, and then the photo attachment. Those two things alone put huge information in your hands to be able to deal with the issue."

The app can be downloaded for free through the City of Kelowna website.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story ... a-app.html