SeeClickFix

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01/06/10: http://www.seeclickfix.com/

SeeClickFix believes that by providing tools to local citizens and organizations, they can help make it a little bit easier to improve your community. SeeClickFix won't be the ones identifying or fixing the issues. They won't magically make your neighborhood nicer, safer or what ever else you want it to be. Their website gives you another tool - a bit of technology - that you can use to collaborate, to hold people accountable and to help get the work done.

It works like this:

We provide the technology -- but engaged communities do the hard work by collaborating to get stuff done:

See a non-emergency issue in anywhere in the world, and file a public report online or via mobile phone. Or see them as they are reported by creating keyword- and geography-based "watch areas". For example:

Citizens report issues on the go, and set up watch areas to monitor their block (aka "eyes on the street").
Neighborhood groups and advocates follow reports of blocked bike lanes, broken windows or idling vehicles.
Governments watch for potholes and cracked sidewalks, while a police captain can monitor crime issues being reported within his/her precinct.
Media outlets and local bloggers are the first to know when issues "pop up" in their areas.

Click on and track issues in your neighborhood:

Citizens vote on neighborhood issues, or promote more efficient community governance by instantly forwarding them to a person who might be able to help.
Neighborhood groups, elected officials and advocates monitor key issues, and publicly propose solutions on how to resolve them.
Governments and other entities responsible for the public space (such as utilities and property owners) become more accountable to the public by acknowledging problems and providing effective communication about solutions.
Media outlets use SeeClickFix to build upon citizen-driven news content and attract readership.
Fix a problem by publicly broadcasting the issue to the appropriate parties for resolution, working collectively to raise the profile of key concerns, or by taking direct action. Here are a few examples:

In Dallas, a thoughtful citizen reported a traffic light timing problem on SeeClickFix, and saw an immediate improvement in traffic flow after government officials watching the area took quick action. http://seeclickfix.blogspot.com/2009/08/dallas-morning-news-reports-happy.html
In Philadelphia, an engaged citywide advocacy group used SeeClickFix to mobilize citizens to document instances of vehicle idling, leading to new initiatives to help clean the air.http://idlefreephilly.org/
Astute police officers in New Haven, receiving direct alerts on their BlackBerries from citizens reporting quality-of-life crime issues within their SeeClickFix "watch areas," have spearheaded a number of major arrests.
In Hartford, a local news outlet helped mobilize citizens to do something about speeding on their streets by tracking citizen-reported issues and writing a weekly "SeeClickFix" column about the citizen-generated content.
Now, imagine a world in which every resident feels empowered and can play an active role in their neighborhood. Imagine if everyone trusted and felt taken care of by their local government. We know that there are already a lot of involved citizens and hard-working local authorities out there. We seek to use the power of the internet to bring them closer together and make our neighborhoods better places to live and work.