There are so many iPhone travel apps out there today it can be confusing. Call me old-fashioned, but in my opinion there is nothing more effective than using a good travel guide. Before a trip it is always best to check out an online travel guide like http://www.twitter.com/dozentravel. There are now so many iPhone travel apps on the market that people will stop looking at the scenery and enjoying their vacation, instead they'll be using their smartphone to find out info, text, check emails, flight news and whatever else. We managed quite well without travel apps and iphones.
Can mobile phone apps fix potholes?
Date: Monday, 29. March 2010
An organisation based in New Haven, Connecticut has designed a mobile application which enables users to connect to city officials by tagging locations of problems such as potholes using their mobile phones. "SeeClickFix encourages residents to become citizens by participating in taking care of and improving their neighborhoods".
The application uses GPS and Google Maps to allow users to pinpoint the problem area as well as an image upload facility to give a visual indication of the extent of the problem.
The application is available to anyone, anywhere although the cities signed-up to receive email alerts from SeeClickFix are obviously going to be more responsive to the issues than others. Everyone is encouraged to make submissions though as the cumulative effect may force the local government to sign-up to the scheme.
So I am driving along a road and hit a pothole - what do I do?
The first thing you need to do is download the app to your mobile device. When you come across an issue such as a pothole you take a photograph of it, via the SeeClickFix app. When this is uploaded it tags your exact location with GPS and allows you to submit the problem to the relevant authorities and track their response to it. The real benefits of this lie in the ability to create 'neighbourhood groups' and 'watch areas' to monitor issues and get feedback on results.
The possibilities of this app are endless and this type of community-empowerment via technology has to be the way of the future. The applications are not limited to potholes and graffiti as demonstrated by some of the anecdotes on the SeeClickFix website "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."
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Travel guide,
