iPhone owners to help clean up vomit
iVom
An army of busybodies wielding expensive portable telephones is set to be unleashed on Britain's streets from today, as part of a campaign to pester councils into fixing potholes and cleaning up vomit.
Digital democracy charity MySociety has launched an iPhone app version of its successful FixMyStreet website. FixMyStreet encourages users to upload pictures of graffiti, fly tipping, dog fouling and other eyesores and hazards. It passes the information on to authorities, and claims about half the reports result in action.
On iPhone the process has been simplified by combining the picture with GPS data to instantly report problems over the air, rather than having to visit the FixMyStreet website and pinpoint the location on a map. The relevant council will be alerted automatically.
A version of the app for Google Android phones is already in the works, but MySociety called for developers to help out porting FixMyStreet to other mobile operating systems. The charity's chief Tom Steinberg said: "We'd especially love to see Symbian, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile versions. It's a nice use of modern smartphones as it really needs camera, data and GPS, and converts all those toys into potentially cleaner streets."
He said MySociety expects to see the rate and range of reports to grow considerably now FixMyStreet is mobile. Some 30,000 have been submitted since the site's launch in February 2007.
Find out more or download the iPhone app here. ®
COMMENTS
Re Why The Council
If you know the utility that the hole was origonaly dug for then by all means get on the blower and bend their ear I did and within 24 hours hole fixed.As for puke it mostly appears after the pubs close so it is usualy first seen early in the morning,often have to dodge it my self(why can't the chuck up in the gutter),and fly tipping is mostly done away from most towns/cities whare ever there is a convenient pull in layby etc.
You can nag all you want about NewLabour Newspeak
But you spin da English more than anyone: <<iPhone users to help clean up vomit>>...
Since when is "complaining" a synonym of "helping"?
So that's a democratic charity in action, duplicate a council hotline but now public and with pictures? Hm, let me divert my remaining points from other charity spending.
@ Mike Flugennock
Fly-tipping = dumping large amounts of garbage, often hard refuse such as old mattresses and whitegoods, by the roadside and driving off.
Given that every square foot of the UK is now covered by at least 20 CCTV cameras, that it still happens is a testament to the effectiveness of the cameras, or the efficiency of the police, or both. Not.
iPhone no use in Australia though
The council in Brisbane has an MMS hotline where you can send a picture message to them if you see anything the council needs to fix when you're out and about.
That's the iPhone Bug**ed then....
Shitting their dogs all over the place?
Must be painful arf arf
