City of Portland Launches First iPhone App

The City of Portland today announced the creation of Citizen Reports, a new iPhone application for Portland residents to report and request service calls to City assets and publicly maintained infrastructure, including parks, traffic signs, parking, potholes, street lights, sewer catch basins and graffiti. The new “app” is a result of Mayor Sam Adams’ and the City of Portland’s call for increased transparency through open data and improved interaction with Portland citizens.

“Embracing open source software is central to the spirit of democracy. This app will ease access to information and increase communication between Portlanders and the City, ensuring greater transparency, efficiency and accountability in government,” said Mayor Sam Adams.

Using their iPhone, citizens can select the type of issue to report, take a photo, geo-locate the issue via GPS or map, add comments, and send their report directly to the appropriate bureau for resolution. Once submitted, citizens will receive updates directly to their iPhone regarding the status of their issue(s).

Portland is home to a vibrant open source community. The City Council passed a resolution in September, calling for the City to open data to external developers and incorporate the use of open data in its operations wherever possible. Mayor Adams hopes that increased collaboration between the City and the Open Source community will generate tremendous benefits for Portland citizens.

“Through open data, the City can foster innovation that will both improve two-way communication between citizens and government, and also encourage entrepreneurship and keep Portland on track to becoming an open-source hub,” Adams said.

Citizen Reports is available now at no cost through the iTunes App Store. Citizen Reports is expected to go “live” on Tuesday, February 16, 2010. Once the application is in use, the City will consider incorporating additional service request types as well as releasing the application for other smart phone platforms.

Citizen Reports is a collaborative effort by the Bureau of Technology Services, Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland Parks and Recreation and the Office of Neighborhood Involvement. For more information regarding Citizen Reports, please see PortlandOnline.com.