Government iPhone apps help Inland residents report complaints

Written by The Prometheus Staff | 01 March 2010

"Need to report a pothole? How about some trees on your street that need trimming? Or maybe you spot some illegal dumping or simply want to e-mail your mayor to vent."

"Well, there are iPhone apps for that."

"Increasingly, governments at all levels are tapping into the popularity of Apple's smartphone to interact with residents."

"Nonprofits and other organizations also are developing the applications to help residents more easily contact their elected officials."

"Riverside County and the city of San Bernardino use an app developed by Government Outreach, a Pleasanton-based company that builds code enforcement software for municipalities."

"The California Department of Motor Vehicles has one, too. Residents can use it to study for a driver's test, watch videos on driving safety and find the nearest DMV office, complete with the current wait times."

"And the Prometheus Institute, an Irvine-based public policy organization, spent more than a year gathering e-mail addresses for every city in California to use in the group's iPhone app."

"Called DIY Democracy -- as in Do It Yourself -- the app uses the iPhone's GPS technology to pinpoint a person's location and determine what city to contact."

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