Cities’ Use of Social Media & Smartphone Applications

Information Sharing

Police on FacebookCincinnati, Ohio (USA)

Police developed databases of information gathered from Facebook, existing police records and phone records, then used software to analyze the data and establish links between suspects.

Police created fake Facebook accounts and befriended suspects. Evidence collected is admissible in court.

Cincinnati Police

Cincinnati Police K-9 Unit

Police Women of Cincinnati

Criminals talk about crimes they are plotting, set up drug deals, brag about wrongdoings and even upload incriminating videos on social networks like Facebook.

Fire Service on Twitter & Bambuser West Midlands (UK)

The West Midlands Fire Service uses social media sites such as Twitter to share information with the public, ask for feedback, invite to consultations and issue reminders about safety.

Goal: To engage with the communities they serve. Twitter is interactive and spreads information widely.

Over 6,100 followers on Twitter, about 800 in the last 2 months alone. The Fire Service also uses Bambuser to broadcast live and interactive video from a mobile phone, webcam or other video camera, as well as Flickr and Vimeo for photos and videos.

WestMidsFire wmfs

WestMidsFire westmidsfire

Muni+ App for Public TransportationSan Francisco, California (USA)

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority developed the free Muni+ app that lets users:

• Find out when buses will arrive• Locate stops closest to their location• Access complete Muni system maps • Plan route and trip• Check ”Clipper card” balance Integrates with Twitter. Available for iPhone and Android.

SFTMA

sftma_muni

SFMTAMuniTaxiStreets

Publicity

Pinterest for CitiesTyler, Texas (USA)

The City of Tyler’s citizens are very active on social media platforms. The city saw social media such as Pinterest as an effective means of engaging residents where they are.

The city currently has 204 followers on 13 boards and 190 pins, featuring local attractions, parks facilities, downtown landmarks and photos of the azaleas and roses for which Tyler is known.

Tyler posts new pins two or three times a week, which is relatively easy for the city.

cityoftylertx TylerCityof

TylerEvents cityoftyler

Digital Scavenger Hunt with Foursquare Chicago, Illinois (USA)

The City of Chicago’s Office of Tourism created a digital scavenger hunt on Foursquare that motivates locals and tourists alike to get to know the city. Foursquare users can earn three special badges by checking in at 5 locations relevant to one of three iconic Chicago themes: Chicago Blues, Chicago-style hot dogs, and Chicago film locations.

6 tours reenact films and visit shooting locations of Superman, Transformers 3, The Blues Brothers, The Dark Knight, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and High Fidelity.

explorechicago

Foursquare connects with Facebook and Twitter, increasing publicity of the city and the scavenger hunt itself.

Crowdsourcing Information

Citizens ConnectBoston, Massachusetts (USA)

Citizens Connect is the City of Boston's award-winning effort to empower residents.

People can alert the City of Boston to neighborhood issues such as potholes, damaged signs, and graffiti.

The app allows people to map a location and add a photo of the related issue.

Available for iPhone and Android.

Street BumpBoston, Massachusetts (USA)

Street Bump, a project of the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics, helps residents improve their neighborhood streets. As users drive, the mobile app collects data about the smoothness of the ride using GPS.

That data provides the city with the real-time information it needs to fix problems and plan long-term investments.

2,227 trips recorded, 129,460 bumps detected.

Available for iPhone.

streetbump

Philly Tree MapPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)

PhillyTreeMap is a wiki-style web database of trees that enables non-profits, government, volunteer organizations, and the general public to collaboratively create an accurate and informative inventory of the trees in their communities. 53,156 trees documented = $8.8 million in savings this year in ecological impact, including greenhouse gas, water, energy and air quality benefits.

The tree inventory facilitates more efficient maintenance of urban forest and promotion of green communities.

Currently available for iPhone; coming soon for Android.

Providing Services

QP Quick Pay Smartphone AppSalt Lake City, Utah (USA)

QP QuickPay is a secure mobile payment platform that helps people quickly and conveniently find and pay for on-street parking using their mobile phone and their credit card. People can identify eligible uses green QR codes and NFC ID tiles on parking space posts. Available for iPhone and Android; coming soon for Blackberry.

People can also use the service via voice or text message.

Building Inspection Request AppSurrey, British Columbia (Canada)

The City of Surrey developed this app to facilitate the process of scheduling building inspections.

The app includes text messaging features, which lets clients know when an inspector will arrive and provide updates, should an appointment need to be advanced or postponed. Once the inspection is completed, clients receive updates and results via email. Available for Blackberry, iPhone and PC, or via SMS and email.

BIXI Bicycle SharingMontreal, Quebec (Canada)

5,120 bikes at 411 self-service stations

Users can rent a bike using a subscriber "Bixi key” obtained through a long-term online subscription or an access code provided at 24-hour pay stations. Facebook and Twitter accounts for service updates, special offers and publicity.

There are also several apps, such as Spotcycle, which shows the availability of bikes and docs at different stations, nearest stations, as well as GPS-enabled bike paths and other maps for several cities. BIXImontreal

BIXImontreal

Customer Service & Feedback

Citizen Feedback via Social MediaWashington, District of Columbia (USA)

The District of Columbia compiles citizens' comments from Twitter, Facebook and several blogs on a dedicated website Grade.DC.Gov in the form of report cards for ten government agencies. The website allows employees to interact with citizens directly and receive both praise and criticism.

Results: Over 24,600 "insights" have been collected in the first 6 months of the project. The feedback has already led to a small improvement in the marks of five agencies.

Public Consultation& Engagement

“What if Leeds…”Leeds (UK)

The City of Leeds led a multiple-approach public consultation to hear what citizens wanted the future of Leeds to be, including: • Online and offline questionnaires• A dedicated website for open and unmoderated debate (10,000 visitors) • Facebook page• Twitter account and hashtag #whatifleeds Results: Citizens highlighted 5 key issues that were important to them. Their feedback was directly incorporated into the Vision for Leeds policy proposal and action plan.

whatifleeds

whatifleeds

Budget Gapster GameSeattle, Washington (USA)

This budget simulator gives citizens a creative way to give input on balancing the city’s budget.

In the game, people choose priorities and make spending cuts. The simulator mimics real life with unforseen expenses, forcing the player to make deeper cuts. Result: The website had approximately 1,800 unique visitors and recorded the funding priorities of 351 people. The mayor incorporated the responses in his 2013-2014 Proposed Budget.

Google+ Hangout with MayorMatosinhos (Portugal)

Matozinhos was the first Portuguese municipality to open an account on Google+. The mayor participates in a “hangout” (live video call and chat) with local residents every two weeks. This is part of the town’s multi-faceted digital strategy that included establishing social media presence on a range of platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr, Pinterest and Livestream.

Goal: To provide citizens with the opportunity to participate in online debates, make suggestions and raise complaints with the town hall, check job opportunities and find practical information about local services and events.

Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos

REACH WebsiteSingapore (Singapore)

As part of an e-Government Masterplan, Singapore launched the REACH website (“reaching everyone for active citizenry @ home”) to: • Gather and gauge ground sentiments• Reach out and engage citizens• Promote active citizenry through citizen participation and involvement Citizens can give input through discussion forums on many different topics, e-consultations, surveys and blog posts. REACHSingapore

reach_singapore

reachsingapore

Transparency

Governors on YouTube Jakarta (Indonesia)

The Governor and Vice Governor of Jakarta are using YouTube to show their constituents their activities: meetings with public servants, conversations with the public, events attended and trips such as visiting the city’s slums. In a country renowned for corruption, this unprecedented action has received widespread support.

The account has over 35,000 subscribers and over 7.5 million views. Some videos are extremely popular – a meeting with the city’s Department of Public Works has more than 1.4 million views.

PemprovDKI

Live Video Streaming City Council MeetingsManila (Philippines)

The City Council of Manila has a website dedicated to live streaming of its by-weekly regular sessions using USTREAM: www.epoltv.com.

Citizens can comment on the live video feed through the USTREAM interface or via Twitter.

Manila City Council

epoltv

Disaster Management

Mapping Hurricane Sandy Evacuation InfoNew York, New York (USA)

The City of New York utilized its Open Data platform to help residents deal with the effects of Hurricane Sandy. The effort integrated geographic information systems (GIS), social media and other private and public assets to inform New Yorkers about the dangers posed by the storm.

The accompanying Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder allowed residents to see if their location was at risk of flooding.

Integrated Operations CenterRio de Janeiro (Brazil)

IBM has worked with the city to create a new automated alert system that will notify city officials and emergency personnel in a crisis. The operations center brings together video footage, weather mapping and other data from 30 different departments.

The system will reduce reaction times in emergency situations by using mobile communications, automated email notifications, instant messaging, website, and social media such as Twitter, to reach emergency personnel and citizens.

operaçõesrio