BuitenBeter iPhone App Lets Citizens of Eindhoven Lodge Civic Complaints [BuitenBeter Just Made Complaining To The Council Of This Dutch City Easier]

Tweet

Thanks to the BuitenBeter app that was launched today, citizens of Eindhoven can now report local issues via their iPhones. The issues are sent directly to the city council. Hopefully this innovative method would also speed up the process it takes to get the problem fixed.

BuitenBeter is an intuitive app to use. When a problem is spotted, such as a broken street lamp, loiterers or a collapsed tree, all you need to do is whip out your iPhone. The application pinpoints the exact location of the problem using a combination of GPS and maps. You’re able to post a picture and select the appropriate category from a comprehensive list of common problems.

Currently the only method to complain is to either pick up the phone or the pen. The council hopes this communication channel will be more convenient and encourage more residents to become active reporters of issues and concerns.

In addition, the information provided by the app will help city workers pinpoint the exact location of the problem and identify what needs to be resolved.

The application was developed by mobile solutions provider Yucat. The BuitenBeter app currently runs on the iPhone but will be soon available for Android and Windows Mobile phones. Eindhoven has signed on for a 12-month trial. If it’s successful, Yucat hopes to extend this project to other cities.

Eindhoven isn’t the first city to adopt this social media approach for local problems. In June 2009, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom used Twitter to engage with residents. Locals can tweet directly to @SF311 to request services such as street cleaning, graffiti removal and potholes. Photos can be attached to the tweet for further clarification. The tweets were monitored by customer service representatives 25/7, 365 days a year.

Using social media tools to make complaints is a great way to be transparent on problems and encourage faster and more open communication between residents and councils. However, what happens when people start abusing it or relying on it too much? Should there be a line of what you can and can’t report?

I know that I’d rather have my neighbor telling me directly to turn down the music than to have my address and possible photo posted on the web.

Tweet

You may also like:

iPhone 4S Users Complain of Audio Bug...

iPhone 4S Battery Issues? There’s an Apple Engineer For...

iOS Security Breach Lets Seemingly Safe Apps Do Malicious...