SeeClickFix
Encyclopedia
SeeClickFix is a web tool that allows citizens to report non-emergency neighborhood issues, which are communicated to local government
, as a form of community activism
. It has an associated free mobile phone
application.
The tool centers around a web-based map that displays all user comments. All users may add comments, suggest resolutions, or add video and picture documentation. Anyone can elect to receive email alerts based on "Watch Areas" by geographical area and filtering reports by keyword.
Founded in September 2008, SeeClickFix is based in New Haven, Connecticut
, and currently covers more than 25,000 towns and 8,000 neighborhoods, both in the United States
and abroad. While it continually expands, the system has built its strongest networks in New Haven and Philadelphia. The site received its 50,000th issue report in August 2010 - from Sonora
, Mexico
.
The site allows for anonymity
of reporting as a way to encourage more people to report issues, hoping for transparency that keeps civic agencies accountable. Ben Berkowitz, one of the founders, says that what sets SeeClickFix apart from other hyperlocal
sites is that it can foster interaction among government
, news media
and residents. Participating news organizations include The New York Times
, San Francisco Chronicle
, Miami Herald, and Philadelphia Inquirer. News outlets following stories from SeeClickFix often stimulate responses from local government. City governments such as Houston, Philadelphia, Tucson, and New Haven use the site as a work order
system. Participating cities are charged $100 a month.
The site aims not only to hold government accountable, but to facilitate community volunteering. Co-founder Ben Berkowitz has stated, "We hope to get citizens participating in government rather than just consuming it."
The tool has also been made into an iPhone
App, which combines GPS tracking
and the iPhone's built-in camera
to allow users to report issues from their mobile phones. The site contains a widget
generator that provides code for creating customized displays to embed on external sites. The text widget displays a list of reported issues within the defined area, and the map widget displays them spatially using Google Maps
software.
Over 50% of issues reported using SeeClickFix ultimately get resolved.
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
, as a form of community activism
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
. It has an associated free mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
application.
The tool centers around a web-based map that displays all user comments. All users may add comments, suggest resolutions, or add video and picture documentation. Anyone can elect to receive email alerts based on "Watch Areas" by geographical area and filtering reports by keyword.
Founded in September 2008, SeeClickFix is based in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, and currently covers more than 25,000 towns and 8,000 neighborhoods, both in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and abroad. While it continually expands, the system has built its strongest networks in New Haven and Philadelphia. The site received its 50,000th issue report in August 2010 - from Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The site allows for anonymity
Anonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
of reporting as a way to encourage more people to report issues, hoping for transparency that keeps civic agencies accountable. Ben Berkowitz, one of the founders, says that what sets SeeClickFix apart from other hyperlocal
Hyperlocal
The term hyperlocal can be used as a noun in isolation or as a modifier of some other term . It connotes having the character of being oriented around a well defined, community scale area with primary focus being directed towards the concerns of its residents...
sites is that it can foster interaction among government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, news media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
and residents. Participating news organizations include The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, Miami Herald, and Philadelphia Inquirer. News outlets following stories from SeeClickFix often stimulate responses from local government. City governments such as Houston, Philadelphia, Tucson, and New Haven use the site as a work order
Work order
A work order or job order is an order received by an organization from a customer or client, or an order created internally within the organization...
system. Participating cities are charged $100 a month.
The site aims not only to hold government accountable, but to facilitate community volunteering. Co-founder Ben Berkowitz has stated, "We hope to get citizens participating in government rather than just consuming it."
The tool has also been made into an iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
App, which combines GPS tracking
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
and the iPhone's built-in camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
to allow users to report issues from their mobile phones. The site contains a widget
Widget (computing)
In computer programming, a widget is an element of a graphical user interface that displays an information arrangement changeable by the user, such as a window or a text box. The defining characteristic of a widget is to provide a single interaction point for the direct manipulation of a given...
generator that provides code for creating customized displays to embed on external sites. The text widget displays a list of reported issues within the defined area, and the map widget displays them spatially using Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
software.
Over 50% of issues reported using SeeClickFix ultimately get resolved.