Members of the public are being asked to use
their smart phones to comment on roadworks and flooding in a pilot
project created at Lancaster University, to improve feedback to local councils.
The aim is to improve trust between the public, contractors and local authorities and so reduce costs and improve efficiency.
The two iPhone mobile phone apps – StreetSmart and Flooder – will
also help in the prioritisation of maintenance work. The two apps are
being trialled in the Redcar and Bristol areas and will be free to
download for iPhone users.
The apps have been developed by Lancaster
University, InTouch Ltd and Carillion plc as part of a research project
called FAITH which aims to use the latest developments in computing to
improve the delivery of contracted services.
“This is a tremendously exciting project,” enthuses Professor Nigel Davies from the School of Computing and Communications
at the University, “that aims to understand how to bring together the public, councils and
contractors to help collectively maintain the UK’s infrastructure more
effectively and efficiently. The project is highly innovative in its
focus on using technology to support trust between collaborators.”
The FAITH project is funded by the Technology Strategy Board, the UK’s innovation agency.
Researchers on FAITH have designed software that fits in with
existing systems for issuing and monitoring work in order to provide
evidence of trustworthiness. This will deliver substantial benefits and
cost savings to businesses and public bodies, and increased trust in
local authority services and so is also likely to improve their
relationship with the public.
Highways maintenance – mending potholes, clearing drains, carrying
out repairs – is characterised by a complex set of workflows and data
exchanges with significant levels of mistrust, both between the
stakeholders the council, contractors and the public – and collectively
in the data provided by the systems they use.
• If you are interested in downloading an app contact simone.gristwood@intouch.ltd.com
• MySociety already offers a terrific FixMyStreet web site enabling users to quickly report problems: www.fixmystreet.com