PublicAssists

Public Assists is an app for citizens who want to make a difference. It was developed with Appcelerator Titanium, and is available for both Android and iOS.

It enables users to submit reports about a variety of problems in their local environment, such as graffiti, potholes, and defective street lights.

The user’s mobile phone attempts to determine the location of the problem, and pre-fills the appropriate field with that information. Naturally, users can edit the field if necessary; for example, to provide a more precise location.

Next, app users enter a title and a brief description, they select the appropriate category, and they can assign a higher, or lower urgency, or priority if they want.

Finally, users can take up to two pictures and add these to the problem report before they submit it.

Using an intelligent backend, submitted problems are automatically routed to the appropriate Public Works Department, based on both location and category.

The backend is also able to distinguish between the same problem being reported more than once, and problems that are actually different.

App users are able to check the status of all the problems they themselves have reported.

Additionally, they can see the status of all the reported problems in their neighborhood that have either been solved recently, or have not been solved yet.

With Appcelerator Cloud Services, members of the app user community can rate and review both the reported problems, and the solutions that have been provided by the Public Works Department.

They can also communicate with the Public Works Department, and with each other.

Public Assists uses today's modern technology to improve the local quality of life, and to increase citizens' involvement with the town or city they live in.