The Global Innovation Series is supported by BMW i, a new concept dedicated to providing mobility solutions for the urban environment. It delivers more than purpose-built electric vehicles — it delivers smart mobility services. Visit bmw-i.com or follow @BMWi on Twitter.
Cities around the world are exploring mobile apps as a way to aggregate and disseminate information to the public. Mobile apps are proving to be a more accessible and portable way for residents and tourists alike to access information, or in some cases, provide information in a more timely fashion.
“A common use for apps built for cities is definitely the ‘311’ feature,” says Andy Sparks, UI and project and sales manager for eproximiti, a software development firm specializing in the health care industry and municipalities. “Citizens with smartphones generally have cameras and GPS built in. These tools can be used to report issues like graffiti, potholes, fallen trees and more.”
Before smartphones, individuals could only report local issues or incidents via a phone call or at their computer, but with a mobile app’s “311” functionality, the process of reporting becomes easy and engaging, says Sparks.
Sparks also suggests that in addition to “311” features, mobile apps can help cities get the word out about new initiatives or increase awareness about anything from bike paths, parks and even underutilized city services.”
Here are some other examples of how cities are using mobile apps.
Baltimore, Maryland: Visit Baltimore
Visit Baltimore, the city’s tourism agency, first created a mobile version of their website Baltimore.org and then released a mobile app for iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android. Their Visit Baltimore app includes augmented reality capabilities so users can hold up their phones as they look down a Baltimore street or at a building through their phone’s camera. The app layers information over structures and areas, and tapping any tag retrieves additional information about the particular location.
There’s also a Visit Baltimore iPad app that doesn’t contain the augmented reality feature but does have an additional trip-planning tool. Users can add items, attractions, restaurants, and events to their custom itinerary that can then be emailed, printed or shared on social networks.
“The benefit for Visit Baltimore in publishing mobile applications — as we do not derive revenue from app sales or advertising — is that we are able to maintain consistent communication with the visitor through multiple channels, continuing to build and strengthen a relationship,” explains Tom Rowe, director of web marketing for Visit Baltimore. “From planning on Baltimore.org to researching in social media channels to learning about upcoming events in our enewsletter and exploring the city using our mobile application, the consumer is connected with Visit Baltimore each step of the way. We want to be there for them through the entire process. That relationship is the return.”
Ottawa, Canada: Discover Ottawa
In conjunction with the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Tourism released an official Ottawa iPhone app that served dual purposes. The Mayor and Ottawa Tourism announced the Discover Ottawa app on March 4. The app promotes Canada’s capital and gives both tourists and locals a simple way to find and share information about attractions, events and experiences in the city.
Some of the key features of Discover Ottawa, created by local developer Purple Forge, include a social media-integrated custom photo postcard creator. Event listings are accessible and shareable through the app. Users can also access video and photo galleries of city and event images. There’s also a built-in QR code reader that will make it easy for the city to deploy QR codes on print campaigns and contests around town. Users can also access information such as up-to-the-minute airport arrivals and departures and a public transportation travel planner.
At launch, the app hit number eight for social networking apps in the Canadian App Store, and has since been downloaded more than 10,000 times from 40 countries and is the number two featured “City App” in Apple’s iTunes Store. BlackBerry and Android versions will be released soon.
“One of the great things about the [app] launch is that, though we’re not the biggest city in Canada — we’re the fourth — we did manage to beat a lot of the big boys to the table with a strong app offering,” says Nick Iannitti, director of digital marketing for Ottawa Tourism. “Ottawa’s got a huge social media and tech community, so it feels great to be one of the first to be able to offer this robust of an app to people.”
Charlotte, North Carolina: MyCharlotte
The Charlotte City Council unanimously voted for the contract to create a mobile app called MyCharlotte. According to Warren Cooksey of Charlotte City Council District 7, Charlotte developed the MyCharlotte mobile app to improve customer service as part of an overall effort to upgrade the city’s IT infrastructure. The app was also a natural progression in the development of the city’s 311 information service.
With MyCharlotte, citizens can file basic 311 service requests, such as reporting found animals, graffiti, neighborhood nuisances, road issues and zoning enforcement complaints or inquiries. The app also provides air quality updates, airport information, weather updates, recent traffic accident updates and transit information for both city bus and light rail systems, including the stop locations and the arrival times of the next four buses or trains. The city has a separate app called “RideCATS,” for the Charlotte Area Transit System with transit information.
The iPhone version of MyCharlotte launched in October 2010, and the Android and BlackBerry versions went live in March of this year. To date, there have been nearly 10,000 total downloads. According to Cooksey, interacting with a live operator in the city’s 311 call system costs the city almost $5 per call. Processing a 311 request via MyCharlotte, however, costs just 20 cents.
“I’m a strong advocate for improving city government’s aged IT infrastructure, and I’ve been in the vanguard of using social media — especially Twitter — as a means of expanding the public’s knowledge about their local government,” says Cooksey. “Ultimately, it’s about providing the best customer service possible to our citizens, but the economic development potential is a strong factor as well.”
New Orleans, Louisiana: GNOi
Greater New Orleans, Inc., the 10-parish economic development alliance serving the New Orleans region, launched the GNO iPhone App as an interactive economic development tool. The app is meant for anybody who is from New Orleans or the surrounding area, but it’s also used by GNO’s staff, board and other stakeholders to get real-time access to stats and data about the area anytime and from anywhere.
Facing a branding issue post-Katrina and the oil spill, GNO Inc. saw a mobile app as a more affordable marketing and public relations initiative than a high dollar branding campaign.
“We can deputize everyone as an economic developer with the app,” explains president and CEO of GNO, Inc. Michael Hecht. “A major part of our mission is to make economic development topical and relevant to everybody. We want everybody to talk about economic development.”
Users have three main choices within the app: “Why Greater New Orleans?,” “Top News,” and “Contact GNO, Inc.” The first section provides users with profiles for the regions ten parishes including details on costs of doing business, cultural assets, incentives and other supportive information for economic development. “Top News” lists recent articles about the region’s economic development successes. Under the contact section, users can sign up for the GNO, Inc. newsletter, send general inquiries and submit business leads as well as information about their own businesses.
The region’s NextGen Council, comprised of 20- and 30-year-old future leaders of the community, spearheaded the mobile app initiative. Developed by local digital firm Touch Studios and designed by Design the Planet, GNO Inc. plans to frequently update the app with the most current facts and figures to put at everyone’s fingertips.
While the GNOi app has received just under 500 downloads, Hecht says the app is in beta and needs an upgrade. A bigger marketing push for the app is planned for late September when the organization re-launches their redesigned website with a prominent button leading to GNOi on the App Store.
“In a time when every dollar spent by a government needs to create value, mobile apps can help stretch budget dollars with impactful programs that improve communities,” says Sparks.
Series Supported by BMW i
The Global Innovation Series is supported by BMW i, a new concept dedicated to providing mobility solutions for the urban environment. It delivers more than purpose-built electric vehicles; it delivers smart mobility services within and beyond the car. Visit bmw-i.com or follow @BMWi on Twitter.
Are you an innovative entrepreneur? Submit your pitch to BMW i Ventures, a mobility and tech venture capital company.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, webphotographeer
More About: cities, Global Innovation Series, mobile appsFor more Mobile coverage:Follow Mashable Mobile on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Mobile channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Posted on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:55:59 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/lZgWzzMwgCU/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/10/mobile-apps-cities/#comments
Cities around the world are exploring mobile apps as a way to aggregate and disseminate information to the public. Mobile apps are proving to be a more accessible and portable way for residents and tourists alike to access information, or in some cases, provide information in a more timely fashion.
“A common use for apps built for cities is definitely the ‘311’ feature,” says Andy Sparks, UI and project and sales manager for eproximiti, a software development firm specializing in the health care industry and municipalities. “Citizens with smartphones generally have cameras and GPS built in. These tools can be used to report issues like graffiti, potholes, fallen trees and more.”
Before smartphones, individuals could only report local issues or incidents via a phone call or at their computer, but with a mobile app’s “311” functionality, the process of reporting becomes easy and engaging, says Sparks.
Sparks also suggests that in addition to “311” features, mobile apps can help cities get the word out about new initiatives or increase awareness about anything from bike paths, parks and even underutilized city services.”
Here are some other examples of how cities are using mobile apps.
Baltimore, Maryland: Visit Baltimore
Visit Baltimore, the city’s tourism agency, first created a mobile version of their website Baltimore.org and then released a mobile app for iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android. Their Visit Baltimore app includes augmented reality capabilities so users can hold up their phones as they look down a Baltimore street or at a building through their phone’s camera. The app layers information over structures and areas, and tapping any tag retrieves additional information about the particular location.
There’s also a Visit Baltimore iPad app that doesn’t contain the augmented reality feature but does have an additional trip-planning tool. Users can add items, attractions, restaurants, and events to their custom itinerary that can then be emailed, printed or shared on social networks.
“The benefit for Visit Baltimore in publishing mobile applications — as we do not derive revenue from app sales or advertising — is that we are able to maintain consistent communication with the visitor through multiple channels, continuing to build and strengthen a relationship,” explains Tom Rowe, director of web marketing for Visit Baltimore. “From planning on Baltimore.org to researching in social media channels to learning about upcoming events in our enewsletter and exploring the city using our mobile application, the consumer is connected with Visit Baltimore each step of the way. We want to be there for them through the entire process. That relationship is the return.”
Ottawa, Canada: Discover Ottawa
In conjunction with the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Tourism released an official Ottawa iPhone app that served dual purposes. The Mayor and Ottawa Tourism announced the Discover Ottawa app on March 4. The app promotes Canada’s capital and gives both tourists and locals a simple way to find and share information about attractions, events and experiences in the city.
Some of the key features of Discover Ottawa, created by local developer Purple Forge, include a social media-integrated custom photo postcard creator. Event listings are accessible and shareable through the app. Users can also access video and photo galleries of city and event images. There’s also a built-in QR code reader that will make it easy for the city to deploy QR codes on print campaigns and contests around town. Users can also access information such as up-to-the-minute airport arrivals and departures and a public transportation travel planner.
At launch, the app hit number eight for social networking apps in the Canadian App Store, and has since been downloaded more than 10,000 times from 40 countries and is the number two featured “City App” in Apple’s iTunes Store. BlackBerry and Android versions will be released soon.
“One of the great things about the [app] launch is that, though we’re not the biggest city in Canada — we’re the fourth — we did manage to beat a lot of the big boys to the table with a strong app offering,” says Nick Iannitti, director of digital marketing for Ottawa Tourism. “Ottawa’s got a huge social media and tech community, so it feels great to be one of the first to be able to offer this robust of an app to people.”
Charlotte, North Carolina: MyCharlotte
The Charlotte City Council unanimously voted for the contract to create a mobile app called MyCharlotte. According to Warren Cooksey of Charlotte City Council District 7, Charlotte developed the MyCharlotte mobile app to improve customer service as part of an overall effort to upgrade the city’s IT infrastructure. The app was also a natural progression in the development of the city’s 311 information service.
With MyCharlotte, citizens can file basic 311 service requests, such as reporting found animals, graffiti, neighborhood nuisances, road issues and zoning enforcement complaints or inquiries. The app also provides air quality updates, airport information, weather updates, recent traffic accident updates and transit information for both city bus and light rail systems, including the stop locations and the arrival times of the next four buses or trains. The city has a separate app called “RideCATS,” for the Charlotte Area Transit System with transit information.
The iPhone version of MyCharlotte launched in October 2010, and the Android and BlackBerry versions went live in March of this year. To date, there have been nearly 10,000 total downloads. According to Cooksey, interacting with a live operator in the city’s 311 call system costs the city almost $5 per call. Processing a 311 request via MyCharlotte, however, costs just 20 cents.
“I’m a strong advocate for improving city government’s aged IT infrastructure, and I’ve been in the vanguard of using social media — especially Twitter — as a means of expanding the public’s knowledge about their local government,” says Cooksey. “Ultimately, it’s about providing the best customer service possible to our citizens, but the economic development potential is a strong factor as well.”
New Orleans, Louisiana: GNOi
Greater New Orleans, Inc., the 10-parish economic development alliance serving the New Orleans region, launched the GNO iPhone App as an interactive economic development tool. The app is meant for anybody who is from New Orleans or the surrounding area, but it’s also used by GNO’s staff, board and other stakeholders to get real-time access to stats and data about the area anytime and from anywhere.
Facing a branding issue post-Katrina and the oil spill, GNO Inc. saw a mobile app as a more affordable marketing and public relations initiative than a high dollar branding campaign.
“We can deputize everyone as an economic developer with the app,” explains president and CEO of GNO, Inc. Michael Hecht. “A major part of our mission is to make economic development topical and relevant to everybody. We want everybody to talk about economic development.”
Users have three main choices within the app: “Why Greater New Orleans?,” “Top News,” and “Contact GNO, Inc.” The first section provides users with profiles for the regions ten parishes including details on costs of doing business, cultural assets, incentives and other supportive information for economic development. “Top News” lists recent articles about the region’s economic development successes. Under the contact section, users can sign up for the GNO, Inc. newsletter, send general inquiries and submit business leads as well as information about their own businesses.
The region’s NextGen Council, comprised of 20- and 30-year-old future leaders of the community, spearheaded the mobile app initiative. Developed by local digital firm Touch Studios and designed by Design the Planet, GNO Inc. plans to frequently update the app with the most current facts and figures to put at everyone’s fingertips.
While the GNOi app has received just under 500 downloads, Hecht says the app is in beta and needs an upgrade. A bigger marketing push for the app is planned for late September when the organization re-launches their redesigned website with a prominent button leading to GNOi on the App Store.
“In a time when every dollar spent by a government needs to create value, mobile apps can help stretch budget dollars with impactful programs that improve communities,” says Sparks.
Series Supported by BMW i
The Global Innovation Series is supported by BMW i, a new concept dedicated to providing mobility solutions for the urban environment. It delivers more than purpose-built electric vehicles; it delivers smart mobility services within and beyond the car. Visit bmw-i.com or follow @BMWi on Twitter.
Are you an innovative entrepreneur? Submit your pitch to BMW i Ventures, a mobility and tech venture capital company.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, webphotographeer
More About: cities, Global Innovation Series, mobile appsFor more Mobile coverage:Follow Mashable Mobile on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Mobile channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Posted on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:55:59 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/lZgWzzMwgCU/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/10/mobile-apps-cities/#comments