Lexington, KY - Cities all across the country are embracing technology to increase government openness, transparency and accessibility. Governments collect all sorts of data, like crime statistics and geographic information and also interact with the public in many ways, such as providing information about services and handling citizen complaints. Gov 2.0 describes the use of technology to make government information - as well as government itself -
more open, transparent and accessible to its citizens.
I was first introduced to Gov 2.0 last winter through a local fountain designer, Russell Sitter, who told me about a new iPhone application that allows citizens to report potholes, graffiti and other issues. As you may know, Lexington operates LexCall 311, a very effective centralized service and information contact center for LFUCG. But with limited resources, LexCall 311 is only staffed Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and is not available after hours or on weekends. (Citizens can call LexCall from their cell phones by dialing 425-2255 or 425-CALL during business hours.)
After coming across a large pothole one Sunday last winter, I asked LexCall how citizens could use e-mail to report potholes and other issues. LexCall's new e-mail service was up and running the very next day, and citizens can now e-mail service issues and requests to LexCall after hours and on weekends through 311@LexingtonKy.gov. (Be sure to include your name, telephone, and a description and location of the problem.) You can even use third party apps to include a GPS tagged photo of the problem and a link to Google Maps in your e-mail. LexCall 311's e-mail service can be accessed on a wide array of computers and smart phone platforms, including Apple, Android, Blackberry, Microsoft and Palm.
My next experience with Gov 2.0 was the creation of LexCall's new iPhone app - Lexington 311 -
which is currently available for free through the iPhone App Store. After seeing the possibilities of the LexCall e-mail, I asked LFUCG's Chief Information Officer Rama Dhuwaraha to look into developing a new iPhone app for LexCall that could be announced at Lexington's Creative Cities Summit this past April. While the cost of most city apps we found was prohibitive, Rama and his team were able to secure development of the Lexington 311 iPhone app for less than $2,000. The Lexington 311 iPhone app allows users to select their issue from a list, take photographs of the issue, fine tune their GPS location on a satellite map, and e-mail everything to LexCall. Apps for other smart phone platforms are in the planning stages.
So what's next for Lexington and Gov 2.0? Many cities are pursuing open data initiatives so that local software companies can develop new applications custom tailored to their city. Some great examples relating to San Francisco can be found at www.datasf.org/appshowcase. Given that Lexington was recently recognized by "Business Facilities Magazine" as an Editor's Location Pick and Kentucky's "rapidly emerging high-tech hub," the time has come to begin discussing our own open data policy. To this end, Lexington's Urban County Council approved my motion this past June to refer consideration of an open data policy to our Inter-Governmental Committee. As stated last fall by Portland Mayor Sam Adams after the Portland city council adopted their own open data policy, "Software is a key industry cluster, and bringing together a growing industry with increased public sector transparency means more public involvement, smarter policy and a stronger economy."