August 13, 2014 · Exit133

Tacoma - Now There's an App for That

The City of Tacoma's Information Technology Department has been working on a couple of projects to give you more access to City data and services. This week they announced the launch of a new app and a new website.

The App

Need to report a pothole or grafitti in your neighborhood? Have a question related to the City's parks, libraries, or parking? Now there's an app for that... if you've got an iPhone or iPad (updated: or Android phone).

The Tacoma FIRST 311 mobile app is free to download on any Apple mobile device and provides you with quick and easy access to the City of Tacoma's non-emergency services. Requests submitted through the mobile app are automatically sent to the appropriate City of Tacoma departments.

The app is the newest face of the City's Customer Support Center. It's designed to allow the public (at least those with iPhones) to make and track requests for non-emergency City services and to find answers to frequently asked questions.

Download the app from iTunes (search for "Tacoma first"), and try it out for yourself. If you don't have an iPhone or Android, you can use the City's Tacoma First webpage for the same functions at cityoftacoma.org/TacomaFIRST311. If you've tried it, what do you think?

The Data

The City has also launched a website with new publicly available data on everything from potholes to pet registrations.

The new TacomaData platform makes 60 data sets available to the public, some in map form, some in data sets. You can see a "heat map" of potholes fixed in a given month. You can view a map of public art in Tacoma. Or you can look up pet licenses by pet name.

There are options to sort the data, or to manipulate it into various charts (although those controls may need a little refining for use by the average member of the public...). Find the data at data.cityoftacoma.org.

We're curious; how useful do you find it?

Filed under: City Government, City Services

7 comments

Kim Davenport August 13, 2014

I just downloaded the app on my Android device - so it turns out it's not just for Apple users!
- Vin Treesiel August 14, 2014
  
  The app can be found in the android store here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.webqa.tacomawa&hl=en
- Jenny J August 14, 2014
  
  Great, now they just need an app for Windows Phone. I'm sure that will be coming any day now...
Sid August 13, 2014

Now we have to see if they have enough people to answer these complaints. I hope they do as this looks promising and more capable of tracking people in charge of doing their job.
Ear L. Duble S August 14, 2014

It appears to be ADA compliant. How fantastic!
Grindy S. August 14, 2014

The old method of reporting potholes worked fine. What the city needs to upgrade is its system for fixing them.
JDHasty August 20, 2014

This information should be on a public facing page so that residents can see if the pothole has already been reported. Potholes the City has been made aware of are a "known hazard" and the City owns liability for damages to vehicles that are caused by these potholes. It makes it pretty easy to recover when the City admits knowledge of an existing pothole, but the problem is that the City is not always forthcoming with info that they were notified of an existing pothole or other hazard.