Report City Problems with New Chicago Works 311 iPhone App

Chicago residents can now track their graffiti and pothole reports thanks to a new iPhone application developed by 47th Ward Ald. Ameya Pawar. 

Pawar, along with web development company 2pensmedia Inc., rebuilt the current Chicago Works app so it connects to the city's nonemergency information hotline, 311.

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The new app recognizes where residents are and then asks what kind of service request they want to report. Pawar said the top 15 requests are included, such as street light outages, graffiti removal and rodent complaints.

The app will ask the same questions as a 311 operator and users can upload a photo. A tracking number is assigned to the project, so people can watch their request as it moves through the system.

“The idea is to provide context,” Pawar said. “People should understand that if a graffiti request takes four days in one area and 12 days in another, why it takes longer in some areas than others; why a pothole on Marshfield takes three days, but the one on Ashland takes two weeks. Because the one on Ashland may be a sinkhole.”

The free app is available in iTunes as of Thursday.

The old app used to send a message to that ward’s alderman when a user uploaded a photo of the problem. Then the alderman’s office would send the request to 311. 

Pawar said his new app is just the beginning.

When Mayor Rahm Emanuel opened the 311 system’s data Sept. 19, he made it possible for anyone to create a city improvement app.

At a ward council meeting, Pawar said someone could create an app that reported potholes as they drove around the city.

“No one really knows what we’re going to be able to do with this data,” he said. “There are so many other possibilities here.”

Here are the top eight service requests in Chicago, according to the city website:

• Street Lights - All/Out
• Graffiti Removal
• Garbage Cart Black
• Rodent Baiting/Rat Complaint
• Shelter Request
• Building Violation
• Pot Hole in Street
• Abandoned Vehicle Complaint