FixMyStreet.com

FixMyStreet
Type of site
 Street-fault reporting website
Owner mySociety
Created by User-generated/Public Authority generated
Website www.fixmystreet.com
Alexa rank Positive decrease 303,291 (April 2014)[1]
Commercial No
Registration Optional
Launched February 2007[2]
Current status Active

FixMyStreet[3] is a map based website and app by mySociety that helps people in the United Kingdom inform their local authority of problems needing their attention, such as potholes, broken streetlamps, etc. It is the UK instance of FixMyStreet.

Reports are also published on the site.[4][5][6][7]

While most local councils have their own reporting systems, FixMyStreet solves the fact that the reporter may not know which authority is responsible for a specific type of problem in a specific location.[8] By use of the MapIt software, FixMyStreet matches users’ postcodes and the category of their problem to the correct local authority.[9]

History

The site was initially funded by the Department for Constitutional Affairs Innovations Fund[10] and built by mySociety, in conjunction with the Young Foundation; the code for the site was written by Francis Irving, Matthew Somerville, and Chris Lightfoot. The site was originally launched as "Neighbourhood Fix-It", but it was decided to change to a shorter and easier name in June 2007 when one became available.[2] A FixMyStreet app was developed in 2008 to enable iPhone users to report problems using their phones,[11] and since then volunteers have written apps for Nokia and Android, as well as another app for the iPhone.[2]

FixMyStreet won an award at SustainIT eWell-Being Awards in 2008,[12] and has been listed in various newspaper best or top websites.[13][14] The site was an inspiration for the government's "Show Us A Better Way" contest.[15]

A version of the site for reporting abandoned empty homes, in conjunction with the Empty Homes Agency, Shelter Cymru and the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, was launched in late 2008, and was called "a model of easy use" by the Guardian[16] This site was repurposed for the Channel 4 TV series The Great British Property Scandal in December 2011, which was nominated for a BAFTA and an Emmy.[17] An adapted version of the FixMyStreet software also underlies cycle accident-reporting site Collideoscope[18]

In 2010, FixMyStreet was closely integrated with The Guardian newspaper's Guardian Local project. Emily Bell wrote in her launch message: "A hugely important part of this project has been the involvement of mySociety, who we've collaborated with to provide customised versions of their civic tools, allowing and encouraging local residents to report issues, contact their representatives and generally become engaged in the governance and care of their locality.",[19] and Alistair Tibbitt, Development Manager for Greener Leith wrote "the Guardian certainly deserve plaudits for integrating the local FixMyStreet service so tightly into their new Edinburgh Beat Blog."[20]

References

  1. ↑ "Fixmystreet.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  2. 1 2 3 FAQ, FixMyStreet
  3. ↑ "FixMyStreet".
  4. ↑ Social sites develop a social conscience, Victor Keegan, Guardian, January 2008
  5. ↑ Politicians are using the internet to harness your bright ideas, September 2008
  6. ↑ Residents turn to web in lane fight, Western Mail, February 2008
  7. ↑ FixMyStreet now covers Northern Ireland, July 2012
  8. ↑ "FixMyStreet - MAI". 28 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "How FixMyStreet assigns reports to bodies - FixMyStreet Platform - mySociety".
  10. ↑ Redefining Citizenship and Civic Engagement: political values embodied in FixMyStreet.com (Association of Internet Researchers)|year=2011
  11. ↑ "FixMyStreet on the App Store".
  12. ↑ eWell-Being Award, mySociety blog, May 2008
  13. ↑ Top 100 sites for the year ahead, Guardian, December 2008
  14. ↑ Best Green websites, Telegraph, November 2009
  15. ↑ Websites set government data free, BBC News, November 2008
  16. ↑ How web tools could help the economy, Guardian, 20 November 2008
  17. ↑ BAFTA and Emmy nominations, May 2013
  18. ↑ "Data Driven Cities - URBACT".
  19. ↑ Emily Bell "Guardian Local project launches with Leeds blog", The Guardian, 17 February 2010
  20. ↑ Alistair Tibbitt "Let's fix our streets!", The Guardian, 24 March 2010
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