*"Not even impossible."
http://springwise.com/government/buitenbeter/
"Potholes, stray garbage, broken street lamps? Citizens of Eindhoven (((I might have guessed))) can now report local issues by iPhone, using the BuitenBeter app that was launched today.
"After spotting something that needs to be fixed, residents can use the app to take a picture, (((that's handy))) select an appropriate category (((make the hapless complainers do their own folksonomy work))) and send their complaint directly through to the city council. (((Actually, to the newly hired "young Dutch intern in charge of pretending to be the city council," but no reason this kid can't take over the whole town in five years, while leaving the City Council itself as a doddering talking-shop of aging baby boomers.)))
A combination of GPS and maps lets users pinpoint the exact location of the problem, (((that's really kind of awesome, and very "not 20th-century any more"))) providing city workers with all the information they need to identify and resolve the problem. (((Unless the city workers ARE the problem, I guess.)))
The application covers a wide range of familiar nuisances, from broken sidewalks to loitering youth (who will hopefully respond favourably to having their picture taken by concerned citizens). (((Hopefully the loitering youth return fire with their own iPhones, en masse, sending these doddering busybodies into some kind of Facebook doghouse.)))
"Compared with lodging a complaint by phone or in writing, BuitenBeter creates a nearly frictionless experience and will no doubt prompt a wider group of people to become active reporters of issues that need the city's attention. (((Especially if they start talking to *each other* while ignoring the city government. "We destroyed your political model, now we're here for your urban hardware.")))
"Besides giving people an easy way to send through detailed reports, city officials also believe the concept will create shorter lines of communication, and will facilitate quicker feedback from local government to citizens. ..."
via @aschaefer77 , who seems to be quite a busy guy
