Yesterday, Mayor Tom Barrett unveiled a new mobile app that offers access to a range of city services. Today, I downloaded it, nosed around and took it for a spin to get an annoying pothole filled.
Created by Lagan Technologies, the 10.1-megabyte MKE Mobile app can be downloaded free at the iTunes app store and via Google Play.
The description at the iTunes store says, "Milwaukee Mobile provides quick access to City of Milwaukee information and services via your mobile device. The tool enables citizens to report issues and request services. The app uploads maps, citizen photos, and complaint info to City of Milwaukee servicing departments to be assigned, tracked, and resolved."
The design is pretty basic and the main screen offers a quintet of options, including "file new report," for requesting services for graffiti, potholes, weed/tall grass complains, abandoned vehicles, street lighting and trash/recycling pickup.
"My reports" allows users to track status of opened requests. "Other services" links to city website pages for parking and visitor information, garbage and recycling pickup schedules, and access to more services not included in the app.
"How to use" is pretty self-explanatory. But the app seems pretty self-explanatory, too, so I doubt you'll spend much time choosing this option. If you can't figure out the app, you probably wouldn't have been able to even find and download it in the first place.
Finally there's an "info" option that allows you to send feedback about the app.
I clicked on "potholes" to give it a whirl and sent a service request for ditch that I swerve to avoid every afternoon.
That led to a menu that let me select the location of the issue, upload a photo, add additional information (in 100 characters or less, which might not be enough for even mildly complicated issues), opt for confidentiality and input contact information. Filling it took seconds; the location feature zooms right in to the location.
As soon as I clicked "submit," I got a confirmation message in the app (and another in my email inbox) and the information immediately popped up in "My Reports."
The app makes the filing of a request pretty straightforward, but because I just filed my pothole service request this morning, I can't yet vouch for the efficacy of the actual DPW response to the service request (though they've always been pretty responsive in my experience).
For now, while it's not all that much to look at, this new app definitely simplifies filing a report for a variety of the most common service requests in Milwaukee.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
