Volunteers wanted to test pothole reporting app

Chuchote

http://irishcycle.com/2017/05/10/cycling-volunteers-needed-to-ring-high-tech-bicycle-bells-to-report-potholes-close-passes-and-lack-of-parking/

Bells may soon be rining out across Dublin City as a local company are developing a bicycle bell designed to log problem hotspots for a range of cycling issues — and they need your help.

Fluidedge, based in the Guinness Enterprise Centre in Liberties area of Dublin 8, are developing the ‘Liberty Bell’ to track cycling issues and provide better data to councils. The company is looking for cycling volunteers during June and July to test the system.

Sign up here: http://www.libertybell.io/dublin

magicbastarder

it's not just for potholes, it's for any infrastructural issues, close passes, etc.

they expect to only have the system with each user for two weeks, before user fatigue kicks in and the rate of reporting starts to drop.

helimachoptor

no option for county dublin on their survey

Chuchote

helimachoptor wrote: »

no option for county dublin on their survey

Ah, sure youse don't have proper potholes out there (or close passes), yiz're only amateurs.

magicbastarder

there was some question about this at the talk on monday - it's mainly supported by DCC, but the scheme it's under the umbrella of covers all four local authorities.

AndrewJRenko

I didn't think this was a great candidate for funding. We already have an app for reporting potholes fixmystreet app and website. By and large, many of these reports disappear into the ether. Will this app do a better job at holding local authorities to account for fixing the holes?

Chuchote

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I didn't think this was a great candidate for funding. We already have an app for reporting potholes fixmystreet app and website. By and large, many of these reports disappear into the ether. Will this app do a better job at holding local authorities to account for fixing the holes?

The Fixyourstreet app, See it! Say it! doesn't include potholes.

Moflojo

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I didn't think this was a great candidate for funding. We already have an app for reporting potholes fixmystreet app and website. By and large, many of these reports disappear into the ether. Will this app do a better job at holding local authorities to account for fixing the holes?

Judging from the presentation at Monday night's Dublin Cycling Campaign meeting, what this device will do is help users record a real time record of an incident or issue, with GPS location also logged. Users will then be prompted via email to make a log of the issue.

Other apps, such as fix my street, require much more assertiveness from citizens but the Liberty Bell is more passive; the user simply rings the bell as they encounter the issue (a good aural prompt to help memorise the issue) and then they respond to an email prompt afterwards to log the issue in their own time.

I often pass issues such as potholes or broken lights and say to myself "I keep meaning the report that" but never remember to do so. The Liberty Bell tackles that problem directly.

AndrewJRenko

Chuchote wrote: »

The Fixyourstreet app, See it! Say it! doesn't include potholes.

Fixyourstreet definitely includes potholes, under road/street defects.
http://fixyourstreet.ie/reports/submit

Moflojo wrote: »

Judging from the presentation at Monday night's Dublin Cycling Campaign meeting, what this device will do is help users record a real time record of an incident or issue, with GPS location also logged. Users will then be prompted via email to make a log of the issue.

Other apps, such as fix my street, require much more assertiveness from citizens but the Liberty Bell is more passive; the user simply rings the bell as they encounter the issue (a good aural prompt to help memorise the issue) and then they respond to an email prompt afterwards to log the issue in their own time.

I often pass issues such as potholes or broken lights and say to myself "I keep meaning the report that" but never remember to do so. The Liberty Bell tackles that problem directly.

I don't think the main problem is encouraging more people to report. The main problem is ensuring that councils respond to all reports.

More reports could well lead to more disillusioned people if they don't improve the responses from the back-end.

magicbastarder

i think this is more cycling oriented - so yes, it's possible to log a pothole via fixmystreet, but it's not necessarily logged as an issue specifically affecting cyclists, and the purpose is to build a heatmap of sorts of the issues facing cyclists.
this also allows logging of issues which fixmystreet wouldn't cater for, such as close passes, etc., which can identify pinch points and the like.

iwillhtfu

Chuchote wrote: »

The Fixyourstreet app, See it! Say it! doesn't include potholes.

Yes it does

Rogue-Trooper

I think it's a good idea but I saw the "bell" in the flesh today and it's bleedin' enormous!!

Chuchote

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Yes it does

Really? Not in the version I'm using! Or not that I can see, anyway.

There's a button saying "Report environmental complaint", then if you click that, it brings up a notice saying your report will be submitted to the apposite local authority, blahdeblah, then Proceed, Cancel or Don't Show Again.

Next is an option to take a photo, and a choice of "Complaint type":

• Air/Odour
• Noise
• Water
• Drinking water
• Waste/Illegal dumping

No sign of potholes or road damage.

This is in the iPhone version.

Am I doing something wrong? Are potholes in there somewhere?

ED E

On Android:
Fix your street have this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ie.sdcc.mobile.fms&hl=en

Its totally broken. Useless. Not updated in years ("Updated May 15, 2012")

Fix my street:
Have no app.


Take a picture, upload and manually geotag on the desktop. Dropbox does the transfer automatically so its easy.

AndrewJRenko

Chuchote wrote: »

Really? Not in the version I'm using! Or not that I can see, anyway.

There's a button saying "Report environmental complaint", then if you click that, it brings up a notice saying your report will be submitted to the apposite local authority, blahdeblah, then Proceed, Cancel or Don't Show Again.

Next is an option to take a photo, and a choice of "Complaint type":

• Air/Odour
• Noise
• Water
• Drinking water
• Waste/Illegal dumping

No sign of potholes or road damage.

This is in the iPhone version.

Am I doing something wrong? Are potholes in there somewhere?

It sounds like you're using the EPA 'See It Say It' app, not the FixMyStreet app.

ED E wrote: »

On Android:
Fix your street have this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ie.sdcc.mobile.fms&hl=en

Its totally broken. Useless. Not updated in years ("Updated May 15, 2012")

Totally broken? I used it to report a couple of issues last week.

ED E wrote: »

Fix my street:
Have no app..

FMS is from the folks who brought you KildareStreet.com - here's their app, though I had some difficulties with it on my current phone;
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ie.fixmystreet

ED E wrote: »

Take a picture, upload and manually geotag on the desktop. Dropbox does the transfer automatically so its easy.

I'm not sure what you're suggesting here? Why would you want to add an extra step of manual geotag on the desktop when you can automatically geotag using your phone at the time of sending the photo.

ED E

It crashes on upload. See reviews, not alone.

That link comes up empty on the play store.

Web doesn't read the EXIF so you have to manually place it.

AndrewJRenko

ED E wrote: »

It crashes on upload. See reviews, not alone.

That link comes up empty on the play store.

I'm not sure which app you're referring to as crashing, but FYS is working fine for me, and is still in the Play store - see screenshot

ED E wrote: »

Web doesn't read the EXIF so you have to manually place it.

Yes, that's right. Slight inconvenience, but not a fatal flaw.

Chuchote

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

It sounds like you're using the EPA 'See It Say It' app, not the FixMyStreet app.

I am. That feeds information into FixYourStreet - I've had answers from them to my email after sending in a report of rubbish dumped on back lanes.

AndrewJRenko

Chuchote wrote: »

I am. That feeds information into FixYourStreet - I've had answers from them to my email after sending in a report of rubbish dumped on back lanes.

SUre - but if you want to report potholes, you need to use FMS

Chuchote

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

SUre - but if you want to report potholes, you need to use FMS

Odd that they'd have two apps?

cython

Chuchote wrote: »

Odd that they'd have two apps?

Not so much as they are developed by 2 different bodies, FYS is SDCC, "See it? Say it!" is developed by the EPA, albeit to feed into the former's system. Perhaps EPA weren't happy with the FYS "native" app for their priorities so negotiated the use of API/endpoints from FYS for their own campaign.

Doctor Bob

(Sorry for the re-rail.).

With the Liberty Bell, do you ring an actual bell to record the location? As in, does it actually make a bell sound?

ED E

Doctor Bob wrote: »

(Sorry for the re-rail.).

With the Liberty Bell, do you ring an actual bell to record the location? As in, does it actually make a bell sound?

I suspect its a bluetooth remote that simply triggers a companion app on your phone. Unless they've added a cellular uplink so its self contained.

Dont see technical details published.

magicbastarder

yes, the bell actually makes a bell sound.

Chuchote

magicbastarder wrote: »

yes, the bell actually makes a bell sound.

Useful; it's handy to have an audio signal that your input has worked.

As for See it! Say it! - well, it's useful enough, but would be far, far more useful with the ability to report the horrendous potholes, seams, bulging patches, slippery or on-edge manhole covers, dangerously sloping camber, wheel-grabbing drain covers, loose cobbles, etc that litter our streets.

Doctor Bob

magicbastarder wrote: »

yes, the bell actually makes a bell sound.

Thanks. The reason I ask is that a bike bell has a particular purpose already, and it seems strange to use it for something else. Use of a car horn is restricted to certain situations and times, and it's an offence to breach those provisions. While I'm not suggesting that it should be an offence to use a bell for purposes other than those it was designed for, I do wonder if it will lead to some confusion for other cyclists if they hear bells ringing in their vicinity for what seems to be no apparent reason. I'd have thought that a non-bell sound would be better (if a sound is even required at all).

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

Chuchote

Doctor Bob wrote: »

Thanks. The reason I ask is that a bike bell has a particular purpose already, and it seems strange to use it for something else. Use of a car horn is restricted to certain situations and times, and it's an offence to breach those provisions. While I'm not suggesting that it should be an offence to use a bell for purposes other than those it was designed for, I do wonder if it will lead to some confusion for other cyclists if they hear bells ringing in their vicinity for what seems to be no apparent reason. I'd have thought that a non-bell sound would be better (if a sound is even required at all).

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

Well, if you hear a bell ring when there's a pothole, it's not a bad warning!

I signed up but haven't been chosen - they're probably looking more for traditional commuters, I suppose.

ED E

I see his point, cycling in a morning column, pass a pothole and hit the button, people ahead of you will think you want them out of your way.

Doctor Bob

ED E wrote: »

I see his point, cycling in a morning column, pass a pothole and hit the button, people ahead of you will think you want them out of your way.

Exactly. It's one thing if the sound is in front of you, which I accept might be useful (though I'd much rather rely on my own observations), but it's another thing entirely if it's behind you. I want a bell to mean what a bell means!

I think any sound is unnecessary, but if one is required, it could be e.g. a little electronic beep.

Chuchote

I'm probably one of the few here who has a bell and uses it. I don't find that it causes any major reaction - people just assume that you're warning them that you're around.