POPULAR CITY APPLICATION WINS CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AWARD

Locating and repairing potholes in Saskatoon became more efficient this year with the addition of the online interactive Report a Pothole application. The app is popular among citizens who have the ability to quickly locate and report potholes on an interactive map from a desktop, tablet or mobile device. It was built on Esri Canada’s ArcGIS platform and this week, Esri presented an award to the City for increased citizen engagement through a geographic information system (GIS).

“The application was developed to improve citizen engagement in conjunction with the launch of our Building Better Roads initiative,” says Mike Gutek, Director of Major Projects. “Customer feedback shows 7 in 10 have rated it as good to excellent, and since then our IT Department has developed and introduced four more interactive web-mapping applications.”

All of the iMaps are available at www.saskatoon.ca/go/map.

·The Road Restrictions and Construction Projects map shows work locations and type.

·The Utility Cuts and Repair Schedules map displays schedules for road, concrete and landscape repairs.

·Saskatoon Services and Schedules shows collection and City services schedules.

·The Public Art Collection map details locations and information of the City’s outdoor art collection.

“We continue to offer traditional methods of engaging our citizens on a variety of topics, and through GIS-based technology they can find what they’re looking for within seconds,” Gutek says. “It’s one of the ways we are modernizing City government to reflect best practices and changing demands.”

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.