Fresh Apps - iPhone Apps & iPod Touch Apps.

Description

Introducing Do-It-Yourself Democracy, a just released iPhone app that allows any California resident to interact with all three levels of government–federal, state and local–to help solve city pollution, graffiti, police corruption, potential environmental hazards and much more.

Here’s a welcome page that showcases some of the numerous features:
http://www.diydemocracy.org/welcome/

The inconveniences of government rarely occur at a time of our choosing.  Mobile connectivity allows citizens to protest problems when they occur: a pothole on your way to work, a construction project interfering with your commute, a new oppressive tax, or a police officer double-parked in front of a local donut shop.  With one click, the application contacts the person responsible for the problem you seek to fix.  

Our interns spent months collecting e-mail address for each department inside each of the 480 municipalities in CA, from public works and parks departments to police and fire commissioners. Existing contact-your-rep solutions simply contact a mayor, who is already overwhelmed with requests and spammy emails.  DIY Democracy has databases including administrative officials from local municipalities, CalTrans, Little Hoover Commission, and much more.  Each of your pothole requests and police misconduct reports go to the proper department responsible for the issue.  No application on the market is more precise.

The app was produced by The Prometheus Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit think tank based out of Orange County, CA. It was released in California initially to gauge interest and proof of concept before rolling it out nationwide.