A computer program developed by two Otago Polytechnic students as part of their degree has been found to have real-world applications and has been picked up for use by the Dunedin City Council.
Third-year bachelor of information technology students Gary Maclachlan and Matt Bradley have created an Android mobile phone application called Fix-it which will allow Dunedin residents to notify the council of anything unsightly, annoying or just plain dangerous around the city.
Mr Maclachlan said Android phone users will be able to take a photo of the damage and use the application to categorise it as a road fault, water leak, vehicle complaint or other (vandalism, graffiti or potholes).
Users can then add the location and press send.
The information is then sent to the Dunedin City Council where it is prioritised, and council staff are dispatched to fix the problem.
"It's as easy as one, two, three. It will make it easier for residents to communicate with the DCC," Mr Maclachlan said.
"If you see broken glass on the footpath when you're out walking, you can use the application instead of having to go all the way home to contact the DCC."
Mr Maclachlan said the application would be free to download and was now ready to use.
DCC webmaster Sean Lee was delighted with the application.
"This has been a really good collaboration between the Dunedin City Council and the Otago Polytechnic to create something that will be of real use to our residents."
Mr Lee said the trial application was already available from the Google Android Marketplace and he was expecting a good take up. Further improvement its functions could be made based on users' feedback, he said.
Mr Maclachlan said he and Mr Bradley took the application to the DCC to see what council staff thought of it, and were surprised by their response.
"They were keen to embrace the new technology. So much so, they are keen to look at some other applications we are working on."
