[NYC Pic via Flikr]

The city of NY is upgrading its 311 (municipal info) and 911 (emergency services) to allow new yorkers to submit pictures. In the words of Major Bloomberg:

New Yorkers can also now upload photos and videos to help us improve
the delivery of non-emergency services such as filling potholes,
cleaning up graffiti in City parks or fixing street signs.
“Why is this better than simply calling 311? Because in some cases,
having a good picture of the problem can reduce the time it takes us to
fix it

I love the idea, a clear application of web and mobile technologies to a day to day problem.
Some might think this has Big Brother connotations but I truly believe it a useful way to share information in a meaningful way that helps the city. Maybe we should call this crowdpolicing…