“We are glad to have received the award; it will enable us to further develop the Cityspec app which will have a positive impact on the lives of people in low-income areas.”- Michael Wolf. Cityspec was the winning innovation in the Connected Home Category, which called for products, services or system that connect a home to its surroundings.
Entered by Michael Wolf of Formula D Interactive (info@formula-d.com), and developed in partnership with The Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU) project, mobile inspection tool Cityspec helps civil society organisations and community workers to monitor and administer basic service delivery in informal settlements.
“With the Cityspec software tool, community workers in Khayelitsha can log reports straight to a central database, a process which was previously done with notepad, pen and paper”, says Iris Taani, who is responsible for the project at VPUU. “The system gives users access to parts lists with reference drawings to describe possible faults as precisely as possible. Workers can also take photos and log GPS data, which is crucial.”
Developing out of a partnership, the mobile app equips community workers to log reports in the field, take photos and capture GPS data automatically. A linked database enables the community workers to access parts lists with reference drawings to describe possible faults as precisely as possible. The system also provides a browser-based control centre for co-ordinators to create and track tasks for specific workers, inspection items and areas. In addition, community workers on their way to inspection sites can also use the device to report incidents such as fire and crime. Ultimately, the system generates data for reports needed by the city to action immediate remedial work.
Having undergone successful tests during August 2014, this inspired solution could potentially help to improve millions of lives in informal settlements across Cape Town and beyond by giving low-income households reliable access to the basic services that so many other households take for granted.
As a Better Living Challenge Category Winner, this open source mobile inspection tool is a compelling example of how digital technology can be used to uplift the lives of people living on low incomes.