Apps for Democracy

DC Crime Finder

2008 October 30th
Comments

App URL: http://voiceingov.org/dc/

Code location: http://code.google.com/p/dc-crime-locater

Award type: Indie Silver

Application can be called at: (202) 684-7894

This nifty little app is pretty straight forward - start by either calling the phone number above and follow the prompts, or click th URL and input your phone number. The app will then determine your location and will return specific instances of various crimes based on a 1, 2 or 3 mile radius.

App by: Mark Headd

App Category: Indie

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6 comments to...
“DC Crime Finder”
Mark
October 31st, 2008

I wanted to drop a quick post and offer a little more context on this submission for those interested.

One of the things I find really neat about this app is that it has a surprisingly small code footprint — it is made up of a relatively modest amount of files, and the amount of code in each file is quite manageable.

This application is designed to work in a wide range of user agents, and it does so from a single code base. There aren’t separate UI layers built out for each type of device. The same application code is used to render the voice interface that you hear on the telephone AND the visual interface that you see in a web or mini browser.

I think this approach is an effective way to mitigate the complexities of designing interfaces tailored to different platforms, and make information more accessible. Developers can focus on features and functionality instead of spending time tweaking UI components to work on a specific device.

I’m sure this is probably enraging some UI designer somewhere, but I’d rather focus on functionality than tweaking layout or background color. ;-)


Terry
November 11th, 2008

Ok what does DC stand for in the crime finder and where is the data coming from?. It correctly finds my DE address from my house phone number but apparently my area is crime free which I am fairly sure isn’t the case.


Using Location-Aware Gadgets | Living Downtown Des Moines
November 13th, 2008

[...] DC Crime Finder - This app is pretty straight forward - start by either calling a phone number and follow the prompts, or click a URL and input your phone number. The app will then determine your location and return specific instances of various crimes based on a 1, 2 or 3 mile radius. [...]


Mark
November 13th, 2008

Terry — that’s a config setting in the app. I left DE area codes in to do my final testing. Forgot to take it out.

As configured right now, it will look up addresses for Delaware phone numbers, but it won’t find any crimes. All of the crime locations are in DC, and the distance threshold is 1-3 miles.

I’ll change that config setting so its less confusing for others.

Thanks!


DelaWonk | Apps for Democracy
November 13th, 2008

[...] about a week, I had completed my application and submitted it to the contest organizers. You can read more about my application – and even [...]


Stacy Griggs
November 14th, 2008

Great work Mark, excellent use of technology for the public good.




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