Residents of northern Allegheny neighborhoods have a new way to stay in touch with their local governments , thanks to a new mobile app . Launched in April , Savvy Citizen ® App was developed by Management Science Associates , Inc ., a business-to-business data analytics and information technology provider based in East Liberty . The idea for the app stemmed from the personal experiences of the project ’ s managers at MSA , Account Director Chuck Warden and Information Technology Project Lead Rich McConnell .
“ Rich has been a member of Buffalo Township ’ s Planning Commission for several years and realized that the current method of communicating — such as ads buried in the notice section of the newspaper and notices posted on the municipal building door — is not effective ,” says Warden . “ While a majority of township meetings are fairly routine , there are occasionally meetings that impact all township residents , such as new housing and commercial developments and zoning changes .”
These meetings , he explains , often have poor attendance because of a simple lack of awareness , leaving residents “ voiceless and upset .” Another MSA employee , who was also a Harrison Township supervisor , expressed similar concerns , agreeing that local governments needed a more efficient way to communicate with residents . Being that a huge swath of the population now relies upon smartphones for news and other information , the team felt that a mobile app would be an effective way for municipalities to share information with their residents .
From concept to completion , the app was built completely in-house at MSA over a period of 18 months .
“ This timeframe included discussing the concept with roughly a dozen communities to ensure there was a need for the product prior to building it ,” says McConnell . “ Every municipality we talked to shared the pain point of wishing they could reach a greater number of residents with the information that comes to their attention that , if shared , would make their residents ’ lives better .”
The app delivers a variety of information , such as summer camp registrations , family movies in the park , delays in trash pick-ups , traffic alerts , road paving schedules , tax payment deadlines and more .
To test the app , the company initially partnered with local governments in Pine , Richland , Marshall and Harrison townships . The response was overwhelmingly positive .
“ While it ’ s too early to measure success by the number of citizens who sign up , in just a few months we have exceeded our expectations and those of our municipalities with regard to use ,” notes Warden .
“ Our biggest success , besides the launch of the product , is seeing how the app is bringing local communities together ,” adds McConnell . “ We see synergies and coordination between adjoining communities when they are scheduling calendar events . This enables citizens in both communities to enjoy and be more aware of local happenings .”
For instance , residents who live in Pine can also sign up to receive news and notifications from neighboring communities like Marshall and Richland townships .
“ So , from one product , Savvy Citizen ® App users will stay upto-date not only with what ’ s happening in their communities , but also in the others they frequent ,” says McConnell .
While some police departments and local governments use Facebook or Twitter to share information , those methods aren ’ t as consistent as Savvy Citizen ®. The app ’ s ability to reach residents directly is appealing to John Bojarski , Communications Assistant for the Town of McCandless , another community to join Savvy Citizen ® App . “ The main advantage to a mobile app like Savvy Citizen ® is the directness of it . We use our website and Facebook to communicate with the public , but those are lessdirect methods . If we put a piece of immediate , breaking news on our website , we have to trust that residents will intentionally visit the site shortly afterward . With Facebook , many people will see a breaking news item quickly , but just because someone ‘ likes ’ or ‘ follows ’ your page does not guarantee that a post from our Facebook page will appear in their news feed — in fact , the reach of posts can vary wildly ,” says Bojarski . “ However , if someone is signed up for Savvy Citizen ®, they will directly get an alert .”
“ What ’ s unique about Savvy Citizen ® is that , for those communities whose police are not yet using an emergency alert system or are unhappy with the one they have , the app can serve both purposes , as we permit access for the police department to enter posts as well ,” notes McConnell .
The company is looking forward to sharing the app with more communities in the future , and eventually hopes to take it nationwide .
“ The goal is to let more people know that this new communication method is available to them for free . They simply download Savvy Citizen ® App on their phones and sign up for the information they want to receive ,” says Warden . “ There is nothing else they need to do or learn . They ’ ll just be better informed .”
The app is free for users to download , and is available for both Android and Apple smartphones . Residents who don ’ t have smartphones can sign up for notifications via email or text message by visiting the app ’ s website , savvycitizenapp . com . ■
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