THIS
APP’S FOR YOU!
New mobile app helps residents
become ‘Savvy Citizens.’
R
esidents 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,
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BY JENNIFER BROZAK
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,”