Comcate – News

[ TECH BLOG ]

April 19, 2013

Leveraging Technology to Do More with Less

With sequestration officially underway, the phrase “doing more with less” carries more weight than ever before.

Gavin Newsome: Government tech is stuck in the past

The former San Francisco mayor and current lieutenant governor of California spoke to Fortune in a wide-ranging interview on technology and the future of government.

How to Improve Government-to-Citizen Communication

GovDelivery CEO Scott Burns says cross-promotion, leveraging multiple channels and going (more) mobile can improve alert notifications to constituents.

Android app now playing in Google’s hometown.

Over the last two decades, the city of Mountain View has quietly emerged as one of the best-run and best-designed cities in the county. All you have to do is visit downtown Castro Street at night to get a sense of a city on the rise. It doesn’t hurt that its biggest taxpayer is Google, which would lend a lot of intellectual firepower and money to any city.

In that sense, the tale of a mobile app is instructive: Two years ago, the city introduced a mobile app for the iPhone called “Ask Mountain View.” It allowed you to quickly get information about police, code enforcement, or other city services through a comprehensive set of FAQ’s and email updates.

One little nit: Apple’s biggest competitor on the mobile front is Google’s Android system. And the city had no immediate app for Android. This was like a Bay Area sports store offering only Los Angeles Dodgers regalia.

So last week, Mountain View sent out a news release that effectively paid heed to the local front: “Ask Mountain View” is now available on Android at play.google.com/store/apps.

October 2, 2012

ICMA Conference October 7 – October 10

Comcate will be exhibiting at the 2012 International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Conference in Phoenix, AZ from October 7 – October 10 in Booth #237 at the Phoenix Convention Center. The ICMA Conference will draw over 2,500 local government professionals from around the world and will feature more than 200 speakers and a wide range of professional development courses.

Since 2001, Comcate’s eFeedbackManager (eFM), Code Enforcement Manager, Inspections software and Citizen Mobile Access offering have been setting the standard for the delivery of trusted, fully featured, easy-to-use solutions for public agencies, enabling compelling cost and operational efficiencies as well as improved service levels. These solutions will be available for demonstration in the Comcate booth. We hope you will stop by and see us!

February 05, 2012

California City, CA Implements Comcate Software for Code Enforcement

Code Enforcement Cases, Visits, Activities and Violations Can Be Managed By Officers While in the Field

The City of California City is located in the Fremont Valley and is home to over 14,000 residents.††The Mayor and Code Enforcement officials wanted to implement a web-based software application that allows officers to easily schedule inspections and manage code enforcement activities when in the field. Comcate Code Enforcement Software improves the efficiency of officers and departments by providing remote access to live GIS and case data and the ability to schedule visits, print violation notices and generate activity reports while in the field.The City of California City anticipates that the software will greatly improve their ability to manage cases and activities and reduce costs to the City.

February 03, 2012

Report Problems to the City of Menlo Park, CA Using Comcate’s iPhone App

Citizens Can Now Report Non-Emergency Issues Using Their iPhones

Is there a traffic light in your neighborhood that’s not working right? Maybe that pothole you hit on your way to work every morning is driving you crazy and you think it should be fixed.Menlo Park, CA has a new app called “Menlo Park Direct Connect” which allows residents to report non-emergency problems using their iPhones. With the Menlo Park Direct Connect app, residents can point, click, and submit real-time pictures and locations of graffiti and other issues directly to the City. Citizens can report issues on the go and act as extra “eyes on the street” to report issues in their communities.

The application will work in conjunction with the City’s Direct Connect online service which makes it easy for the City to track and manage these requests and promptly address citizen concerns.
The app is expected to become available for Android devices in the near future. iPhone users can download it now for free through the iPhone App Store or at http://www.menlopark.org/.