Almost every city in the country has a 311 Customer Service Center providing residents answers about city services, and a way to report potholes, graffiti or other issues. Since the launch of San Francisco’s 311 Center in March 2007, more than 8 million calls have been answered and thousands of requests have been submitted online.

Last year, I announced a first-of-its kind partnership with Twitter to make it even easier for San Franciscans to communicate with government and report problems. Thousands of residents have taken advantage of this service tweeting requests to 311 at zero cost to the City. With the success of the Twitter/311 partnership, we have decided to expand to as many different platforms as possible, like Facebook and mobile devices.

As we have seen in the consumer marketplace, when companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook release APIs (Application Programming Interface), countless innovative applications are created that build on the original idea. In an effort to change the way government operates and tap into that same creative energy, today I am pleased to announce with President Obama’s CIO Vivek Kundra the launch of a national Open311 API. Watch a live webcast on WhiteHouse.gov @ 2:30 EST!

Read more at: Mashable

Related link: Dial311.com

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{Photography by hmboo}