Service: Reporting issues in public space

Responsible organisation: Research, Information & Statistics (OIS) (Governmental)

When someone encounters rubbish or a maintenance issue on the street or in a park, they can report this to the municipality via an online reporting system. A dangerous traffic situation or disturbance from people or cafe’s can also be reported. This system used to be a collection of drop-down menus, from which the user would pick the category that best suited their report. The department responsible for a certain category would then take care of the report. However, as the municipality is a complex organisation, there are countless categories. Many times the wrong category would be chosen, resulting in delays. Now, an algorithm recognizes certain keywords, for example, ‘waste’ and ‘sidewalk’. From these keywords, it determines which category it belongs to, and ultimately, which department within the municipality should examine the case. As a result, there are fewer administrative steps for the person reporting on the issue. Also, the report can be processed much faster, because it arrives at the right department more quickly.

Additional information

Source City of Amsterdam Algorithm Register
Web site https://algoritmeregister.amsterdam.nl/en/reporting-issues-in-public-space/
Start/end date 2020 -
Still active? Yes

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