Code for America initiatives have appeared on our virtual pages on several occasions before, including wildfire warning system Prepared.ly just earlier this month. Now joining the list of the nonprofit’s civic-minded efforts is Textizen, a system by which citizens can respond via text message to quick polls posted around the city. Targeting city officials, community leaders, and local organizations, Textizen aims to help collect feedback from the public via SMS so that leaders can make more data-driven, representative decisions. Civic users begin by setting up an account with Textizen, giving them access to an online portal that can be used to create surveys, see responses, and export data. They then create a survey and decide where they want it posted or advertised. A phone number is assigned to each, allowing passers-by to respond to the poll by simply texting in their response. As replies come in, a dashboard offers civic users easy access to responses and graphs; data can also be exported in .CSV format. The video below explains the premise in further detail:

Mobile technologies are transforming the way consumers live, so it’s up to government bodies to catch up with them. Leaders in cities large and small: one to try out for your own opinion-gathering purposes? Spotted by: Murray Orange