What is 311?

Like we have 108 phone number for emergency service, in USA they have 911 number for emergency service and 311 for NON EMERGENCY SERVICE, so people in USA call 311 to report any non emergency issues like garbage, pothole on street, street light not working etc to government authorities.

When the 311 service was launched it was basically sculpted on the model of 911 emergency service, however, instead of emergency situations, citizens or residents could report a non-emergency situation. In some time, the 311 non-emergency services turned into an open311 network. What made this transformation possible was when the phones that were used to make calls to the 311 service turned into smartphones, which were equipped to perform multiple functions, and had an array of new applications.

What is Open311?

Open311 is a technology that connects users and provides them with open channels of communication for issues that concern public areas and public services. So Open311 basically allows people of an area to track issues that concern public spaces and need the attention of the public service authorities.

In addition, the usage of these smartphones increased, as most individuals became owners of the smartphone technology. Almost simultaneously, the 3G and 4G technology surfaced which enabled people to be connected to the World Wide Web at all times and in all places; all of this eventually resulted in the redesigning of the 311 service provider and it was improved in the Open311 service.

The Open311 service basically replaced one to one communication with the mass communication and made the communication channel asynchronous by use of the internet. So if at first, a resident of a town in Sans Francisco (where Open311 technology is functional and widespread) reported a non-emergency issue such as a broken traffic signal at the main intersection through the 311 service, he would dial 311, register the report with the operator and that would be the end of it. However, now with the Open311 technology that the report is on a public forum and people can exchange information about that very public issue.

It also allows users to add to the provided information that could assist the service providers in some manner, for instance, when a report was registered on a missing stop sign after a storm broke out, a resident who saw the report conveyed that the stop sign that was uprooted had landed in her backyard. The information provided is extremely valuable as it saves the time and the money of the local authorities responsible for restoring the stop sign, and this would have not reached the authorities had it not been for the Open311 system.

The 311 service was originally designed to cater to non-emergency situations such as garbage removal, graffiti, etc. In some cities, this service reduced the cost of the city services and the service was not limited to a non-emergency calls anymore, as information regarding the city services and service requests was also entertained. In addition, it became a channel of communication between the public and the local government, as assistance in reaching the various municipal departments and public offices was also provided.

Information regarding events in the city such as city council meetings, carnivals and big scale football matches could also be sought from the 311 line. The operations of the 311 system are not limited to, providing city services to the users, but also served as a backup for the 911 emergency service. The load on the 911 service was reduced, which obviously resulted in an improvement in the emergency services they provide, as the workload was now divided and matters that didn’t require immediate police assistance were now handled by the 311 service.

The value of the 311 system in regards to public service can be judged by the introduction of the service in the Orange County Florida. The operations of the 311 system were not fully available when the county was struck by three hurricanes, but a seven-digit number in place of 311 was present and was reached by thousands of residents who registered demands for post hurricane services. The viability and capability of the 311 service to address civic issues became apparent to the local government after the experience and the 311 service was therefore launched in Orange county Florida officially.

In some cities, the Open311 service is used as a tool to judge the performance of the local government and the civic authorities. The line is used by the citizens to register complaints regarding the performance of the public officials regarding a prevailing public issue. In this way, a platform is provided to the public to register their grievances and it is a way to ensure accountability of the government departments.

The open311 service has been used to in some cities to seek information about the taxes and other such important matters. It is also being used to provide information regarding floods, hurricanes and storms where, the most common queries revolve around the timing and the likelihood of the natural calamity hitting the town and the city, and information regarding precautionary measures that the citizens could undertake.

Unlike the 911 service, the Open311 service did not provide services around the clock and the line was not active 24/7 however, the success of Open311 to handle non-emergency services and the increasing popularity led to the introduction of it being active 24/7. In addition, the introduction of the open311 on the web has made live updates possible, which are available at all times.

One of the foremost advantages of Open311 system is that it has streamlined the reporting and registration of the public issues and complaints. Where at first there were many lines and service providers, for example 2121 was the number contacted to report the traffic problems and complaints, all these service providers were unified under one 311 operations; this did not only result in easy access for the citizens who could register all sorts of complaints through one platform, but also reduced the city services costs, as only one operation began catering to all issues faced by the public.

The Open311 system is improving on a daily basis and being improved to provide all kinds of public services. For instance, the newest development in the city of the Chicago is the use of the system to predict as well as to prevent recurring challenges. In the year 2001, the department of sewer and Sanitations used “water in the basement” reports registered by the local residents to identify areas of heavy flooding and renovating the sewer system in those pinpointed areas. The next summer when a similar flood warning was issued, the sewage authority was already prepared to handle the situation and avoided “water in the basement” reports by already addressing the areas that were most likely to be hit by the heavy flooding.

In some cases the town official are able to get a broader perspective on a prevailing problem by tracking complaints reported on the open311 system, for instance, in case of an outbreak of disease in animals the officials would examine the complaints of dead animals, which enabled them to track the origin of the virus and the magnitude of the effects that it had.

The open311 network is also used to register complaints about drug use or sale of narcotics. All these reports can be forwarded to the police, which could help them curb drug related activities in an area. Not only will this organize the community against drug use, but will also raise awareness on the issue.

As the open311 is being improved every day, there is a potential for more growth and an even larger increase in the scope of the public services provided. In addition to reporting a broken traffic signal, what if the users could also report an intersection that poses a threat to the drivers and could use a stop sign or a traffic light. Residents could become more involved, as they will not only register suggestions such as a new park to be developed in a certain area, but also suggest vacant plots that could be restored to build the park. Not only will the participation of the citizens increase, but they will also feel that their opinion matters and their voices are heard. A more advanced form of a similar service would be to take the input of the citizens in the urban planning processes, which would not only ensure that the demands of the local people are being kept insight, but can also employ the expertise that the local community has to offer. For example, an architect can suggest that it would be more viable to create a certain structure in another area in place of the assigned one, as it would be more practical.

The open311 service could also be used to recruit volunteers in order to help supplement the government workers. For example, volunteers required to manage crowds at the football matches or other such large-scale events. Volunteers from the public can also be recruited to take part in the city drives such as a wash-out project to paint off graffiti on walls and public buildings. In addition, these projects could be initiated through the open311 service as volunteers who would like to help could register through the online portal.

The open311 network, which was only limited to registering reports on non-emergency situations, has seen tremendous growth in the scope of the services offered and the amount of the public services being offered will continue to increase, as the 331 operations also enables civic engagement.

History of 311

As discussed in the book earlier on, the 3-1-1 is a special number that is designed to handle non-emergency services in the United States and Canada. After its launch in the United States of America, the 3-1-1 was increasingly used by the other communities and regions. This section will discuss the history of the open 3-1-1. The section will highlight the history of the 3-1-1 in Chicago and 3-1-1 in Baltimore, Mary Land.

Before the establishment of an open 3-1-1, the communities relied heavily on the 9-1-1 number, which offered citizen assistance in various emergency and non-emergency related situations. The call volume of the 9-1-1 system gradually became harder to maintain and the regulatory bodies decided to establish a system that will serve as a backup or additional system for the 9-1-1 call centers.

The major purpose of creating an open 3-1-1 was to separate the emergency situations from the non-emergency situations. Due to the excessive call load on the 9-1-1 system, many serious emergency calls couldn’t get a timely response, which created a need for a separate service that would work as a complete non-emergency service department.

N11 code

The number 3-1-1 follows a sequence of the N11 code, a three-digit telephone number that allows citizens of the United States and North America to reach the local municipal or the non-emergency services. The N11 code was introduced by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a set of abbreviated phone numbers in 1992.

There are various N11 numbers that are assigned to the various public service departments in the United States and Canada. The commonly used N11 numbers include 2-1-1 for the community information and services, the 3-1-1 for non-emergency services, 4-1-1 for the directory assistance, 5-1-1 for the traffic information and police related non-emergency services, 6-1-1 for the telephone company Telco assistance, 7-1-1 for the TDD relay information and services, 8-1-1 for the public utility location information and 9-1-1 for the emergency services including fire department and police department. These numbers are also known as the abbreviated dialing codes.

In Canada, the three digit numbers are also utilized for the various public services, with the few differences. For example, the number 8-1-1 is used in Canada for the non-emergency health services, in contrast to the United States, where the number is used for the public utility location information.

The N11 code is a part of the digit plan that keeps the numbers from being reused or assigned. The code offers various advantages that include easy access to the phone networks, which are otherwise only accessible through seven-digit telephone number. As discussed earlier in the book, the purpose of the 3-1-1 service is to divert the non-emergency calls from the 9-1-1 center, so the 9-1-1 line can stay open for the emergency calls.

Many cities in the United States and North America use 3-1-1 apps to receive citizens’ feedback and comments. In 2010, the open 3-1-1 (an application programming interface) was announced for non-emergency services. Today, there are various 3-1-1 apps (discussed earlier in the book) such as HeyGov! MjePge and SeeClickFix that are increasingly utilized by the citizens to submit their requests and inquiries directly to the government or the regulatory bodies.

In the year 1999, the DOT, U.S. Department of Transportation, filed a request with the idea that there should be a nationwide assignment of N11 codes that could be used by both the state and the local governments to provide the citizens with the transportation and the travel information. The travel information includes the information regarding the road construction, alternative routes in the case of an emergency or a road block and at the accident locations.

According to the DOT’s research, there are nearly six million vehicle accidents, around 42,000 deaths on the roads and 5.3 million road accident injuries. According to the research, there are around eleven transportation related numbers in the New York and the Washington that allow citizens to have an accurate travel related information. Most of the travel related information is provided to the citizens through telephone, a primary medium for a non-emergency service.

The origin of 311

According to the various resources, the first 3-1-1 service was implemented in the Baltimore, Maryland, with the help of the Maryland’s police department. The service was inaugurated in the 1996 with the purpose of creating something similar to the 9-1-1 service. The service was implemented along with the CRM software developed by the Motorola. To date, some of the largest 3-1-1 operations are conducted in Toronto, North America, where the 3-1-1 services commenced in 2009.

In North America, the 3-1-1 service became a popular non-emergency service when the Canadian radio /television and telecommunication commission introduced and promoted the 3-1-1 service as the municipal service in the late 2004.

Before it was introduced as a municipal service number, the 3-1-1 code was used by the various telecommunication companies as a testing number. In Alberta, the 3-1-1 number was used as the automatic number announcement circuit. This practice was discontinued in the early 2005 after the introduction of a new automatic number announcement circuit represented by the number 958-6111. In the United States, the 3-1-1 number was used as an area code. Most commonly, it was used as an area code in the Bell advertisements that depicted phones.

The various regulatory bodies began to realize the need for a specialized system that could provide a backup for the 9-1-1 services and also serve as a separate public service entity to handle everyday situations. In early 1996, the Federal Communications Commission announced the 3-1-1 service as a non-emergency service.

The 3-1-1 service allowed citizens to report non-emergency situations, such as stray animal complaints, small-scale robbery and loss of electricity, to their local government. The 3-1-1 system gives local governments an important opportunity that allows them to connect to the citizens through the 3-1-1 call center and provide an improved public service.

The 3-1-1 service offers several online systems to provide citizens with a platform where they can directly post their comments and feedback regarding a certain service. In addition, the online services also allow citizens to have inquiries and help regarding various non-emergency situations.