What we're planning on planning

Our first new project for the year is right up our street... perhaps literally.

We'll be working on the initial steps to make residential planning permissions across England available as Open Data. Catch up on all the details here.

FixMyStreet

Now it's simpler to log in

We're always going on about how to keep processes simple online... but we recently realised we could be doing better ourselves. mySociety designer Zarino explains how we've improved the FixMyStreet log-in process.

Reporting by numbers

Ever wondered what those funny little ID numbers on streetlights are for? The clue's in that 'ID', we suppose... and now we've harnessed them for Buckinghamshire's FixMyStreet.

Mapping report density

Our researchers have been working with the University of Sheffield and University of Sterling to create maps: as Alex explains, they help us to understand patterns of report-making against areas of deprivation — just one possible usage for the Open Data derived from FixMyStreet.

Playing nicely with Oxfordshire

As FixMyStreet becomes the primary report-making platform for more and more councils, we're coming across more and more variations in the software systems that they use. It's all good for our own education!

Keep It In The Community update

What we're reading

• Emily Shaw worked with mySociety's Research department to produce this paper on how Civic Tech is filling gaps in US local government — now available on JeDEM, the online journal of eDemocracy and Open Government.
• French MP Paula Forteza makes a case for Civic Tech as one salve to social unrest.
• London's CDO Theo Blackwell wonders if you're interested in getting involved with 3D modeling of the city.
• When Christmas decorations make drivers twitch.
• Faced with this kind of problem, there's only one site to report it on: TwixMyStreet.

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