The Open311 specification and implementations have developed rapidly in recent months and several developers and service providers have already integrated the first version of the specification into their technology. San Francisco has also moved their API from just being available for testing to being deployed as a live, in-production web service. A full list of services and applications using this version of the API will be made available shortly.
From the outset, the API development has been versioned so that new specifications can be advanced while coexisting with older ones. With this in mind, the developer community, cities, and companies have been moving the conversation forward to evolve and improve the first specification so that it can be used by a wider audience. The mailing list has come alive with feedback on a wide variety of issues and the two cities currently driving this forward the most, San Francisco and Washington D.C., have come together to agree on and fully interoperate with a new Open311 GeoReport v2 specification. Both of these cities are accepting requests for API keys (San Francisco, Washington D.C.) to develop with the new specification. A full run down of the changes and advancements will be made available shortly, but one of the first things you might notice is that we are now referring to this specification as the Open311 GeoReport API. The reason for this name is to clarify the specific functionality provided within the umbrella of all things that 311 services provide. It’s also meant to make it more obvious that the specification applies to those who do not associate these services with the “311” name or shortcode.
We look forward to hearing your feedback so that we can better clarify the Open311 GeoReport v2 specification and give everyone a better sense of the current state of the Open311 effort. Please speak up here in the comments or on the mailing list. Also feel free to contact me directly. We hope to hear from anyone interested in innovating around this common foundation to help improve our cities and all communities.