Inuvik residents and visitors have a new way to stay informed about municipal news, services and events after the town launched its first mobile app.
Released in time for Canada Day, the app offers access to forms, newsletters, event calendars, maps and other town resources. It also features push notifications for important notices and service alerts.
Emilie Leneveu, the town’s marketing and communications coordinator, said the project grew out of an initiative to digitize municipal forms. Staff realized a broader app could help residents complete more tasks and find information more easily.
“This is the first iteration,” she told Cabin Radio. “We’re open to feedback and always looking to improve the application.”
Noting plenty of other municipalities operate similar apps, she added: “We were really just looking to add Inuvik to that digital map and create one for ourselves, one of our own.”
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Leneveu said development of the app started earlier this year. Since its launch at the start of July, its notification system has been used to tell residents about the installation of boat docks.
Since its launch, Leneveu said, 173 people have used the app and the town is seeing an early average of 29 daily active users.
“We hope it is more cohesive and increases the usability for everyone,” she said. “We’re excited to see how this can be an effective tool throughout the seasons.
“Of course, during the summer we have a very busy tourist season, but we’re excited to see through the fall, through the winter, how this will help both residents and visitors – whether it be those push notifications for snow removal or even being able to look at the road conditions through our partners at [the GNWT] – all in one cohesive application.”
This isn’t the only digital initiative on which the town is embarking.
Town staff recently said they are also trying to update Inuvik’s Google Street View imagery to better showcase the community to visitors. The current imagery dates from 2009.
