Introducing OurStreets Supplies
Help your neighbors find the essential supplies, flatten the curve.
Update 4/2/2020: OurStreets Supplies update is now available for Android via “over the air” update. Download from the Google Play store for and then follow the instructions below.
Completely open and close the app using the app switcher. You’ll know you’ve completely closed the app when you see the loading screen after re-opening. If it doesn’t work, rinse and repeat. Watch a 10 second how-to video here.
Update 4/1/2020: OurStreets Supplies update is now available for iOS.
The OurStreets mission has always been about using community-driven data to analyze and solve real-world problems.
Unprecedented actions are being taken by government officials and private citizens on a daily basis to slow the spread of COVID-19. For many, the last few weeks have been filled with anxiety and uncertainty. We each have our own concerns about this public health crisis. As an expectant father, the safety of my family has been first-and-foremost in my mind. When large-scale lock-downs and shelter-in-place orders began happening across the country, even the smallest everyday decisions, like where and when to buy eggs or soap or milk, are much bigger and more important than ever before.
As we all watched store shelves empty day after day and more and more of our friends turned to social media to search for everyday essentials like toilet paper, the OurStreets team realized we needed to do something to help out.
Less than two weeks ago, the team got to work, and today I am proud to announce the launch of OurStreets Supplies.
OurStreets Supplies is a new intuitive reporting tool that gives users the power to track and report essential supplies at neighborhood stores, making shopping trips more efficient to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
We built OurStreets Supplies on the same flexible infrastructure and with the same UI as OurStreets. Users provide reports on the inventory levels of much needed items at neighborhood retailers. This information can be shared immediately on social media, and will soon be available right in the OurStreets App with a brand-new Supplies Search function. OurStreets Supplies also asks and reports whether or not users were able to keep a safe social distance of six or more feet from other shoppers.
OurStreets’ approach encourages everyone to be a stakeholder in creating healthy and thriving cities. We’re amplifying people-power by sharing users’ experiences and using data to inform their neighbors of issues like empty shelves and long and crowded lines.
For the launch of OurStreets Supplies, OurStreets has partnered with Data Society, a data science education company, to understand inventory levels and supply chain patterns, and with Union Kitchen, a food accelerator that operates groceries, commercial kitchens, and distribution services.
I am excited about OurStreets Supplies because:
- Users can make empowered choices and take control during an uncertain time.
- Retailers can ensure stocked shelves and keep their employees safe by communicating what’s available ahead of time.
- Municipal partners can gain insights into demand and shortages across communities, empowering legislators to make changes to policy and enforcement to make sure constituents have access to the basic goods they need to survive.
How You Can Help
- Download OurStreets. OurStreets Supplies is available today in the OurStreets app on the App Store and Google Play.
- Report What’s Available. Use OurStreets Supplies to report what you’re able and not able to find when you make your next safe shopping trip. More data means OurStreets Supplies will be more useful to those who need it most. Senior-citizens and the immuno-compromised can use OurStreets Supplies to find out if their local supermarket or pharmacy has what they need and will not need to risk going to more stores than necessary.
- Provide us with feedback. We built OurStreets Supplies quickly to meet the moment. We’re excited to continue expanding its feature set and usefulness. Share feedback with us at contact@ourstreets.com.
At OurStreets, we’re amplifying people power to create safer and healthier cities. Help your neighbors find what they need with OurStreets Supplies and together we will minimize the spread of infection and flatten the curve.
