On a summer evening, environmental science and policy senior Daniel McGarigal walked across campus and noticed a sprinkler was spewing water into the street and that a few street lights had burnt-out bulbs.
Thus, the idea for Watchbull, an application that allows students to report maintenance issues after hours, was born.
McGarigal, the director of Student Government’s Department of Sustainable Initiatives, described the app as “a way to report some of the issues the maintenance crew may not see or may not be aware of.”
Though in development, McGarigal is not certain the app will become available for download. He must first contact the legal affairs office at USF Tampa and get permission to run it.
Through Watchbull, students would be able to take a picture of the problem and attach it an email that notifies campus maintenance authorities. The app also features a button that calls University Police Services.
The motivation for creating the app was a sustainable initiative. McGarigal wanted to reduce wastefulness from maintenance problems.
When he presented his idea to SG, he was encouraged to expand the app to include safety, so he designed the police contact feature. He hopes this will make police respond faster on campus. The app would use the same process as simply dialing the number for University Police Services, but would eliminate the time it takes to enter the number on one’s phone.
One student developer is working on the app, but McGarigal was unable to disclose the student’s name because of the project’s uncertainty. The developer is only certified with Apple products, so McGarigal is seeking a developer who has an Android certification as well.
Students who do not have a smartphone would be able to access Watchbull through a web page. However, the app is most optimal on a phone, McGarigal said. Smartphone users would be able to take a picture of the issue and send it out on one device. Those without a smartphone would have to find a computer before reporting the issue.
McGarigal hopes the app will be completed by the end of the semester. Due to pending legal issues, he said it is not logical to assume it will be ready sooner.
