Join the betaNear You
See noteworthy activity, status totals, leading categories, and nearby 311 trends across your search area.
A clearer view of your DC
What’s changing
around you today?
DC Pulse brings nearby 311 requests, building permits, and DDOT construction permits into one approachable, map-forward view of your neighborhood.
SHAW ✦PETWORTH ✦ANACOSTIA ✦CAPITOL HILL ✦COLUMBIA HEIGHTS ✦BROOKLAND ✦
FOUR WAYS TO EXPLORE
Your neighborhood,
at a glance.
Start with a quick overview, explore the map, browse the timeline, or return to any place and public record you follow.
Map
Explore 311 requests, building permits, and DDOT construction permits with clustering and source-aware filters.
Requests
Browse a chronological, sortable list of requests and permits for your current search or any place you follow.
Places
Save Home, follow additional DC addresses, and keep watched requests and permits close at hand.
EXPLORE DC PULSE
Designed around the questions
people ask every day.
Move from a neighborhood overview to the map, Requests, and the places that matter to you.
01
Your neighborhood at a glance
Know what’s happening nearby.
See noteworthy activity, status totals, leading categories, and nearby 311 trends across your search area.
02
Explore by location
See updates across the map.
Explore 311 requests, building permits, and DDOT construction permits with clustering and source-aware filters.
03
Clear, useful details
Browse nearby requests.
Browse a chronological, sortable list of requests and permits for your current search or any place you follow.
04
Your home stays close
Return to the place that matters.
Save Home, follow additional DC addresses, and keep watched requests and permits close at hand.
MORE THAN DOTS ON A MAPUnderstand the story
Understand the story
behind each record.
Keep the closest records in view
Close-in and selected-radius searches load independently, then merge into one map with visible progress and a one-tap filter reset.
Follow meaningful changes
Watch individual requests and permits, then revisit category-aware alerts and the affected record from an on-device inbox.
Copy what you need
Copy an individual public field, a concise detail summary, or the context needed when reporting a possible permit violation.
Check the official record
Copy an exact public request ID and continue to DC 311 with honest paste-and-search guidance—without pretending a fragile deep link exists.
Prepare a request draft
Start with a photo, review an on-device category suggestion, and continue to the official DC 311 app or website to submit.
Know what you’re using
Find support, privacy, source code, MIT terms, public-data attribution, and the installed app version directly in DC Pulse.
PRIVACY BY DEFAULTYour location.
Your location.
Your choice.
The DC Pulse iPhone app does not send or store personal or location information on DC Pulse servers.
No account or tracking
DC Pulse has no account system, advertising SDK, or developer analytics.
Direct public-data searches
Your selected coordinate, radius, and time range go directly to DC’s ArcGIS services to return nearby records—not to a DC Pulse server.
Saved on your device
Home, followed places, watched items, preferences, and the notification inbox remain on your iPhone.
Private photo analysis
311 draft photos are analyzed on-device. DC Pulse does not read their location metadata or upload them during analysis.
Private alert previews
System notification previews omit street addresses. Useful public-record detail remains available inside the on-device inbox.
Support messages
The website stores the email and message you submit and sends them to the support team only so your request can be reviewed and answered.
OPEN SOURCEBuilt in public,
Built in public,
for the public.
DC Pulse is an independent community project, released under the MIT License. Its source code, architecture, data mappings, privacy decisions, roadmap, and issue tracker are open for anyone to inspect.
View DC Pulse on GitHubLocal-first by design
No account system, advertising SDK, analytics SDK, or custom app backend. Saved places, watches, preferences, and alerts stay on your iPhone.
Documented public data
Review the ArcGIS source contracts, normalization boundaries, known limitations, architecture, and release roadmap directly in the repository.
Contributions welcome
Open a non-sensitive issue, suggest an improvement, or read the project guidelines before proposing a focused change.
Public beta on TestFlight
DC Pulse is available to try through Apple’s TestFlight service and is not yet publicly available in the App Store. Reliability, accessibility, and clear public-data presentation remain the focus.
SUPPORTGood questions.
Good questions.
Clear answers.
Get help with DC Pulse, report a problem, share feedback, or suggest an improvement. Visit the dedicated support page anytime.
How can I try DC Pulse?+
DC Pulse is available as a public TestFlight beta for iPhone. Use the Join the beta button to install it through Apple’s TestFlight app.
What kinds of activity does DC Pulse show?+
DC Pulse currently combines nearby DC 311 service requests, 2026 Building Permits, and 2026 DDOT Construction Permits.
Where does Building Permit information come from?+
Building Permit records are published by the DC Department of Buildings through DC Open Data and DC GIS.
What are DDOT Construction Permits?+
These public records describe transportation and public-space work such as excavation, paving, fixtures, landscaping, and public-space rental. They are published by DDOT through DC Open Data and DC GIS.
Do I have to share my location?+
No. Location access is optional. You can search around a DC address or browse by ward instead.
Can I change what appears on the map?+
Yes. Filter by data source, status, category, time range, and radius. You can also move the map and search the area in view.
Can I filter out Building Permits or 311 requests?+
Yes. The Map and Requests views allow you to filter by data source.
Why might a record be missing from the map?+
Some public records do not include a valid geocoded location. Those records may still appear in Requests but cannot always be placed accurately on the map.
Does DC Pulse submit or resolve 311 requests?+
No. DC Pulse helps you explore public records. It does not create, manage, or resolve requests, and it does not issue, approve, manage, or verify building permits.
Can DC Pulse help me report something?+
Yes. A photo-assisted draft can suggest a broad 311 category on your device, let you review every detail, and then open the official DC 311 portal. DC Pulse does not submit the request for you.
Can I look up a specific 311 request?+
Yes. From a 311 item, DC Pulse can copy the exact public request ID and open the official DC 311 service. You paste or search for the ID there; DC Pulse does not claim an unverified record-specific link.
How do watches and alerts work?+
You can watch individual records or automatically watch new nearby activity around Home. DC Pulse checks for changes when fresh data is loaded, keeps an on-device notification inbox, and offers optional local alerts. Reliable remote push delivery is not yet available.
NEED MORE HELP?
Visit supportContact DC Pulse Support
Report a problem, ask a privacy question, or share feedback about the TestFlight beta from the dedicated support page.
DATA & ATTRIBUTIONGrounded in
Grounded in
public records.
DC Pulse currently brings together:
- DC 311 City Service Requests
- 2026 Building Permits from the DC Department of Buildings
- 2026 DDOT Construction Permits for transportation and public-space work
- DC Open Data and DC GIS source infrastructure
Data availability, accuracy, categorization, geocoding, and update timing depend on the source datasets. Some permit records may lack usable map coordinates and can appear in Requests without an accurate map position.
DC Pulse does not create, manage, or resolve 311 requests, and does not issue, approve, manage, or verify permits. Reporting actions open the appropriate official government service.
The verified source endpoints, field mappings, and known limitations are documented openly on GitHub.
THE CITY IS ALWAYS CHANGING.