While the vast majority of iPhone applications are used for entertainment or other frivolous purposes, one new upcoming iPhone app appears to be set to do a lot of good and increase efficiency for one Canadian city.

The city of Edmonton, Alberta, is doing their best to use the technology available through the iPhone to help their city. The city is presently almost done developing a new application that will allow a citizen to report hazards that they see. The application, which is titled “City Watch,” is being developed by Touch Metric.

Through use of the new application, residents or visitors of Edmonton will be able to report hazards to the police department without having to call Edmonton’s non-emergency 311 number. This should add a significant amount of convenience and encourage a citizen to report issues including fallen tree branches or new graffiti. The city officials believe that more citizens would contact the police more frequently if it was easier to do so. It should be noted that this application seems to only be needed for non-emergency crimes. For more serious crimes, calling the police is still recommended.

The new application seems like an excellent idea and is a new way for the average citizen to stay in contact with the city.

The City Watch application will be available for iPhone, iTouch, and iPad users by April 30. The application is expected to be a free application that can be downloaded through the iTunes application store.

The City of Edmonton is encouraging citizens to create their own iPhone applications. The city is now offering a cash prize of $50,000 to the iPhone developer who creates the best application for allowing Edmonton officials to share community information with the citizens of Edmonton. The prizewinner will be announced in October 2010.

Edmonton's Hazard iPhone App: There's An App For That Too