Can Technology Replace City Inspectors?

Government Technology: Ever been frustrated by a city's cumbersome permit process? According to a story in The Atlantic Cities, some owners of commercial real estate in Chicago decided to skip the permit process altogether, installing unauthorized billboards in the Windy City. And because the city's understaffed inspection team has trouble enforcing billboard permit rules, the risk-takers get away with their offenses. Even worse, those unpermitted billboards represent millions of dollars in revenue the city will never see.

Read article