In light of recent developments in IT infrastructure, the federal government has developed an application for the people living in Islamabad.
Called the “Islamabad City App” it allows you to explore the city in addition to providing important information and details, like the police station’s numbers, hospitals nearby, etc.
The app was developed through the joint efforts of the Ministry of IT, NITB technical team and CDA officials.
We take the app for a spin. Read on to hear our first impressions of its features and interface.
Features and Problems
When you launch the app, there are four main tabs at the top: home, nearby, gallery and weather.
The search option doesn’t work. All it does is bring up a small dialogue box at the bottom saying “Search Here”.
The play button at the bottom right doesn’t work either.
You can swipe out a menu from the left which lists the same categories in the home tab.
To make matters worse, the app did seem to lag for me when the side menu is swiped out.
Here’s how it looks:
For the first category you get access to:
- History of Islamabad
- Map of Pakistan
- Events in Islamabad
- Attractions
- Metrobus
- Emergency numbers
- Hosptitals
- Doctors
- Lodging
- Nearby
- Draw Route
- Virtual Tour
- Gas Stations
- Restaurants
- Travel Advisors
- CDA Complaint Management System
- Report a Crime
- Report a Cyber Crime
- Treasures
- Explore CDA
- Explore NITB
The options listed don’t actually take you to an in-app page. Instead it links you to Google Maps or different websites like Tripadvisor or Allevents.in (which looks like an Indian website). Some of the options like the emergency numbers and history of Islamabad do however open inside the app.
The Nearby tab has similar links as the ones in home category but with some extra links like mosques, libraries, banks, bakeries etc. It opens up Google Maps to find those for you.
The Gallery has a bunch of photos of Islamabad, showing it in all its beauty.
The Weather tab shows you the current weather in Islamabad.
Do You Need It?
The app can help you out if you can’t seem to find most of the locations yourself through Google Maps or other web apps. It might just serve its purpose somewhat for tourists and other people who are just visiting Islamabad for the first time. However, advanced users or techies won’t find it very useful.
You do however get access to emergency numbers and links to doctors, which you can’t find easily.
If you are interested in trying out the app for yourself, you can download it through the link below.
Download Islamabad City App on Google Play Store.
Any information on plans for launching an IOS version?
I wish ProPak can be so ruthless and critical when reviewing corporate sector products
Very good initiative but needs improvements
ANY PERSON WHO CAN DEVELOP THE SAME OR LIKE APP FOR GUJRAT CITY. (PUNJAB)
Gov should do it, otherwise i think you can find many 3rd party apps for Gujrat
Good initiative. gud for tourists and quick info
Totally unprofessional behavior of government officials towards technology. You can expect these blunders from them.
Instead of criticizing, it would be much better if people, who love their country and love Islamabad, give feedback on how to improve this initiative further.
Baqol Faraz,
Shikwa-e-Zulmat-e-Shab say to kaheen behtar thaa
Apnay hissay ki koi shama jalatay jaatey
All data is framed from relevant sites, which means its totally useless.