OpenTowns converts municipal meeting videos into searchable, timestamped transcripts, short written summaries, and podcast‑style audio recaps, letting residents quickly find specific topics or speakers. The platform also offers dashboards that track speaker activity, topic trends, and official statements across meetings, providing a free, time‑efficient way to stay informed about local government.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Citizens often lack convenient ways to access and understand the content of local government meetings, which are typically recorded as lengthy videos that are difficult to watch in full. This limits public awareness of civic discussions, decisions, and official statements.
Solution
OpenTowns transforms municipal meeting recordings into searchable transcripts, concise written summaries, and audio podcast recaps. Users can quickly locate specific topics or speakers, read timestamped transcripts for exact wording, and listen to brief podcast versions on popular platforms. The platform also provides analytical tools that highlight speaker activity, recurring topics, and discussion trends over time. By offering a free account, OpenTowns enables residents to monitor their local government without the time burden of watching entire videos.
Target Audience
Primary users are residents, community activists, and local journalists who need efficient access to municipal meeting information, as well as civic tech platforms seeking to integrate public‑record data.
Features
- Full, timestamped transcripts generated from meeting videos for precise keyword search
- Automated short-form written summaries that capture key points of each meeting
- Podcast-style audio recaps published to major listening services for on‑the‑go consumption
- City and meeting insight dashboards showing speaker frequency, topic prevalence, and trend analytics
- Public official profiles aggregating appearance history, topics discussed, and statements across meetings