Hate Potholes? LSU Students are Engineering an App to Better Report and Resolve Infrastructure Issues
May 07, 2025
From potholes and cracked sidewalks to broken streetlights and graffiti, small but important infrastructure issues in local communities often take time to be noticed, reported, and resolved.
As part of their senior capstone project, a team of LSU engineering students developed MuniciPal, a mobile and web-based application designed to simplify and digitize the entire public works reporting process.
“Right now, citizens often report issues by calling different departments, filling out forms, or even posting on social media—none of which feed directly into the project-funding and bidding process,” said Sahithi Rampally, team member and a computer science major.
Through research and user analysis, the team identified an opportunity to bridge the communication gap between residents, city departments, and contractors. While local governments work diligently to maintain public infrastructure, the process of receiving reports, prioritizing needs, and coordinating repairs can be complex and time-consuming, often involving multiple systems, paper forms, or inconsistent channels
The app addresses this by allowing residents to submit photos of infrastructure concerns, include a brief description, and even upvote issues they care about.
“MuniciPal gives every resident a direct line to improved streets, parks, and public spaces. No more wondering who to call or when that pothole will finally disappear. You report it, vote on it, and track it—right on your phone,” said team member Adam Azmi.
“MuniciPal gives every resident a direct line to improved streets, parks, and public spaces. No more wondering who to call or when that pothole will finally disappear. You report it, vote on it, and track it—right on your phone,” said team member Adam Azmi.
On the backend, municipal staff can view a live, prioritized map of reports, issue digital requests for proposals (RFPs), and assign work to contractors within a centralized system.
The team is made up of the following computer science students and graduates:
- Adam Azmi from Baton Rouge, La.
- Brett Bradley from Mandeville, La.
- Kyle Jefferson from New Orleans, La. Graduated in December 2024.
- Sahithi Rampally from India
- Raedan Stephens from Mandeville, La. Graduating May 2026
- Dina Taing from Cambodia. Graduating in December 2025
The project combines user experience design, software engineering, and public-sector insight—demonstrating how interdisciplinary research at LSU can lead to practical, scalable solutions. By automating tasks that were once manual and fragmented, MuniciPal aims to increase efficiency, improve transparency, and strengthen civic engagement.
“This capstone demonstrates real-world impact. We’ve built a full-stack, user-validated solution that tackles a genuine civic challenge. It shows how interdisciplinary teamwork—combining user experience research, software engineering, and public-sector insight—can lead to a product ready for pilot testing with an actual city,” Jefferson said.
The students worked in specialized roles across mobile and web development, collaborating and guided by faculty advisor Nash Mahmoud, associate professor of computer science and engineering.
With the potential to reduce administrative overhead, accelerate repair timelines, and give residents more visibility into local improvements, MuniciPal represents a promising example of how LSU student research can directly benefit communities across Louisiana and beyond.
“Together, MuniciPal and the capstone itself showcase how applied computer science and design can improve everyday life for thousands of people,” Taing said.
“Since most of us are graduating this semester, we are definitely planning to work more on the app to refine it more and also have a well-laid-out business plan to start reaching out to the local government. We did submit our application to the Nexus Technology Cup and are hoping to participate and showcase our app in a statewide competition,” Rampally said.
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