Smartphones can be useful for pretty much everything, but one of the problems is that literally everything has an app. So, you have to use one app for each data point.
Sunlight Foundation
Unless, of course, you’re using Sitegeist.
Sitegeist is built by the Sunlight Foundation, which has as its mission finding, collecting, and digitizing all publicly available data for public use. The idea is that this increases government accountability and actually puts the tax dollars spent collecting this stuff to actual use.
It sounds boring and pretentious, but in actuality, it presents all this information with a beautiful, simple design that evokes a good infographic.
And it collects everything: Voter affiliation, demographics, Foursquare check-ins, you name it, if it’s available to the general public, it’s on this app. It’s surprisingly useful: I took it to a few neighborhoods near where I live and got information that I was not expecting, and a lot of it was useful.
It’s also arranged to give you the useful information up front. If nothing else, it’s worth installing just learn about places you’re going: Hey, it’s free for Android and iOS.
Sitegeist [Sunlight Foundation]