The Street Condition Observation Unit (SCOUT) is comprised of 15 inspectors who report to the Mayor's Office of Operations. The inspectors are charged with driving every New York City street every month of the year. While surveying city streets, inspectors report visually-identifiable street conditions into a hand-held device that wirelessly transmits the data to the Mayor's Office.

From the Mayor's Office, conditions are sent to the 311 Customer Service Center where reports are treated just as calls from the public would be and sent to appropriate city agencies for response.