Year: 2013

Building a Smarter Chicago Chapter in Beyond Transparency, a New Book from Code for America

Smart Chicago

Today marks the publication of “Beyond Transparency: Open Data and the Future of Civic Innovation“, an anthology edited by Brett Goldstein with Lauren Dyson and published by Code for America. Here’s a blurb:

Beyond Transparency is a cross-disciplinary survey of the open data landscape, in which practitioners share their own stories of what they’ve accomplished with open civic data. It seeks to move beyond the rhetoric of transparency for transparency’s sake and towards action and problem solving. Through these stories, we examine what is needed to build an ecosystem in which open data can become the raw materials to drive more effective decision-making and efficient service delivery, spur economic activity, and empower citizens to take an active role in improving their own communities.

I wrote a chapter for this anthology titled, “Building a Smarter Chicago“, which I call “an illustrative, incomplete, and idiosyncratic look at the ecosystem in Chicago. It is meant to provide a thumbnail take on how the ecosystem developed here, while sparking fires elsewhere”.

I’m really honored to have taken part in this important publication. We’ll be serializing the chapter over the next few days. Meantime, to download or order a printed copy, visit beyondtransparency.org.

Civic User Testing Group as a Model in Changing the Relationship Between Government and Residents (#cfasummit)

Smart Chicago

Here’s the presentation I’m giving today at the Code for America Summit in the context of the “Changing the Relationship Between Government and Residents” panel. Panel description as follows:

Civic technology often aims to change way governments and citizens interact — but how well is it working and what are we learning from these efforts? This session will focus on how cities are changing the way they relate to residents and enabling new modes of civic participation and engagement.

Looking forward to the conversation with Catherine Bracy, Matthew McNaughton, and Nick Bowden. Here’s my text, slides & links:

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Toward More Fluidity in Civic Data

Smart Chicago

Over there weekend, there were at least three news stories have referenced super-specific figures on speed cameras as released by the City of Chicago, but none of them linked to the source of the data. I read these stories, and marveled and the incredibly specific information they’ve pulled from what seems to be a specific document, but couldn’t for the life of me find the document to which they are referring.

Car Speeds Past hyde Park, London

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City of Chicago Launches the First Comprehensive, Public Data Dictionary

Smart Chicago

Today the City of Chicago launched the City of Chicago Data Dictionary, a single, comprehensive database catalog for the City of Chicago and City of Chicago sister agencies. The data dictionary contains detailed information on every data set held by City agencies and departments, how and if it may be accessed, and in which formats it may be accessed.

The City of Chicago Data Dictionary marks an important advance in open government data because it provides vast insight into how local government works. In concert with the City’s data portal, which is one of the largest raw data stores for a municipality anywhere, residents can now download available data, as well as examine the structure of all the data the City uses to make things work around here.

Tom Schenk Jr, Director of Analytics and Performance for the City of Chicago, announced the launch at the Code for America Summit in San Francisco. The City also published the underlying code for their data dictionary (titled “metalicious”). This code allows governments, businesses, and nonprofits– any organization that maintains multiple databases–  a great resource for publishing their own data dictionaries.

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Hang out with us at the #cfasummit!

Smart Chicago

Code for America Summit 2012

Code for America HQ, Photo By Brett Lum

Next week, Smart Chicago will be at the Code for America Summit in San Francisco.  We’re big fans, friends, and funders of Code for America and we’re excited to take part in the summit. Here’s a cribsheet:

  • I will be speaking on Wednesday about launching the Civic User Testing Group in a session about “Changing the Relationship: Government and Residents”
  • Christopher Whitaker will be assisting with the Code for America Brigade Captain’s Summit on Monday
  • Smart Chicago Advisory Committee member and Chicago Chief Technology Officer John Tolva will be delivering the closing remarks on Tuesday
  •  Brett Goldstein, editor of the open data anthology  Beyond Transparency, will  be delivering the keynote on day two (I wrote a chapter in there and so did Friend of Smart Chicago John Bracken).
  • Tom Schenk Jr, Head of Analytics at the City of Chicago, will also be at the summit talking about Chicago’s data portal. Stay tuned here for more info on that!

Going to the Code for America Summit and want to hang out? Hit us up.

Hardware and Software for CUTGroup and Civic Hacker Events

Smart Chicago
camerselfie

Here’s looking at you kid

Here at Smart Chicago Collaborative, we cover a lot of civic innovation events in Chicago with live streaming and live tweeting. We also use a lot of audio and visual equipment to execute our Civic User Testing Group.

This mega-post covers the equipment we use as well as details on how we use it. We seek to propagate the Smart Chicago model for civic innovation work all over the country, so we seek to share as much information about our methods and equipment as we do our source code.

So here’s a deep-dive into our AV/ internet connectivity/ broadcasting stack:

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