The Smart Chicago Collaborative is proud to announce the launch of Roll With Me – an app that gives transit directions for the those who use wheelchairs.
Month: November 2014
mRelief: Mobilizing social service relief in Chicago
Last week marked the launch of mRelief, a site that simplifies the social service qualifying process with an easy-to-use form that can be accessed online and through SMS. Residents can check to see if they’re eligible for a variety of programs including food stamps, medicaid, WIC, and more. Here’s the press release by mRelief creators on day of launch.
mRelief is made by an all-woman team hailing from different backgrounds and walks of life dedicated to making an impact with technology. Smart Chicago has supported mRelief under our CivicWorks Project funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
mRelief is already deployed at the Martin Luther King Jr Community Services Center. The Community Service Centers are run by the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services. DFSS Community Service Centers help individuals and families in need access a wide range of resources from shelter, food and clothing to domestic violence assistance, job training/placement and services for the formerly incarcerated. Staff members are using mRelief to help streamline the process of evaluating their eligibility. The mRelief team has also partnered with Purple Binder to refer residents to other useful local resources if they are ineligible for public assistance.
Join the City of Chicago’s Department of Innovation and Technology
The City of Chicago’s Department of Innovation and Technology is hiring a Senior Database Analyst to help coordinate the operationalization of their data research.
City Hall, Photo by Chris Smith
We talked with Chief Data Officer Tom Schenk Jr to learn more about the work of the Department of Innovation and Technology and the position he’s hiring for.
Complete Info on Chicago Park District Advisory Councils
The next meeting of Open Gov Chicago(-land), set for Thursday, November 20, 2014, is going to do a deep-dive on Chicago Park District Advisory Councils. Here’s a description:
Our next meetup will be the first in a new series that focuses on learning about and helping grassroots groups that interact with official government functions.
First up is the Park District Advisory Council. There are 194 advisory councils covering the entire city, and they are populated by regular Chicago residents who care about their neighborhoods. We will hear from people who run these councils, find out what kind of data and technology they use, and figure out we can help.
As part of this new series, we’ve done some research on councils. We’ve taken a look at it from a technology view, hoping to kick off some thoughts in the civic tech community on how we might be helpful.
Humboldt Park Formal Garden
Use 311? Want to make it better? – Comment here!
The City of Chicago is currently in the process of revamping the 311 system. The 311 system is what the city uses to coordinate and dispatch city services. Every year, this system takes millions of calls regarding potholes, graffiti, food poisoning, street lights being out, rat sightings, and more. The 311 system currently in use is pretty old for software – almost fourteen years. The City recently put out an request for proposal to build a new 311 system that will focus on improving the interaction between residents and city government.
As part of this process, the city created ChIdeas. They want your feedback. What do you think of the current system and what ideas do you have to improve it?
To do this, the City is using an app called MindMixer. Mindmixer allows you to submit ideas as well as vote up ideas that you also like. For example, Steve Vance has suggested increasing the number of service request types.
The feedback period closes in two weeks – so visit the site today and give your feedback!
The Launch of Chicago Localwiki
Today we’re stoked to announce the launch of Chicago’s LocalWiki, an online hyperlocal encyclopedia that anyone can edit. There are already several cities with LocalWiki including Oakland, Ann Arbor, and Santa Cruz.
In order to launch LocalWiki in Chicago, we partnered with the Chicago Public Library and local writer Mairead Case. As you explore the wiki, you’ll definitely notice a literary bent.
Right now, the Chicago LocalWiki is seeded with information about local writers, places, and books that have a Chicago connection. However, this is only the beginning for LocalWiki. Because LocalWikis can be edited by anyone, there’s a huge opportunity for people to write about the rich history of their own neighborhoods. Signing up is easy and you’ll be helping people learn more about our great city. LocalWiki also has an API. We’ll also be hosting write-a-thons at Chicago Public Library locations to help fill out the LocalWiki.
This project is part of our CivicWorks Project – program funded by the Knight Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust to spur support civic innovation in Chicago. The program will produce 200 content pieces, 5 apps that solve government problems, and 5 apps that solve community problems.
