Work

Federal Government Challenges Post-Safety Datapalooza

Christopher Whitaker

At last month’s White House Safety Datapalooza, several federal agencies issued challenges to civic minded developers to help the federal government solve real world problems ranging from health care, public safety, education, and more.

Many of the previous winners of these challenges have been civic startups who have leveraged open data released on data.gov to help find creative ways to solve problems.

safetydatapalooza

Sketchnotes at the Public Data Safetypalooa, courtesy @anadiazhernandz

Here’s a list of each challenge along with data resources and some examples of apps that work to solve similar problems. Try to win!

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OpenGov Hack Night: @ChicagoCDO unveils new OpenData Report

Christopher Whitaker

Tom Schenk Jr, Director of Analytics at the City of Chicago, unveiled the City of Chicago’s 2013 Open Data Report.

The Open Data Report overviews the Open Data Executive Order, initiatives accomplished during 2013 such as the launch of the Chicago Data Dictionary, the progress of Chicago’s data portal, and what to expect in 2014.

You can read the report here on the City of Chicago’s website.

 

Update on the CivicWorks Project on the Knight Foundation Blog

Smart Chicago

Here’s an informative update on our Civic Works project. Here’s a snip:

The Civic Works Project is a two-year effort to create apps and other tools to help increase the utility of local government data to benefit community organizations and the broader public. w

This project looks systemically at public and private information that can be used to engage residents, solve community problems and increase government accountability. We believe that there is a new frontier where information can be used to improve public services and community building efforts that benefit local residents.

Through the Civic Works Project, we’re seeking to improve access to information and identify solutions to problems facing diverse communities. Uncovering the value of data—and the stories behind it—can enhance the provision of public services through the smart application of technology.