When you need an automated external defibrillator (AED) you don’t have time to search around or wait for one. It’s a matter of life or death and each second counts. Whereas in the past, you’d have to wait for first responders with knowledge of the nearest AED to come for help, new technology — likeRead… Read more »
Above, see the team Google+ Hangout photo shoot. The two hip dudes holding the heart? That’s Michael Ellsworth and Corey Gutch, the dynamic design team duo from the Seattle creative agency Dumb Eyes who also help to run Seattle’s monthly art walks. The refined, bearded gentleman? That’s Matt Blair, the culture-loving smartphone developer from PortlandRead… Read more »
(Cross-posted from John’s blog) I’m super, super excited to announce that I’ve joined the board of directors of Code for America, an organization started by Jen Pahlka two years ago aimed at getting some of the smartest and most motivated techies & designers among us working on solving some of the core problems facing ourRead… Read more »
Today I came across probably the most beautiful use of public data I’ve ever seen: This came by way of a new app called Dark Sky that purports to predict the weather. Using your precise location, it tells you when it will precipitate and for how long; for instance, you boot it up before you’reRead… Read more »
Earlier this year, Cook County released “Look at Cook,” a budget visualization tool to help citizens understand how the county spends taxpayer dollars. As the site says, residents “keep asking, ‘Where exactly does our money go?’” Look at Cook attempts to help answer that question with spending breakdowns by area and year, as well asRead… Read more »
Co-Chairs of the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, Nigel Jacob and Chris Osgood — and the lead city partners on our Boston project — have been named two of nine “Public Officials of the Year” by Governing! New Urban Mechanics is an agency within Boston’s Mayor’s office tasked with finding new approaches toRead… Read more »
Read what Code for America Fellow Matt Lewis had to say about technology, government, and a better America — in Arc News: It’s no surprise that the last few years have been particularly hard on governments across the country. While there’s been a lot of attention focused on how the federal government will meet itsRead… Read more »
The Atlantic Cities, a new city-centric site brought to us by The Atlantic magazine, scope begins and ends with the goings-on in cities throughout the county. Naturally, this type of publication would have something to say about us here at Code for America: Techies Embed in City Hall The increasingly wired world has inevitably metRead… Read more »
This is part 1 of a recurring series regarding some frequently asked questions on procuring open source software in government. Check back weekly for new installments here at civiccommons.org. At the Code for America Summit last week, I introduced to the assembled community of civic technologists and supporters the Civic Commons Legal and Procurement IssuesRead… Read more »
Apps 4 Metro Chicago recently announced the winners of the community round entries. The challenge was to build an application for the citizens and visitors to the city of Chicago using the Chicago Open Data Portal. Techno Finder finished 8th place in public voting. Techno Finder is an application for finding public technology locations inRead… Read more »