Citizen Engagement

Nutrient Sensor Challenge: Innovation by Another Name

Freshwater nutrient pollution alone costs the U.S. more than $2 billion each year. And that stat is an underestimate because it doesn’t account for brackish estuaries or the 95,000 miles of salty coasts. In an effort to help address this problem, EPA is part of the Challenging Nutrients Coalition, a group of federal agencies, universities,Read… Read more »

Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus

Back in the late 1890s, Dr. Philip O’Hanlon was asked by his eight-year-old daughter, Virginia O’Hanlon whether Santa Claus really existed. According to the New York Times, O’Hanlon suggested she write to The Sun, a prominent New York City newspaper at the time, assuring her that “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” He unwittingly gaveRead… Read more »

Community-Specific Tools to Solve Civic Problems

Philadelphia is the fifth largest US city with a population of 1.5 million. The City sought a better way to serve and connect with its diverse community, and to empower its residents to participate in improving their quality of life. The City partnered with PublicStuff to supplement its 311 call center with an interactive mobile… Read more »

Driving Government Services via Customer Needs

What drives you? We all have different things that motivate us to work hard. Whether this stems from the inspiration you get from your kids or from a childhood goal you set at the age of ten, we all are driven by different motivations. Our passions are our fuel, and without them, we feel restlessRead… Read more »

In 7 Words or Less…What’s Your 2015 Prediction?

Wow.  2014 was a great year for government innovation.  We are in the middle of writing our end of year wrap-up guide highlighting 30 great case studies of government innovation from USGS drones to GSA smart building to State of Hawaii’s gamification website. And those are just the ones that made the cut for this guide –Read… Read more »