Datadoodle

You are here: Home / Archives for civic tech

civic tech

Homeless? There’s an app for that

by

If any app gets just 15 minutes of fame out of the box, isn’t marketing critical? It seems obvious to me that those who offer an app would rank marketing up there with programming — especially when the app’s produced by a low-budget, volunteer-run civic-tech group.

But among some civic tech groups, it’s programming first and last. That’s what one recently retired CTO and former engineering instructor at San Francisco State University has found.

Edy Ortiz Aragon has been shopping for an interesting volunteer role, and he’ll be a prize for any group that snags him. (I have obscured identities to protect the well intentioned.)… Read the rest “Homeless? There’s an app for that”

“Dean of Big Data” Bill Schmarzo: “smart” takes a community

by

“I love civic tech,” says the data industry’s “Dean of Big Data” Bill Schmarzo, longtime VP at Dell and now CTO IoT and analytics at Hitachi Vantara. He loves it, but he also has ideas about how to make it work. It takes more than love to bear fruit.

Civic tech is the stuff I’ve written about before — and is possibly the most exciting aspect of “smart cities” today. Think of it: Cities want the technology to make them work better, but they have no money. What’s slightly more plentiful are talented young and not so young coders willing to help.… Read the rest ““Dean of Big Data” Bill Schmarzo: “smart” takes a community”

Power to the transit user in San Francisco

by

The bus is late again. You’re going to be late, and you’re infuriated. You’ve called to complain now and then, but nothing changed. You wrote letters and you signed petitions. You marched on the transit district’s offices. You muttered curses within your personal cabal. Even after all that, the system known affectionately around San Francisco as “the Muni” still drives you crazy.

Ask those who know how the system works, though, and you’ll hear some good advice: Don’t just complain, complain with data to back you up. Best of all, present data from many riders — though that’s hard to do.… Read the rest “Power to the transit user in San Francisco”