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Code for America

One thing led to another toward a part in organized civic tech

November 4, 2019 by Ted Cuzzillo

Water from heavy rain around a blocked drain formed a puddle, and nearby resident Michael Norelli could have called the city. But he just cleared it himself. He kept on clearing it in storm after storm — simple do-it-yourself action that eventually led him to a civic tech team and even some notoriety.

It led him to meet a neighbor, a developer who volunteered at the San Francisco “brigade” of the nationwide civic tech group Code for America. That volunteer told him about a project called Adopt A Drain. Eventually, after a move across the bay, Norelli joined OpenOakland, the Oakland brigade.… Read the rest “One thing led to another toward a part in organized civic tech”

Filed Under: city tech Tagged With: Aaron Hans, Cities, civic tech, Code for America, culture, Michael Norelli, OpenOakland, water quality Leave a Comment

Big Smart, Small Smart, smartest

October 10, 2019 by Ted Cuzzillo

No sooner had I posted the story in 2017 about Steve Pepple’s real-time visualization of a San Francisco parade’s data than a reader lodged an objection. “Building displays that show where the parties are,” wrote that reader, “could also show a gunman what sites to shoot up.”

True, Pepple’s LCD display, hanging in a neighborhood art project’s entryway for any passerby to see, posed that familiar risk. But let’s not all run away screaming in terror just yet. Pepple’s project — a bit player in the “smart cities” super-genre — deserves a long look at what it and others on the same scale may offer.… Read the rest “Big Smart, Small Smart, smartest”

Filed Under: city tech Tagged With: civic tech, Code for America, Pride Day Parade, San Francisco, Small Smart, smart cities, Steve Pepple Leave a Comment

The “spaghetti soup of challenges” for an air quality app

September 27, 2019 by Ted Cuzzillo

To watch Jess Sand lead a meeting of developers and others building an air-quality related app is to see a snapshot of the civic tech movement today.

Civic tech projects start out looking like it’s all about technology. But the more you look, the more you see that “civic” — meaning the development team, the people who’ll use their app, and anyone who might someday find value in their work — swings way more weight than “tech” ever will.

The project has been in the works for a few years already, and this team is at least its second generation to take it on.… Read the rest “The “spaghetti soup of challenges” for an air quality app”

Filed Under: city tech Tagged With: air quality, Cities, civic tech, Code for America, Ife Ajiboye, Jess Sand, West Oakland Air Quality project, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project Leave a Comment

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smarter cities & data narrative

Two recent “storytelling” tools for public audiences Toucan spoonfeeds data’s insight while Juicebox cultivates data skills

The data-shy among us have two friends in the software business. One a few years old and one new this year. Nashville, Tennessee-based Juice Analytics … [Read More...] about Two recent “storytelling” tools for public audiences Toucan spoonfeeds data’s insight while Juicebox cultivates data skills

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