The document discusses civic innovation and the work of Code for Boston. It provides an overview of Code for Boston, including that it started in 2012 as part of the first class of Brigade cities, has around 30 active members and 175 total members, and meets weekly to work on civic technology projects. Examples of completed and in-progress projects are listed. The document encourages getting involved with Code for Boston through their meetup group, fellowship program, or by contacting the brigade captain.
This presentation describes the Good Bytes project started by MetaGood. This project enlists volunteers to build collaborative technology based platforms for use by social impact projects.
Code for America is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve government services through technology and civic engagement. The document discusses Code for America's work in Chicago, including starting a local brigade to organize civic hackers, collaborating with the city government on projects, and obtaining funding for fellowship programs. It also describes how the brigade model has expanded to include regional coordination in order to better support growing brigades across the network.
#FAIL: Black boxes, open-source, and the collaborative futures of the internetdmcolab
This document discusses failures in community wireless network (CWN) projects from 2000-2008 and proposes redefining failure. It presents a taxonomy of CWN project types and examples of notable failures, such as political CWNs in Berlin and Portland that were replaced by commercial networks. The author argues failures can still contribute value through transparent learning and that policy should consider unstated project goals, not just stated goals, when defining failure. The vision is to develop a new taxonomy that recognizes both planned and unplanned outcomes of seemingly failed projects.
Smart Safer City & Open Source UrbanismJunyoung Choi
본 발표에서는 오픈소스 기술의 개념을 도시에 적용한 오픈소스 어버니즘을 변용하여 스마트하고 안전한 도시를 만드는 개념에 적용하는 아이디어 나누고자 하였다.
발표자는 도시주의에서 언급하는 다양한 개입을 통해 불완전한 도시공간을 변화시키는 개념을 내포한 오픈소스 도시화를 오픈소스 기술관점에서 해석하였다.
조작적으로 정의한 기술을 통해 사람이 오픈소스적으로 접근하는 한가지의 개념과 개방성을 통한 혁신의 기재 위에 성숙된 기술이 접목한다는 두개의 축으로 제시하였다.
따라서 오픈소스 도시주의를 통해 도시는 단순한 건조환경 이상의 창조적 공간으로 생성되고 이용될 수 있다고 보고 있다.
The document discusses the potential for emerging technologies and social networks to create positive social change when used for philanthropic purposes. It provides examples of pioneers in information and communication technology who have worked to develop standards and innovations to expand access and connectivity, particularly in developing areas. The document advocates for a holistic approach called "digital philanthropy" that utilizes these tools and principles for sustainable community development.
Digital Master Planning: Can we bring Smart Cities back to Earth? by Anthony ...Gigabit City Summit
Digital Master Planning: Can we bring Smart Cities back to Earth? was presented by Anthony Townsend, founder of Bits and Atoms, at the 2017 Gigabit City Summit.
The Theory And Practice Of Democracy In Virtual WorldsDavid Orban
Inaugural lecture of the CRAEDO Auditorium in Second Life's Colonia Nova Island. The objective of the talk, in analyzing the nature of democracy online is that of persuading the listener that the online worlds cannot exist in isolation, and that they are interdependent with the real world. This mutual influence is a non-zero sum game, beneficial to both, and it is up to the new to shake up the old, it is up to the online world to lead. Gives views on how it must be possible to arrive to a virtuous circle, where the values, the processes, and the goals of both worlds are enhanced by this continuous interaction.
This document discusses opportunities and challenges for next generation government 2.0 applications. While existing apps focus on functional development and open data, there is still a weak link to meaningful citizen engagement and democracy. The document proposes creating new social platforms and apps to more transparently and socially engage citizens in grassroots problem solving and decision making, as long as the process leads to concrete results, transparent decision making, and does not undermine representative democracy. This could help build more trust between governments and citizens.
This presentation describes the Good Bytes project started by MetaGood. This project enlists volunteers to build collaborative technology based platforms for use by social impact projects.
Code for America is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve government services through technology and civic engagement. The document discusses Code for America's work in Chicago, including starting a local brigade to organize civic hackers, collaborating with the city government on projects, and obtaining funding for fellowship programs. It also describes how the brigade model has expanded to include regional coordination in order to better support growing brigades across the network.
#FAIL: Black boxes, open-source, and the collaborative futures of the internetdmcolab
This document discusses failures in community wireless network (CWN) projects from 2000-2008 and proposes redefining failure. It presents a taxonomy of CWN project types and examples of notable failures, such as political CWNs in Berlin and Portland that were replaced by commercial networks. The author argues failures can still contribute value through transparent learning and that policy should consider unstated project goals, not just stated goals, when defining failure. The vision is to develop a new taxonomy that recognizes both planned and unplanned outcomes of seemingly failed projects.
Smart Safer City & Open Source UrbanismJunyoung Choi
본 발표에서는 오픈소스 기술의 개념을 도시에 적용한 오픈소스 어버니즘을 변용하여 스마트하고 안전한 도시를 만드는 개념에 적용하는 아이디어 나누고자 하였다.
발표자는 도시주의에서 언급하는 다양한 개입을 통해 불완전한 도시공간을 변화시키는 개념을 내포한 오픈소스 도시화를 오픈소스 기술관점에서 해석하였다.
조작적으로 정의한 기술을 통해 사람이 오픈소스적으로 접근하는 한가지의 개념과 개방성을 통한 혁신의 기재 위에 성숙된 기술이 접목한다는 두개의 축으로 제시하였다.
따라서 오픈소스 도시주의를 통해 도시는 단순한 건조환경 이상의 창조적 공간으로 생성되고 이용될 수 있다고 보고 있다.
The document discusses the potential for emerging technologies and social networks to create positive social change when used for philanthropic purposes. It provides examples of pioneers in information and communication technology who have worked to develop standards and innovations to expand access and connectivity, particularly in developing areas. The document advocates for a holistic approach called "digital philanthropy" that utilizes these tools and principles for sustainable community development.
Digital Master Planning: Can we bring Smart Cities back to Earth? by Anthony ...Gigabit City Summit
Digital Master Planning: Can we bring Smart Cities back to Earth? was presented by Anthony Townsend, founder of Bits and Atoms, at the 2017 Gigabit City Summit.
The Theory And Practice Of Democracy In Virtual WorldsDavid Orban
Inaugural lecture of the CRAEDO Auditorium in Second Life's Colonia Nova Island. The objective of the talk, in analyzing the nature of democracy online is that of persuading the listener that the online worlds cannot exist in isolation, and that they are interdependent with the real world. This mutual influence is a non-zero sum game, beneficial to both, and it is up to the new to shake up the old, it is up to the online world to lead. Gives views on how it must be possible to arrive to a virtuous circle, where the values, the processes, and the goals of both worlds are enhanced by this continuous interaction.
This document discusses opportunities and challenges for next generation government 2.0 applications. While existing apps focus on functional development and open data, there is still a weak link to meaningful citizen engagement and democracy. The document proposes creating new social platforms and apps to more transparently and socially engage citizens in grassroots problem solving and decision making, as long as the process leads to concrete results, transparent decision making, and does not undermine representative democracy. This could help build more trust between governments and citizens.
Boston Civic Expo Spring 2013: MA Office of the Government Innovation OfficerCodeForBoston
Deputy Government Innovation Officer Joan Matsumoto discusses the problems with agile innovation in government and the ways the OGIO is addressing them.
After an EF5 tornado destroyed Greensburg, Kansas in May 2007, city administrator Steve Hewitt vowed to rebuild the town as a model of sustainability. With support from Governor Sebelius and FEMA director Dick Hainje, Greensburg began planning to become "the greenest community in rural America" through eco-friendly buildings, wind and solar energy, and green jobs. Though not everyone supported the ambitious plans, Greensburg made progress with help from private partners, becoming a showcase for sustainable rebuilding.
Sensys EasyTDS is tax deduction and collection software that automates tedious TDS/TCS tasks. It allows auto calculation of TDS and TCS, generation of e-TDS/e-TCS returns including corrections. It also facilitates printing of challans and certificates, and import of data from Tally and Excel. The software's key features include auto calculation for different types of TDS payments, generation of various forms, auto filled challan printing, and quarterly e-statement filing. It is designed for easy data entry and return creation to simplify the TDS/TCS process.
The document outlines the rules and governance for a group of people stranded on an island called Ánimo. Mr. Chardon will hunt and gather food while other duties like cooking, shelter-building, and caring for the sick will be divided among the people. Everyone is expected to work unless extremely ill and must be respectful of each other. After sunset, they will study in case of rescue. Those who do not fulfill duties will eat leftovers, and after twice will be kicked off the island. Weekly island meetings will be held to adjust rules as needed.
This document provides instructions for students to create their own imaginary country. It outlines 3 steps: 1) establishing the country's identity by naming it, designing a flag and motto, and creating a map; 2) developing the country's government, constitution, laws, and services for citizens; and 3) assembling the materials into a final product and being prepared to present it. The goal is for students to think creatively about how to govern a country and meet citizens' needs using what they have learned about civics.
CitizenScape was a project that aimed to use web 2.0 tools to create online civic spaces and increase citizen participation in democracy. It involved several partner organizations in the UK and Europe. An interim review found that the community ambassador approach worked in principle but needed better incentives. While some local consultations saw increased engagement, the topic chosen was expert-focused and did not facilitate broader discussion. Ongoing work includes a virtual town hall pilot with 5 UK councils to build permanent civic spaces and measure impacts on democratic activity.
This document summarizes the activities of Code For Incheon, a civic hacking group in Incheon, South Korea. The group works on projects using technology and design to improve government processes and systems and make the city better. It is an open group without restrictions on age or other attributes. The group meets for project sessions where they work on initiatives like an open restroom rating app and civic reporting tool. They also have free talk events where anyone can discuss topics of their choice. The goal is for citizens to help solve problems in their community through civic hacking.
Boston Civic Expo Spring 2013: Code for BostonCodeForBoston
Code for Boston is a brigade of the Code for America fellowship program started in October 2012 with about 30 active members. The brigade meets weekly in Cambridge to work on civic technology projects like a Boston flu shot app, an internet emergency broadcast system, an app to facilitate food pantry donations, and an app to explore local culture through social media. The brigade also advocates for open data in Cambridge and is developing a coding education program for middle school students. The summary invites interested individuals to get involved by joining the brigade or applying for the Code for America fellowship.
Code for Los Angeles is the Los Angeles Code for America Brigade, a network of civic-minded technologists who contribute their skills toward using the web as a platform for local government and community service.
At our first event, we would like to talk about what Code for America is about, the types of initiatives you would like to see, as well as do a little group workshop for one of our first initiatives, which is supporting the City of Santa Monica in Open Data!
Rebranding Athens: The ABC and Agora Project.SmartCitiesTeam
The ABC and Agora Project is SmartCitiesTeam's value proposition for Athens Rebranding. Get on board!
Athens CoCreation Branding Project
Panteion University Of Social And Political Sciences
Department of Communication, Media and Culture
MA in Cultural Management
Course: Cultural Marketing and Communication
Course Instructor: Betty Tsakarestou, Assistant Professor and Head of Advertising and Public Relations Lab
The document summarizes the first year of San Francisco's Mayor's Office of Civic Innovation. It established the office to make government more innovative, user-centric, and responsive. It launched ImproveSF.com to engage citizens in solving civic issues and helped create over 26,000 new jobs. The office focuses on citizen engagement, economic opportunity, and fostering innovation across city government.
Future E Gov Conference Catherine Howe (24 11 09)Catherine Howe
The document discusses the rise of social media and how governments can better engage citizens online. It argues that governments need to listen to online conversations, provide support to citizens, and organize engagement geographically rather than institutionally. A new model of "civic architecture" is needed online to blend formal democracy with how people naturally participate online. A proposed "virtual town hall" pilot project would create permanent online civic spaces for citizens to shape democratic outcomes through co-creation.
user-driven innovation models in public servicesosimod
The document discusses innovation patterns in public eServices, specifically web 2.0 models. It analyzes how these patterns are applying to public services through examples like GoogleTransit, MySociety.org, ChicagoCrime.org, and Gapminder. The key points are that new actors like citizens, civil society, and individual civil servants are driving user-led, bottom-up, and open innovation through perpetual beta approaches and reuse of public data. However, challenges around governance, accountability, and privacy regulation remain.
The Office of Civic Innovation in San Francisco was established in 2012 to lower barriers for working with government and support innovation. With limited resources, it focuses on public-private partnerships and creating platforms to generate more innovation. For example, San Francisco launched its Open Data initiative in 2009, making over 200 datasets publicly available and enabling nearly 100 applications. The Office also launched ImproveSF, a crowd-sourcing platform engaging over 20,000 users. It now explores opening additional underutilized city assets through initiatives like Living Innovation Zones to spur pilot projects and demonstration of new technologies. The overall goal is to break down government silos and foster innovative partnerships.
The document introduces the Knowledge Hub, an online platform for collaboration within the UK local government sector. The Knowledge Hub aims to connect people across local authorities to share knowledge, best practices, ask questions, and benchmark performance. It aggregates content from multiple sources and enables new forms of collaboration through features like blogs, wikis, forums and workspaces. The Knowledge Hub seeks to foster organizational learning, knowledge retention, and innovation within UK local government.
This document discusses how cities can use open innovation and crowdsourcing to address challenges and foster innovation. It notes that cities face budget cuts and stagnation while citizens expect more transparency and innovation. Open innovation approaches like open data, crowdsourcing, challenges and crowdfunding can help tackle urban issues and shorten innovation timelines. Examples from Amsterdam show how an open innovation team used EU projects and platforms to crowdsource ideas and policy. Key lessons are to engage leadership, use incentives, be active on social media and comment/reward contributions. The future of open innovation policy involves demonstrating impact, linking with digital agendas, and sharing learning across a network of civic innovators.
Boston Civic Expo Spring 2013: MA Office of the Government Innovation OfficerCodeForBoston
Deputy Government Innovation Officer Joan Matsumoto discusses the problems with agile innovation in government and the ways the OGIO is addressing them.
After an EF5 tornado destroyed Greensburg, Kansas in May 2007, city administrator Steve Hewitt vowed to rebuild the town as a model of sustainability. With support from Governor Sebelius and FEMA director Dick Hainje, Greensburg began planning to become "the greenest community in rural America" through eco-friendly buildings, wind and solar energy, and green jobs. Though not everyone supported the ambitious plans, Greensburg made progress with help from private partners, becoming a showcase for sustainable rebuilding.
Sensys EasyTDS is tax deduction and collection software that automates tedious TDS/TCS tasks. It allows auto calculation of TDS and TCS, generation of e-TDS/e-TCS returns including corrections. It also facilitates printing of challans and certificates, and import of data from Tally and Excel. The software's key features include auto calculation for different types of TDS payments, generation of various forms, auto filled challan printing, and quarterly e-statement filing. It is designed for easy data entry and return creation to simplify the TDS/TCS process.
The document outlines the rules and governance for a group of people stranded on an island called Ánimo. Mr. Chardon will hunt and gather food while other duties like cooking, shelter-building, and caring for the sick will be divided among the people. Everyone is expected to work unless extremely ill and must be respectful of each other. After sunset, they will study in case of rescue. Those who do not fulfill duties will eat leftovers, and after twice will be kicked off the island. Weekly island meetings will be held to adjust rules as needed.
This document provides instructions for students to create their own imaginary country. It outlines 3 steps: 1) establishing the country's identity by naming it, designing a flag and motto, and creating a map; 2) developing the country's government, constitution, laws, and services for citizens; and 3) assembling the materials into a final product and being prepared to present it. The goal is for students to think creatively about how to govern a country and meet citizens' needs using what they have learned about civics.
CitizenScape was a project that aimed to use web 2.0 tools to create online civic spaces and increase citizen participation in democracy. It involved several partner organizations in the UK and Europe. An interim review found that the community ambassador approach worked in principle but needed better incentives. While some local consultations saw increased engagement, the topic chosen was expert-focused and did not facilitate broader discussion. Ongoing work includes a virtual town hall pilot with 5 UK councils to build permanent civic spaces and measure impacts on democratic activity.
This document summarizes the activities of Code For Incheon, a civic hacking group in Incheon, South Korea. The group works on projects using technology and design to improve government processes and systems and make the city better. It is an open group without restrictions on age or other attributes. The group meets for project sessions where they work on initiatives like an open restroom rating app and civic reporting tool. They also have free talk events where anyone can discuss topics of their choice. The goal is for citizens to help solve problems in their community through civic hacking.
Boston Civic Expo Spring 2013: Code for BostonCodeForBoston
Code for Boston is a brigade of the Code for America fellowship program started in October 2012 with about 30 active members. The brigade meets weekly in Cambridge to work on civic technology projects like a Boston flu shot app, an internet emergency broadcast system, an app to facilitate food pantry donations, and an app to explore local culture through social media. The brigade also advocates for open data in Cambridge and is developing a coding education program for middle school students. The summary invites interested individuals to get involved by joining the brigade or applying for the Code for America fellowship.
Code for Los Angeles is the Los Angeles Code for America Brigade, a network of civic-minded technologists who contribute their skills toward using the web as a platform for local government and community service.
At our first event, we would like to talk about what Code for America is about, the types of initiatives you would like to see, as well as do a little group workshop for one of our first initiatives, which is supporting the City of Santa Monica in Open Data!
Rebranding Athens: The ABC and Agora Project.SmartCitiesTeam
The ABC and Agora Project is SmartCitiesTeam's value proposition for Athens Rebranding. Get on board!
Athens CoCreation Branding Project
Panteion University Of Social And Political Sciences
Department of Communication, Media and Culture
MA in Cultural Management
Course: Cultural Marketing and Communication
Course Instructor: Betty Tsakarestou, Assistant Professor and Head of Advertising and Public Relations Lab
The document summarizes the first year of San Francisco's Mayor's Office of Civic Innovation. It established the office to make government more innovative, user-centric, and responsive. It launched ImproveSF.com to engage citizens in solving civic issues and helped create over 26,000 new jobs. The office focuses on citizen engagement, economic opportunity, and fostering innovation across city government.
Future E Gov Conference Catherine Howe (24 11 09)Catherine Howe
The document discusses the rise of social media and how governments can better engage citizens online. It argues that governments need to listen to online conversations, provide support to citizens, and organize engagement geographically rather than institutionally. A new model of "civic architecture" is needed online to blend formal democracy with how people naturally participate online. A proposed "virtual town hall" pilot project would create permanent online civic spaces for citizens to shape democratic outcomes through co-creation.
user-driven innovation models in public servicesosimod
The document discusses innovation patterns in public eServices, specifically web 2.0 models. It analyzes how these patterns are applying to public services through examples like GoogleTransit, MySociety.org, ChicagoCrime.org, and Gapminder. The key points are that new actors like citizens, civil society, and individual civil servants are driving user-led, bottom-up, and open innovation through perpetual beta approaches and reuse of public data. However, challenges around governance, accountability, and privacy regulation remain.
The Office of Civic Innovation in San Francisco was established in 2012 to lower barriers for working with government and support innovation. With limited resources, it focuses on public-private partnerships and creating platforms to generate more innovation. For example, San Francisco launched its Open Data initiative in 2009, making over 200 datasets publicly available and enabling nearly 100 applications. The Office also launched ImproveSF, a crowd-sourcing platform engaging over 20,000 users. It now explores opening additional underutilized city assets through initiatives like Living Innovation Zones to spur pilot projects and demonstration of new technologies. The overall goal is to break down government silos and foster innovative partnerships.
The document introduces the Knowledge Hub, an online platform for collaboration within the UK local government sector. The Knowledge Hub aims to connect people across local authorities to share knowledge, best practices, ask questions, and benchmark performance. It aggregates content from multiple sources and enables new forms of collaboration through features like blogs, wikis, forums and workspaces. The Knowledge Hub seeks to foster organizational learning, knowledge retention, and innovation within UK local government.
This document discusses how cities can use open innovation and crowdsourcing to address challenges and foster innovation. It notes that cities face budget cuts and stagnation while citizens expect more transparency and innovation. Open innovation approaches like open data, crowdsourcing, challenges and crowdfunding can help tackle urban issues and shorten innovation timelines. Examples from Amsterdam show how an open innovation team used EU projects and platforms to crowdsource ideas and policy. Key lessons are to engage leadership, use incentives, be active on social media and comment/reward contributions. The future of open innovation policy involves demonstrating impact, linking with digital agendas, and sharing learning across a network of civic innovators.
Better Community Connections Through Big Data and AnalyticsSAP Analytics
http://spr.ly/AA_PublicSector - With in-memory computing and analytics tools, the City of Boston is providing better service to citizens and engaging more with the community.
-Bloomberg Businessweek Research
Mikael Börjeson - Future internet for Smarter Cities and User-centric Open I...FIA2010
The document discusses the concepts of smart cities and user-centric open innovation using living labs. It defines a smart city as one that uses information and communication technologies to efficiently address challenges related to development and resources through integrated solutions that satisfy citizen desires. Living labs are described as systems that facilitate efficient user involvement in co-creative need-finding and designing desirable products, services, and solutions to address development and resource issues. Examples provided include crowd desire prediction, smart traffic management, and smart energy management. The document concludes by noting opportunities for synergy between open user-centric innovation, smart cities, and experimental facilities.
Code for Europe brings change agents called code fellows to cities throughout Europe to help foster innovation around common challenges. In 2013, 10 fellows created 8 apps in 7 cities that are now shared on Github and EuropeCommons.org. Joining as a host city or code fellow can help cities work with citizens and technology to create solutions. The presentation promotes Code for Europe's work of matching fellows with city problems to build open source apps, and encourages attendees to get involved.
1) The document summarizes a project in Manchester, UK to make the city smarter through public WiFi, environmental sensors, and citizen participation.
2) The project aims to address congestion and pollution problems on Oxford Road by tapping into the city's knowledge assets and engaging citizens.
3) The strategy involves rolling out fast public WiFi, smart environmental sensors, and encouraging citizen involvement to help Manchester become a smarter city.
Similar to UXPA Boston 2013: Design For America - Your Country Needs UX (20)
Boston Civic Expo Spring 2013: New Urban MechanicsCodeForBoston
This document summarizes various experiments conducted by the city of Boston to engage citizens and make government more transparent and personalized. It describes experiments from 2008-2013 like Citizens Connect, City Worker, and Street Bump that aimed to connect citizens to government services via mobile apps, online chat, and collecting street condition data. The impact of these experiments included doubling service requests while maintaining delivery times, one third of cases now handled digitally, and an 89% recommendation rate from users, up 21% since starting these efforts. The document advocates that transparency, communication and personalization, if done right, can inform, empower and engage citizens.
Boston Civic Expo Spring 2013: URBAN.BostonCodeForBoston
Michael P. Johnson of the University of Massachusetts Boston and URBAN.Boston presented at the Code for Boston Civic Expo on June 1, 2013. He discussed how community-based organizations that serve low-income communities have a strong mission but often lack data and analytics capabilities. His goals were to understand what data these organizations need to succeed and how data could help improve decision-making. He proposed collaborating with community members and organizations to develop "information and decision aids" to empower communities.
Boston Civic Expo Spring 2013: City of Boston Data ScienceCodeForBoston
City of Boston Principal Data Scientist Curt Savoie discusses the City's open data portal, the state of open data, and the ways that citizens can help him make Boston a better place.
Boston Civic Expo Spring 2013: Engagement Game LabCodeForBoston
Emerson Visiting Professor Jesse Baldwin-Philippi discusses the gamification and civic engagement work being investigated at the Emerson College Engagement Game Lab.
Best 20 SEO Techniques To Improve Website Visibility In SERPPixlogix Infotech
Boost your website's visibility with proven SEO techniques! Our latest blog dives into essential strategies to enhance your online presence, increase traffic, and rank higher on search engines. From keyword optimization to quality content creation, learn how to make your site stand out in the crowded digital landscape. Discover actionable tips and expert insights to elevate your SEO game.
Generating privacy-protected synthetic data using Secludy and MilvusZilliz
During this demo, the founders of Secludy will demonstrate how their system utilizes Milvus to store and manipulate embeddings for generating privacy-protected synthetic data. Their approach not only maintains the confidentiality of the original data but also enhances the utility and scalability of LLMs under privacy constraints. Attendees, including machine learning engineers, data scientists, and data managers, will witness first-hand how Secludy's integration with Milvus empowers organizations to harness the power of LLMs securely and efficiently.
Unlock the Future of Search with MongoDB Atlas_ Vector Search Unleashed.pdfMalak Abu Hammad
Discover how MongoDB Atlas and vector search technology can revolutionize your application's search capabilities. This comprehensive presentation covers:
* What is Vector Search?
* Importance and benefits of vector search
* Practical use cases across various industries
* Step-by-step implementation guide
* Live demos with code snippets
* Enhancing LLM capabilities with vector search
* Best practices and optimization strategies
Perfect for developers, AI enthusiasts, and tech leaders. Learn how to leverage MongoDB Atlas to deliver highly relevant, context-aware search results, transforming your data retrieval process. Stay ahead in tech innovation and maximize the potential of your applications.
#MongoDB #VectorSearch #AI #SemanticSearch #TechInnovation #DataScience #LLM #MachineLearning #SearchTechnology
Webinar: Designing a schema for a Data WarehouseFederico Razzoli
Are you new to data warehouses (DWH)? Do you need to check whether your data warehouse follows the best practices for a good design? In both cases, this webinar is for you.
A data warehouse is a central relational database that contains all measurements about a business or an organisation. This data comes from a variety of heterogeneous data sources, which includes databases of any type that back the applications used by the company, data files exported by some applications, or APIs provided by internal or external services.
But designing a data warehouse correctly is a hard task, which requires gathering information about the business processes that need to be analysed in the first place. These processes must be translated into so-called star schemas, which means, denormalised databases where each table represents a dimension or facts.
We will discuss these topics:
- How to gather information about a business;
- Understanding dictionaries and how to identify business entities;
- Dimensions and facts;
- Setting a table granularity;
- Types of facts;
- Types of dimensions;
- Snowflakes and how to avoid them;
- Expanding existing dimensions and facts.
Fueling AI with Great Data with Airbyte WebinarZilliz
This talk will focus on how to collect data from a variety of sources, leveraging this data for RAG and other GenAI use cases, and finally charting your course to productionalization.
TrustArc Webinar - 2024 Global Privacy SurveyTrustArc
How does your privacy program stack up against your peers? What challenges are privacy teams tackling and prioritizing in 2024?
In the fifth annual Global Privacy Benchmarks Survey, we asked over 1,800 global privacy professionals and business executives to share their perspectives on the current state of privacy inside and outside of their organizations. This year’s report focused on emerging areas of importance for privacy and compliance professionals, including considerations and implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, building brand trust, and different approaches for achieving higher privacy competence scores.
See how organizational priorities and strategic approaches to data security and privacy are evolving around the globe.
This webinar will review:
- The top 10 privacy insights from the fifth annual Global Privacy Benchmarks Survey
- The top challenges for privacy leaders, practitioners, and organizations in 2024
- Key themes to consider in developing and maintaining your privacy program
Let's Integrate MuleSoft RPA, COMPOSER, APM with AWS IDP along with Slackshyamraj55
Discover the seamless integration of RPA (Robotic Process Automation), COMPOSER, and APM with AWS IDP enhanced with Slack notifications. Explore how these technologies converge to streamline workflows, optimize performance, and ensure secure access, all while leveraging the power of AWS IDP and real-time communication via Slack notifications.
Building Production Ready Search Pipelines with Spark and MilvusZilliz
Spark is the widely used ETL tool for processing, indexing and ingesting data to serving stack for search. Milvus is the production-ready open-source vector database. In this talk we will show how to use Spark to process unstructured data to extract vector representations, and push the vectors to Milvus vector database for search serving.
AI 101: An Introduction to the Basics and Impact of Artificial IntelligenceIndexBug
Imagine a world where machines not only perform tasks but also learn, adapt, and make decisions. This is the promise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a technology that's not just enhancing our lives but revolutionizing entire industries.
HCL Notes und Domino Lizenzkostenreduzierung in der Welt von DLAUpanagenda
Webinar Recording: https://www.panagenda.com/webinars/hcl-notes-und-domino-lizenzkostenreduzierung-in-der-welt-von-dlau/
DLAU und die Lizenzen nach dem CCB- und CCX-Modell sind für viele in der HCL-Community seit letztem Jahr ein heißes Thema. Als Notes- oder Domino-Kunde haben Sie vielleicht mit unerwartet hohen Benutzerzahlen und Lizenzgebühren zu kämpfen. Sie fragen sich vielleicht, wie diese neue Art der Lizenzierung funktioniert und welchen Nutzen sie Ihnen bringt. Vor allem wollen Sie sicherlich Ihr Budget einhalten und Kosten sparen, wo immer möglich. Das verstehen wir und wir möchten Ihnen dabei helfen!
Wir erklären Ihnen, wie Sie häufige Konfigurationsprobleme lösen können, die dazu führen können, dass mehr Benutzer gezählt werden als nötig, und wie Sie überflüssige oder ungenutzte Konten identifizieren und entfernen können, um Geld zu sparen. Es gibt auch einige Ansätze, die zu unnötigen Ausgaben führen können, z. B. wenn ein Personendokument anstelle eines Mail-Ins für geteilte Mailboxen verwendet wird. Wir zeigen Ihnen solche Fälle und deren Lösungen. Und natürlich erklären wir Ihnen das neue Lizenzmodell.
Nehmen Sie an diesem Webinar teil, bei dem HCL-Ambassador Marc Thomas und Gastredner Franz Walder Ihnen diese neue Welt näherbringen. Es vermittelt Ihnen die Tools und das Know-how, um den Überblick zu bewahren. Sie werden in der Lage sein, Ihre Kosten durch eine optimierte Domino-Konfiguration zu reduzieren und auch in Zukunft gering zu halten.
Diese Themen werden behandelt
- Reduzierung der Lizenzkosten durch Auffinden und Beheben von Fehlkonfigurationen und überflüssigen Konten
- Wie funktionieren CCB- und CCX-Lizenzen wirklich?
- Verstehen des DLAU-Tools und wie man es am besten nutzt
- Tipps für häufige Problembereiche, wie z. B. Team-Postfächer, Funktions-/Testbenutzer usw.
- Praxisbeispiele und Best Practices zum sofortigen Umsetzen
Monitoring and Managing Anomaly Detection on OpenShift.pdfTosin Akinosho
Monitoring and Managing Anomaly Detection on OpenShift
Overview
Dive into the world of anomaly detection on edge devices with our comprehensive hands-on tutorial. This SlideShare presentation will guide you through the entire process, from data collection and model training to edge deployment and real-time monitoring. Perfect for those looking to implement robust anomaly detection systems on resource-constrained IoT/edge devices.
Key Topics Covered
1. Introduction to Anomaly Detection
- Understand the fundamentals of anomaly detection and its importance in identifying unusual behavior or failures in systems.
2. Understanding Edge (IoT)
- Learn about edge computing and IoT, and how they enable real-time data processing and decision-making at the source.
3. What is ArgoCD?
- Discover ArgoCD, a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes, and its role in deploying applications on edge devices.
4. Deployment Using ArgoCD for Edge Devices
- Step-by-step guide on deploying anomaly detection models on edge devices using ArgoCD.
5. Introduction to Apache Kafka and S3
- Explore Apache Kafka for real-time data streaming and Amazon S3 for scalable storage solutions.
6. Viewing Kafka Messages in the Data Lake
- Learn how to view and analyze Kafka messages stored in a data lake for better insights.
7. What is Prometheus?
- Get to know Prometheus, an open-source monitoring and alerting toolkit, and its application in monitoring edge devices.
8. Monitoring Application Metrics with Prometheus
- Detailed instructions on setting up Prometheus to monitor the performance and health of your anomaly detection system.
9. What is Camel K?
- Introduction to Camel K, a lightweight integration framework built on Apache Camel, designed for Kubernetes.
10. Configuring Camel K Integrations for Data Pipelines
- Learn how to configure Camel K for seamless data pipeline integrations in your anomaly detection workflow.
11. What is a Jupyter Notebook?
- Overview of Jupyter Notebooks, an open-source web application for creating and sharing documents with live code, equations, visualizations, and narrative text.
12. Jupyter Notebooks with Code Examples
- Hands-on examples and code snippets in Jupyter Notebooks to help you implement and test anomaly detection models.
Digital Marketing Trends in 2024 | Guide for Staying AheadWask
https://www.wask.co/ebooks/digital-marketing-trends-in-2024
Feeling lost in the digital marketing whirlwind of 2024? Technology is changing, consumer habits are evolving, and staying ahead of the curve feels like a never-ending pursuit. This e-book is your compass. Dive into actionable insights to handle the complexities of modern marketing. From hyper-personalization to the power of user-generated content, learn how to build long-term relationships with your audience and unlock the secrets to success in the ever-shifting digital landscape.
Driving Business Innovation: Latest Generative AI Advancements & Success StorySafe Software
Are you ready to revolutionize how you handle data? Join us for a webinar where we’ll bring you up to speed with the latest advancements in Generative AI technology and discover how leveraging FME with tools from giants like Google Gemini, Amazon, and Microsoft OpenAI can supercharge your workflow efficiency.
During the hour, we’ll take you through:
Guest Speaker Segment with Hannah Barrington: Dive into the world of dynamic real estate marketing with Hannah, the Marketing Manager at Workspace Group. Hear firsthand how their team generates engaging descriptions for thousands of office units by integrating diverse data sources—from PDF floorplans to web pages—using FME transformers, like OpenAIVisionConnector and AnthropicVisionConnector. This use case will show you how GenAI can streamline content creation for marketing across the board.
Ollama Use Case: Learn how Scenario Specialist Dmitri Bagh has utilized Ollama within FME to input data, create custom models, and enhance security protocols. This segment will include demos to illustrate the full capabilities of FME in AI-driven processes.
Custom AI Models: Discover how to leverage FME to build personalized AI models using your data. Whether it’s populating a model with local data for added security or integrating public AI tools, find out how FME facilitates a versatile and secure approach to AI.
We’ll wrap up with a live Q&A session where you can engage with our experts on your specific use cases, and learn more about optimizing your data workflows with AI.
This webinar is ideal for professionals seeking to harness the power of AI within their data management systems while ensuring high levels of customization and security. Whether you're a novice or an expert, gain actionable insights and strategies to elevate your data processes. Join us to see how FME and AI can revolutionize how you work with data!
Cosa hanno in comune un mattoncino Lego e la backdoor XZ?Speck&Tech
ABSTRACT: A prima vista, un mattoncino Lego e la backdoor XZ potrebbero avere in comune il fatto di essere entrambi blocchi di costruzione, o dipendenze di progetti creativi e software. La realtà è che un mattoncino Lego e il caso della backdoor XZ hanno molto di più di tutto ciò in comune.
Partecipate alla presentazione per immergervi in una storia di interoperabilità, standard e formati aperti, per poi discutere del ruolo importante che i contributori hanno in una comunità open source sostenibile.
BIO: Sostenitrice del software libero e dei formati standard e aperti. È stata un membro attivo dei progetti Fedora e openSUSE e ha co-fondato l'Associazione LibreItalia dove è stata coinvolta in diversi eventi, migrazioni e formazione relativi a LibreOffice. In precedenza ha lavorato a migrazioni e corsi di formazione su LibreOffice per diverse amministrazioni pubbliche e privati. Da gennaio 2020 lavora in SUSE come Software Release Engineer per Uyuni e SUSE Manager e quando non segue la sua passione per i computer e per Geeko coltiva la sua curiosità per l'astronomia (da cui deriva il suo nickname deneb_alpha).
22. Civic Innovation (n):
An open, collaborative
approach to solving civic and
social problems.
Civic Innovation draws on the
tools, methods, and mentality rooted in the
innovation ecosystem of the private sector.
23.
24.
25. Civic Innovation Focus Areas
Improving government processes
Increasing transparency
Improving the citizen experience
Increasing civic engagement
36. We’re not going to fix government until
we fix citizenship
Jen Pahlka
Founder and Executive Director
37.
38. Code For Boston
Started in October 2012
Part of the first class of Brigade cities
~30 active / 175 total members
Meet every Tuesday at Cambridge
Innovation Center to work on civic tech
projects
39. Code For Boston Projects
Boston Flu Shot App Deployed
Boston Green Spaces Deployed
Pantry Pickup In Progress
Urbanite In Progress
Cambridge Open Data In Progress
Technology Education In Progress
55. Join the Brigade
www.meetup.com/Code-for-Boston
Apply for the Fellowship
www.codeforamerica.org/fellows/apply/
Follow us on Twitter
@CodeForBoston #cfabrigade
Drop me a line!
hweber@codeforamerica.org
Get Involved.
57. Harlan Weber
Brigade Captain | Code for Boston
hweber@codeforamerica.org
Thank you!
Questions?
@CodeForBoston
www.meetup.com/Code-For-Boston
Editor's Notes
Hi, thanks to everyone for coming out today – I’m sure you’re all here today to see me and not to stake out your table for lunch at noon. But regardless, I am glad to see all of you here. My name is Harlan Weber. I’m a professional interaction designer, and I work at a startup in Lexington.I’m here today to talk to you about civic technology and innovation. I’m going to try and keep this talk around 30 minutes, because I’m sure there’ll be a bunch of questions at the end, but before I even get started, I want to say thank you to Chris, Dan, and all of UXPA Boston for giving me the opportunity to speak to you all. I also want to ask - just by show of hands – is there anyone here today who works or has worked for a municipal government. I kind of want to know beforehand if I’m going to be cheered or booed or both, and I’ll be curious to hear your feedback after the talk. Ok cool, let’s get started.
So when I said that I’m an interaction designer, that’s only halfway true. In actuality, I live kind of a dual-life.
By day, I work at a company of about 50 people called OnForce, located in Lexington, where I lead design and qualitative research efforts for the Product and Technology group, working closely with our engineering team as we build mobile and web products to support our on-demand labor management platform.
But by night, I also work as the organizer of a volunteer group of about 175 developers, designers, urban planners, researchers, and data geeks called Code for Boston. Code for Boston is the local chapter of a nationwide network of similar volunteer groups called Brigades, which are part of Code for America, a non-profit based in San Francisco aimed transforming government through the use of creative technology. This picture was actually taken at our very first meeting, at Involution Studios in Arlington.
My route to being involved with Code for America and leading this dual-life is a somewhat long and convoluted one. Early in my career, I worked for a few design firms that worked primarily on medical devices – mostly embedded screen interfaces – and I took a lot of emotional satisfaction out of that work. If I created a UI that helped a heart surgeon diagnose a hazardous condition 20 seconds earlier, that probably saves a couple hundred peoples’ lives a year. As I moved on to different companies, I started working on products that were more business focused, products that had less emotional resonance for me. The work was even more technically challenging and intellectually stimulating than the medical work, but it wasn’t really spiritually satisfying. So, I started looking around for a way that I could make a difference, but still use the skills I’d spent so many years developing. Luckily, I’m not the only one, and a chance encounter with a friend in the non-profit world put me in touch with the right people at the still-young Code for America, and here we are today.But, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Before we get into the Brigade, Code for America, and the ways that we – and others – are trying to change the face of government, we need to talk a little history.
The story of civic innovation starts with a story about technology. I’m pretty sure that everyone in this room can agree that technology is pretty awesome. The advances we’ve made over the last 20 years, primarily in the private sector, have been nothing short of transformational. They’ve turned this into this.
This music store into Pandora.
This music store into Pandora.
Newspapers and publishing
Have turned into Flipboard (and Twitter), which is totally awesome.
Telecom
And this into this. Which, while possibly less stylish, is definitely more awesome.
So, some awesome ways that technology has transformed our lives. To get a little more abstract, on the process side, we’ve been able to turn this waterfall-style Gantt chart.
Into an Agile board, giving us more freedom and flexibility in the way we work.
And on the process side, we’ve been able to turn software specs that look like this
Into this iterative process diagram, where can learn more, and faster, from our users, and tune our designs accordingly. This is actually from Jeff Gothelf’s Lean UX article on Smashing Magazine. I know there’s a couple of Lean UX presentations here today, you should check it out if you can, hopefully it will change your mind the way it did mine. And what’s important about these process tools isn’t just the increases in efficiency or output, it’s the mentality that goes with them: Collaborative, agile, iterative, responsive to user needs.
In the private / commercial sector, there’s been this sort of evolutionary pressure that’s forced companies to continually innovate, and we’ve developed all these awesome products and services and ways of thinking that have completely revolutionized entire industries – music, movies, publishing, telecommunications, even software development itself. Basically everything we do on a daily basis has been transformed by advances in social, mobile, and web technologies, and ways of thinking about them like Agile and Lean Startup. But there’s one place where that sort of evolutionary pressure and transformation hasn’t really occurred…
But there’s one area it hasn’t really touched – the government. In the government, things are a little bit different.
In the government, processes often looks like this - where technology projects that have to go through the typical procurement process can take from 2-8 years to complete. And while there are lot of good reasons for why the system was constructed this way – mostly having to do with fighting corruption and favoritism - that simply doesn’t fly when Moore’s law is turning this desktop into a Surface in the intervening time.
In the government, processes often looks like this - where technology projects that have to go through the typical procurement process can take from 2-8 years to complete. And while there are lot of good reasons for why the system was constructed this way – mostly having to do with fighting corruption and favoritism - that simply doesn’t fly when Moore’s law is turning this desktop into a Surface in the intervening time.
While the process is like that, the structure and the thinking are like this: departments siloed off from each other, not sharing data, not sharing resources, not collaborating.
Or worse, they think like this: closed, non-transparent, uncommunicative with their citizens. Lack of understanding and education about the real benefits of technology can lead to City IT departments into a defensive attitude that resists positive change. And sometimes, cities don’t even know how to talk about this stuff. [Barry story]There’s an element of fear that can lead to an unwillingness to make municipal data freely available to the public - cities often resist releasing their data, especially financial data, because they only see it as a way to be killed in the press, and not the wonderful opportunity for leveraging developer talent to do stuff for the city for free that it actually represents.
So, we’ve got a slow, siloed, closed governmental organizations that somehow still needs to meet the needs of a population that has increasingly high expectations for their product and service providers, and it’s a pretty bad situation! Governments are falling behind – technologically, for sure, in terms of their own systems, but more importantly, in being able to think about and execute on new and innovative ways to serve their citizens. Most local governments lack both the skills and the vocabulary to talk about these things. And problematically, the longer this keeps up, the longer citizens will be denied the benefits of new technology in their daily lives.
In all honesty, this need for better products and services to address government shortcomings has already been observed and started to be addressedin the commercial space – but in the pursuit of profit, not for the overall social good.
As it turns out, a lot of people are trying to address this problem, gathered together into what O’Reilly Media has coined the Gov 2.0 movement, but is also called civic technology, civic hacking, or civic innovation. I prefer innovation, personally, because it places more of an emphasis on creative solutions to civic problems from a number of angles, rather than focusing on technology which, although important, is just one method and limits the scope of what we can accomplish. Hacking is a word I really like too, because it implies reshaping and reforming existing tools for new usage, but ever since –this- happened, not to mention this, this, this, and this - the word “hacker” and “hacking” has a somewhat negative connotation
As it turns out, a lot of people are trying to address this problem, gathered together into what O’Reilly Media has coined the Gov 2.0 movement, but is also called civic technology, civic hacking, or civic innovation. I prefer innovation, personally, because it places more of an emphasis on creative solutions to civic problems from a number of angles, rather than focusing on technology which, although important, is just one method and limits the scope of what we can accomplish. Hacking is a word I really like too, because it implies reshaping and reforming existing tools for new usage, but ever since –this- happened, not to mention this, this, this, and this - the word “hacker” and “hacking” has a somewhat negative connotation
As it turns out, a lot of people are trying to address this problem, gathered together into what O’Reilly Media has coined the Gov 2.0 movement, but is also called civic technology, civic hacking, or civic innovation. I prefer innovation, personally, because it places more of an emphasis on creative solutions to civic problems from a number of angles, rather than focusing on technology which, although important, is just one method and limits the scope of what we can accomplish. Hacking is a word I really like too, because it implies reshaping and reforming existing tools for new usage, but ever since –this- happened, not to mention this, this, this, and this - the word “hacker” and “hacking” has a somewhat negative connotation
So, Civic innovation is it, If you ask me, and there are four main focus areas to civic innovation that cover most everything we do. Improving government processes, increasing government transparency, increasing civic engagement, and improving the citizen experience. Improving government processes means creating better ways for city employees to do their jobs, like better procurement processes and software tools to support their day-to-day work. Increasing Transparency means making civic data free, open, and publically available. We can improve the citizen experience by making apps that help residents with things like mass transit, receiving municipal information, and taking advantage of city resources like parks and bike trails. And increasing civic engagement is about mediating a transaction between government and citizen – for example, providing an easy way for citizens to report public works issues to the City, which create richer, mutually beneficial interactions for both parties.Although technology solutions are a big part of it, addressing these areas also requires design, user research, anthropology and policymaking.
So, now that we’ve got a bit better understanding of the problem, and a good working definition, let’s get into some solutions. Like I alluded to, there a number of groups out there that are doing civic innovation work, usually paying particular attention to one of those focus areas – groups like Muckrock, the Engagement Game Lab, CityCamp, and more
But today, I’m really going to focus on two: Code for America on the national level, and The Mayors Office of New Urban Mechanics leading the charge right here in Boston. I’ll give you a bit of an overview of their mission and structure, and then walk through a few of the civic apps they’ve created to give a taste of what’s going happening out in the field.
Let’s get started with Code for America. Code for America is a non-profit startup that connects developers and designers with local governments, helping them to innovate and keep pace with the private sector. Active for about four years, Code for America represents a new way for governments to connect with their constituents, and vice versa.
Three main elements of Code for America: The fellowship, the accelerator, and the Brigade. The Fellowship is Code for America’s flagship program. It’s a yearlong program where teams of developers, designers, and planners are sent to host cities across the country to work with local governments on technology projects. In a nutshell, Fellows quit their jobs, move to Code for America HQ in San Francisco, get 2 months of policy and civic training, and then are formed into teams and deployed to partner cities to work directly with governments and local civic groups on problems for that city. The Fellowship has been around for three years, and is in 9 cities currently, including Kansas City, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Oakland, South Bend, San Mateo, Louisville, and Summit County, OH.
Boston was actually one of the very first fellowship cities. In conjunction with partners at the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (more on them later), and with the Department of Public Works, they created a real civic engagement focused app called Adopt-a-Hydrant, which lets citizens “adopt” a fire hydrant that they promise to dig out during snowstorms. Per city ordinance, all hydrants have to be clear within 24 hours of snowfall, and by activating citizens in this way – folks who are going to be out shoveling their cars anyway – the City saves a ton of time and money. Adopta was also built as a platform to allow any piece of civic infrastructure to be adopted – so groups in Oakland have redeployed it for storm drains, and in Raleigh they use it for bus stops. Also, you may see that little ‘Built in Boston” tag at the bottom. It’s just a way to indicate all the great work being done locally.
In New Orleans, the Fellows created BlightStatus, which actually hits all four of the focus areas, to help the city and citizens monitor and keep track of Blighted properties from the Hurricane Katrina. After the hurricane, as you’ve all seen, New Orleans experienced a lot of physical destruction, but also flight, as some people who fled the city during the storm never returned. This left the city – and local neighborhoods – with the problem of abandoned and blighted properties, which pull down property values and have a high correlation with an increased crime rate. Residents who lived in areas with these blighted properties had no good way of knowing their status – would they be sold, torn down, inspected, etc – and the city had no good way of communicating their efforts to the citizens. BlightStatus solved this by keeping a crowdsourced database of blighted properties that residents could use to both track the status of properties they’re interested in and report issues with properties to the city.
The app was so successful that it’s regularly used as a focal point in New Orleans town hall meetings, and Detroit has been investigating their own deployment.
Next is an Accelerator, now going into it’s second class,which works with for-profit firms operating in the civic and social good space, helping them to get off their feet.
One of the 2011 class made Recovers.org, a citizen experience and government process tool that helps community and government groups organize during disasters. It lets people in disaster areas find where to get help if they need it, and how others can volunteer time, money, and energy to the recovery effort. It was deployed in four New York neighborhoods after Hurricane Sandy – Staten Island, the Rockaways, Red Hook, and the Lower East Side, and it’s also being used to assist with recovery efforts in Moore, OK.
Lastly, is the Brigade. The Brigade is a network of local groups of citizen activists, developers, designers, government folks, urban planners, and community leaders in each city where they live, working on civic apps and open data solutions to address specific problems in each city. It’s different from the fellowship in that Brigade is all volunteer, and we’re a part of the cities in which we’re working, serving as a focal point for civic innovation activities, whereas the Fellows are more like consultants.
The Brigade is a new way to engage with the government as a citizen. As Jen says, we’re not going to fix government until we fix citizenship, until we build an active, participatory form of citizen that cares about governance and is ready to engage. As of right now, there are Brigade communities in 39 cities, including Chicago, New York, Oakland, San Francisco, Tulsa, Raleigh, Denver, Grand Rapids, and of course, here in Boston, along with dozens more. We’re in constant communication with each other, sharing stories, best practices, and of course, code, creating a nationwide network of civic technologists who are learning how to improve our cities, together.
But I’m not just here to talk about any brigade. I’m here to talk about the Boston Brigade. Boston, as it turns out, is pretty awesome in the land of civic technology. We have an incredible base of tech talentand really engaged governmental and municipal partners, which has allowed our Brigade to flourish.
Key databeen around since october~175 members, with about 30 who are “active”. This puts us, size-wise, at one of the larger groups in the country.Meet every Tuesday at CIC
We’re currently working on five apps, two of which have been deployed, and two additional initiatives which are more policy oriented. I’ll walk you quickly through our two deployed apps, and I’m happy to answer any questions about our other work during Q&A or lunch.
The flu shot app is actually a pretty cool story. Most of you, especially those with little kids, will remember the flu outbreak we had over the winter. It got so bad, that in January, the Mayor of Boston declared an emergency and made free flu shots available to city residents. A list of clinics was published on the city website, but it was a very simple list that just included addresses and times the clinics were available. It didn’t really help to guide users to find which clinics were closest, or help them to find out which ones were open during times they were available. At a Brigade meeting, we thought it would be better to display those clinics on a map, maybe with some date filtering as well. And then I remember a conversation I’d had with Chris Whitaker, my corollary at the Chicago Brigade – they’d actually built that tool earlier in the year for the flu outbreak in Chicago. I fired off a quick email to Chris, and he pointed me to the codebase and put me in direct contact with the developer. The Brigade got together to jam on the app and prep it for Boston – thanks to Emily Dirsh for staying out late and jamming on it - and within 30 hours, we had an app up on city servers. It was a really good example of the speed and power of the Briagde network, and we actually got a little press about it.
The Boston Green Map was originally a project from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, or MAPC, a regional planning group. They wanted to make an app that would help residents explore the green spaces around them, and help them to take advantage of the parks in their area. They build this app as part of a civic hackathon two years ago, and then donated it to the Brigade, where we’ve provided some design support and functionality tweaks. Although it’s deployed already, it’s still a work in progresss. But collaboration with local municipal organizations, and serving as custodian of civic innovation efforts, is another way that the Brigade engages with the community.
But the Brigade isn’t the only group here in Boston doing this sort of work. Actually, as I’ve found out over the last few months or organizing the Brigade, Boston is particularly fertile ground for civic innovation, which I guess isnt a surprise. In addition to the huge base of developers and designers, we have a bit of a history with this government transformation stuff. Boston is where democracy in America was born, and we should be leading the charge for this next phase of the government by and for the people. And it’s actually already happening.
Any discussion of civic innovation in Boston starts with The Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics. Essentially an innovation lab embedded in the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics is national leader in civic innovation, was formed right here in Boston, They build partnerships with private industry, academics, and community groups to provide innovative government services to the people of Boston.
Citizens Connect, built here in Boston.
This is where residents can see reports submitted from the mobile app. This actually led to a pretty interesting story, where someone in Southie saw a message posted by his neighbor that said “Raccoon found in garbage can, not sure if it is alive or dead”. So, he went across the yard to investigate, and later posted: “Tipped over garbage can and racoon ran out. All is well!” So, this application isnt just facilitating government-to-citizen interaction, it’s also helping citizens to help each other. It’s been so wildly successful, that it’s rolling out to 40 additional communities outside of Boston over the next few months.
Street Cred is a new initiative from New Urban Mechanics that lives at the intersection of policy, technology, and design. It’s a program designed to plug in to other civic apps – like Adopt-a-Hydrant, Citizens Connect, and more – to create a sort of social currency and achievement system based on the use of civic apps. I don’t have a screenshot because it’s still in development, but it should be rolling out this summer.Their model has been so successful, the city of Philadelphia launched their over Department of New Urban Mechanics last year.
There’s a ton of other stuff going on as well – the Sunlight Foundation is a national non-profit focused on increasing government transparency, and their recently-launched Open States application was built in their Boston office in Ft. Point. Open States provides a one-stop shop for getting information about your state government, including a breakdown of the legislature, recently passed and voted on bills, and the meeting times of various legislative committees.
Even the Knight Foundation, who NPR listeners will certainly recognize as a large, national charitable foundation that focuses mostly on journalism and free press issues, they recently launched their own Challenge around exploring new ways that government and citizens interact. They had 800 entries, ranging from
Boston’s City Hall to Go truck, which drives around and provides city services to people who can’t make it to city hall for things like paying parking tickets, business permits, and more,.
to Outline.com, which is an online budget simulator that uses open state budget data to allow citizens to explore the state budget using a SimCity-like interface
So, there’s a lot of great apps and services out there, doing a lot of really great things for citizens, both here in Boston and elsewhere. So where do we come in? What’s the role of UX in this movement. Well, as it turns out – the technology piece isn’t actually that hard, in most cases. Assuming the data is there to work with, all we’re really doing is applying software development tools and approaches that we’re familiar with from the private sector in the civic context. It’s keeping people engaged with their local towns and cities that’s hard. Getting people to use civic applications and interact with their governments in a rich way that’s hard – because those aren’t things that can be solved with technology. They require an understanding of the way people behave, and the ability to help them get to their desired outcomes. Luckily, that’s what we as user experience designers and researchers, are really good at.
And it comes down to two things. One is our ability to empathize, to truly understand user needs, something developers as a whole tend to not be great at. Understanding the needs and desires of people in their role as citizen is pretty different from looking at them in their role as consumer. Their relationship with government can be very complex – as citizens, “government” is the waters we swim in. It’s sort of like a consumers’ relationship with say, Verizon, only you can’t get out of the contract unless you pack up your life and move away. Our ability as UX practitioners to get to the heart of citizen needs and turn them into actionable recommendations is the first – and often neglected - step on the road to crafting a successful civic experience.Second, is our ability to visualize – the ability to address those citizen needs in a visual, tangible format. It’s something that is sorely missing from a lot of the civic innovation movement. The applications I showed previous are kind of best in class, and the reality is that more of them look like this
This is NearbyFYI, an app created by a local developer in Watertown, intended to help small towns capture and disseminate town hall meeting notes. There’s a lot of good civic data in here – a ton of it! – but almost none of it is actually usable. There’s no clear information structure, a poor use of white space, and navigation that doesn’t really guide me to find the information critical to my needs. This guy is BEGGING for a designer to come in and help focus the experience and help the app fulfill its potential.
Another MAPC app,
Even the flu shot app that we spoke about earlier. Designed originally by a developer, it’s got a lot of reliance on Bootstrap for visual design, and some weird interactions in terms of date filtering. While it’s OK and functional and helps citizens find out where to get a flu shot, it could be made a lot better with features like calendar integration, social sharing, and simply some better content strategy.
So as you can see, design is a critical piece of the civic innovation puzzle, and one that’s pretty light on particiaption right now. But this is where you come in. If this resonates at all with any of you, if you feel like you could be using your skills for the benefit of the community, if you want to help make a change in government, then we’re looking for you to stand up and get involved, and there’s a few ways you can do that. You can join the Brigade and help support one of the projects already in motion, or come out and pitch a new one. The Fellowship is currently accepting applications for the 2014 class, and offers a more substantial form of engagement. You can also keep up with us on Twitter, and always feel free to drop me a line personally.
I’d also like to announce another way you can get involved: By participating in the “Instant Impact Design Challenge”. This 90-day challenge comes out of a partnership between Code for Boston, UXPA Boston, and the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, and is generously sponsored by ProtoShare. For the challenge, New Urban Mechanics will be providing several problem statements that represent civic problems they’re currently trying to address – examples range from redesigning the City website to better meet citizen needs to improving the experience of the City Hall To Go Truck to inspiring citizens to create parklets in their neighborhood - which will be taken on by teams of UXPA designers working in tandem with Code for Boston Brigade members. Participants will have access to Protoshare’s collaborative prototyping application to support their work, and winners of the challenge will have their application hosted live on City of Boston servers.It’s an opportunity to experience a lot of the civic innovation goodness we’ve been discussion throughout this session: applying your skills for the social good, working with developers on a live application, and being part of the solution sharing and network effect that defines the Brigade. Check out the survey link if you’re interested.
So that’s what I’ve got for you today. Hopefully I’ve inspired some of you to take your considerable UX skills and apply them for the social good, and thanks for taking the time to listen. Who has questions?