Seattle hosted its “City for All” hackathon, which gathered data scientists, designers and urban planners, and software developers to search for solutions for challenges connected to aging and accessibility within the city. The hackathon was hosted in partnership with the Age-Friendly Seattle initiative, part of Seattle’s commitment to residents of all ages, including senior citizens who wish to age in place.
The Center for Data Innovation (CDI), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, recently released “The Best States for Data Innovation,” a new report analyzing how states are using data to innovate and offer new services. Topping the overall list were Massachusetts, Washington, and Maryland. Rounding out the bottom were Mississippi, West Virginia, and Louisiana.
In its latest website redesign, Mississippi included virtual reality, a chatbot, and digital voice assistance technologies in hopes of improving the citizen experience. The makeover of ms.gov includes a brighter, more modern look with a photo of Amazon’s Echo welcoming users on the front page.
Pittsburgh Public Works improved efficiency and saved the city money through sensor-equipped trash cans.
Denver’s crowdsourced data platform asking people to indicate traffic hazards has garnered more than 2,200 responses since its March 6 launch. Sixty-one people were killed in traffic-related deaths on the streets of Denver in 2016. To redress the issue, Denver is participating in Vision Zero, a program where cities use data analytics to prevent transportation-related injuries.
Prince George’s County, Md., on Monday released two new open data sets and plans to release another set in the coming weeks. The first two data sets contain information about agency performance and the Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative. The data sets will have updated versions of city information that was released in August about citizen complaints and requests.
As citizens become more dependent on technology in their lives, they expect more digital services from the government. A recent Accenture report found that 85 percent of respondents said they expect the same or higher quality from government digital services as they do from commercial organizations.
IT projects within Rhode Island’s Department of Revenue will likely remain on schedule despite Gov. Gina Raimondo’s recent freeze on all such initiatives, according to Paul Grimaldi, the department’s chief of information and public relations.
On the same day as the first snow of the season, the city of Seattle announced its “Let It Snow!” hackathon. The city is hoping to tap technology users, designers, and developers for a community design workshop on how city officials communicate with the public during snow-related emergencies.
The Center for Digital Government announced the 2016 Digital Cities Survey winners. The annual survey, now in its 15th year, honors cities that use tech to improve citizen services, enhance transparency, and encourage citizen engagement.
