admin – Archive of Smart Chicago Collaborative Work

Smart Chicago Collaborative and the City’s Technology Plan

adminSeptember 26, 2013

Earlier this month, Chicago Chief Technology Officer John Tolva unveiled the city’s very first technology plan. The plan was a result of a year-long process of research, brainstorming, and thinking about how to make all of Chicago competitive in the new digital economy.

This plan is a comprehensive framework for growing Chicago’s technology sector , getting broadband connectivity for everyone, and ensuring that Chicago remains a leader in open government data .

The plan also highlights the work that the civic technology community has been doing in Chicago. From the weekly OpenGov Hack Nights, the Smart Communities Program, and youth STEM programs; Chicago already enjoys a strong set of technology strengths and this plan will enable the city to advance even further.

Smart Chicago Collaborative is proud to have a key role in many of these initiatives and is dedicated to implementing this plan. Here’s a look at our role in the plan and the aspects of our existing work in this context.

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The Launch of Chicago Works For You

adminSeptember 20, 2013

Today we’re launching a new project, Chicago Works For You, a citywide dashboard with ward-by-ward views of service delivery in Chicago.

This site is going to be a central tool for Smart Chicago as we continue our work around internet access, digital skills, and civic apps. It allows us to engage residents, government, and developers around shared data so that we can all work together to make Chicago work better for all.

We’re conducting CUTGroup tests with residents, offering training and outreach to Alderman, and maintaining a full API of the data that drives our site.

This site is a result of years of work by many. It would not be possible without the vision of the MacArthur Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust to fund the Open311 project and the determination of the City of Chicago to make that implementation the largest and most comprehensive one in the world.

Much more to come. Write me at doneil@cct.og with questions or comments.

Meanwhile, here’s a look at what this site does, taken from the About page:

Home

The homepage is a citywide map with a daily summary of all service requests submitted, by service type and ward.

Dark lines under and up-arrows next to a request type means there were more requests of that type on that date than average. The longer the line, the higher above average. Highest above average is highlighted on the map as default.

Click any service request type to see the raw numbers and averages. The legend in the lake shows you the number ranges for each type in each ward. Click any service type to see those numbers for any day.

Go back and forth in time, it will show numbers for that service request, updating the web address so that you can share any view via Twitter, Facebook, or email.

For advanced users who like to hack URLs, you can type in any date you want, going back to January 1, 2008, the first day for which we have data from the City.

Services

Choose any service request type from the Services menu to see weekly views of service delivery by ward.

The bars show all requests opened in each ward, displayed by the day of the week it was opened. Hover over any bar to see exact numbers of opened requests. The check mark is how many requests of that type were closed in each ward.

Click any day to see that service type on a map.

Move backward and forward in time to see the weeks go by.

Each service has details on the work it takes to close requests. Again, you can share any view and click links to view raw data or submit requests of this type.

Wards

Choose any ward to see the week in review– all open and closed requests. You can choose any request or view all of them at the same time.

The Time-to-close ranking shows the average time from open to close, per request, in context with all other wards.

The Days with the most requests is a raw count for each service type for this ward, going back to January 1, 2008.

The alderman name links to their ward website, and the Chicago start links to their contact information on the City website. See also Facebook account, Twitter stream, and legislative history (as compiled by Councilmatic) links.

Photos

See the last 500 photos submits with service requests. You can sort by service request and see raw counts. Clicking any image takes you to the detail page on the City’s Service Tracker website to see details and current status.

Annotations

All of the data, maps, and charts on this site are just mute representations of a 14-type portion of the services delivered by the city for the city. We use our Tumblr blog to make observations and solicit yours.

GovJob: Director of Technology Communications for Cook County

adminSeptember 18, 2013

Here at Smart Chicago, we regularly work with units of government on a wide range of matters. We collaborate with City Departments on websites that increase collaboration with residents, with the Mayor’s Office on policy and implementation of technology efforts, and with the State of Illinois on expanding the open data movement.

In the context of this work, and in my role as co-chair of the New Media Council for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, I see first-hand the immense opportunity that we have in this region to improve lives through technology and data.

But I also see that there is a lack of supply for the jobs inside government that are essential for this work to continue.

For instance, here’s a great job at Cook County, working directly for CIO Lydia Murray in the Office of the President. Lots of people ask me in my work about ways they can get involved in the fecund civic innovation here in the Chicago region. Here’s one, right here.

DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY COMMUNICATIONS

Requisition ID:  00114960

Job Posting:  Sep 12, 2013, 9:12:00 AM   Closing Date:  Sep 26, 2013, 11:59:00 PM

Full-time  Shift Start Time:  8:30 A.M.   Shift End Time:  4:30 P.M.

Posting Salary:  $90,000-$105,000

Organization:  Offices Under the President

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Join Smart Chicago at the Broadband Communities Economic Development Conference in Chicago

adminSeptember 17, 2013

Smart Chicago is pleased to be a sponsor of The Economic Impact of Advanced Broadband Networks Conference on Community Fiber Networks in Tinley Park, IL on November 5 – 7, 2013.

The conference is part of a series developed by Broadband Communities Magazine, a leading source of information on digital and broadband technologies for buildings and communities. They are a welcome voice in the community broadband realm, documenting and amplifying the growing work of dozens of projects across the country.

Topics and themes include:

DEVELOPING broadband strategies for the knowledge economy
WORKING with economic development agencies
DEVISING innovative financing methods
DEPLOYING broadband to help foster vibrant communities
OBTAINING government incentives and support
BUILDING advanced broadband systems
SHAPING regional strategies and solutions
DIFFERENTIATING your community with advanced broadband
COMPETING and cooperating in a high-bandwidth world
CREATING jobs and attracting businesses with broadband networks

General admission is $185 for the conference. Smart Chicago has a limited number of free passes to this event on a first-come, first-served basis.

Go here to register.

Select the first radio button “General Admission:” at the top of the list. An area to “Enter Discount Code” box will appear – enter your this code: SmartChicago.

Please only register if you are certain you can make it to this conference in Tinley Park, IL on November 5 – 7, 2013. Let us know at doneil@cct.org if you decide to register and use a code.

Happy Hour and Discussion for Knight News Challenge: Health at the Chicago Community Trust

adminAugust 29, 2013

Please join us at a happy hour and discussion session for the Knight News Challenge: Health. This Knight News Challenge will fund innovative ideas to harness information and data for the health of communities. There are $2.2 million at stake in this challenge.

Representatives from the Knight Foundation, as well as local speakers focused on health innovation, will be at the Chicago Community Trust, 225 North Michigan Avenue on Friday, September 6, from 4 – 5 PM, with happy hour to follow.

John Bracken of the Knight Foundation will review the News Challenge program and its current focus on health. Dan O’Neil of Smart Chicago will talk about the vast opportunity around data in the health sphere.

Meantime, get involved in the Inspiration phase of the challenge and follow the Knight Foundation on Twitter for updates on the challenge itself.

If you are interested in submitting to Knight News Challenge : Health, or you just have an interest in health innovation, please come!

Review of #CivicSummer 2013

adminAugust 22, 2013

#Civic Summer is an experimental summer jobs program for teens focused on civics, media, and technology. Our inaugural program ran from July through August of 2013 and included more than 140 Chicago teens trained to use the latest digital tools to organize themselves, amplify their voice, and take positive civic action.

Partners

This program, funded by Smart Chicago based on a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, was largely run by two Chicago organizations focused on serving youth:

Mikva Challenge, which develops the next generation of civic leaders, activists, and policy-makers
Free Spirit Media, which provides education, access, and opportunity in media production

The Chicago Community Trust provides significant support for the program as well.

#CivicSummer Session with Mikva Challenge Aldermanic Fellows at The Chicago Community Trust

Team & Locations

Jacqui Cheng was the lead instructor for Smart Chicago Collaborative. She and I teamed up to deliver four Friday #civicsummer sessions and custom sessions with each group.

Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy houses many #civicsummer sessions as well as the Mikva Juvenile Justice Council and the Free Spirit Media’s DocuMakers program.

Tribeca Flashpoint Cinema Lab 540a for Civic Innovation Summer

YOUMedia was the location for Mikva Digital Fellows, Mikva CPS Education Council, and Teen Health Council.

1871 was the location for one Friday #civicsummer session.

Devry was the location for the Mayoral Youth Commission.

Youth work

The youth worked in separate groups, each with their own themes, leadership, and advisors.

The Juvenile Justice Advisory Council theme was “improving the criminal justice system” and reducing youth incarceration rates. Their decision makers were Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Justice Advisory Council led by Juliana Stratton. Smart Chicago worked with this Council on CAPStagram, a proposed app that would allow residents to submit “Community Concerns” via the CLEARPath API.

The Teen Health Council theme was “how to improve the health of wellness for Chicago youth” and their decision makers were Dr. Bechara Choucair, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, and Dr. Stephanie Whyte, Chicago Public Schools Chief Health Officer. Smart Chicago worked with this Council on Chicago Health Atlas, where you can view citywide information about health trends and take action near you to improve your own health.

The Mayoral Youth Commission theme was “making youth issues a top priority for the City of Chicago” and their decision makers were Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other City departments. Smart Chicago worked with this Council on the open data policies of the City as well as the data published to data.cityofchicago.org.

The Education Council theme was “how to improve school culture through increased use of youth voice” and their decision makers were Barbara Byrd Bennett, Chicago Public Schools CEO, and Chicago Public Schools Director of Youth Development and Positive Behavior Support. Smart Chicago wored with this Council on Go2School, a site that allows you to explore travel options to your Chicago Public School. Here’s the curriculum we used with this group:

Civic Innovation Summer Education Council Curriculum from Daniel X. O’Neil

The Mikva Government Fellows theme was “how government works and how it can work for youth” and their decision makers were City Aldermen. Smart Chicago worked with this Council on Chicago Works for You, which uses the City’s Open311 system to display information about city services. Here’s the curriculum we used for this group:

Civic Innovation Summer Aldermanic Interns Curriculum from Daniel X. O’Neil

The Free Spirit Media DocuMakers worked on media throughout the summer. Smart Chicago worked with this group on EveryBlock and the significance of citizen journalism, tutorials on using open-source data tools, and a review of Creative Commons and other useful tools you in youth reporting. Here’s the curriculum for this group:

Civic Innovation Summer Documakers Curriculum from Daniel X. O’Neil

Jacqui Cheng speaking to Free Spirit Media DocuMakers at Tribeca Flashpoint Academy for #civicsummer

Here’s a two-pager on the program:

Civic Innovation Summer from Daniel X. O’Neil

Here’s a nice writeup of a spot we did on Chicago Tonight. Keep tabs on existing #CivicSummer work on its project page.

Recap of #CivicSummer on Chicago Tonight

adminAugust 21, 2013

This evening Jacqui Cheng and I, along with a youth Kumari Mason from Free Spirit Media and Mickey Sharp from Mikva Challenge, did a segment Chicago Tonight program about our experimental #CivicSummer summer jobs program for teens focused on civics, media, and technology.

Here’s their take on the show and here’s an extended snip:

“I thought programmers were silent, awkward guys who sat in dark rooms and did nothing every day but write programs magically,” says Mickey Sharp, a junior at Lincoln Park High School. She was also part of Mikva Challenge’s summer program.

But after hearing guest lectures from tech entrepeneurs and professional programmers, Sharp learned about the people who create the web sites she visits every day.

“Now I know there are scripts you learn how to write to create these web pages,” she says. “It isn’t limited to a guy in a dark room playing Dungeons and Dragons…Now being a programmer seems like something I can do.”

Chicago High School for the Arts senior Kumari Mason was most impressed by several programmers leading the technology operations of President Obama’s re-election campaign.

“They had these piercings and they looked like real people. I thought they would have suits or something,” says Mason, who was also part of Free Spirit Media’s summer program. “I never thought they’d be working for President Obama.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we get up in the morning.

The program, funded by Smart Chicago based on a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is largely run by two Chicago organizations focused on serving youth:

Mikva Challenge, which develops the next generation of civic leaders, activists, and policy-makers
Free Spirit Media, which provides education, access, and opportunity in media production

The Chicago Community Trust provides significant support for the program as well.

Foodborne Chicago Covered in Food Poisoning Bulletin

adminAugust 19, 2013

Here’s some more coverage today from the food safety industry: New Twitter App Tracks Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Chicago. Snip:

We’ve told you before about apps that can help keep you safe from food poisoning, and how Twitter may be playing a role in foodborne illess outbreak investigations. Now a company in Chicago has created a new Twitter app called Foodborne Chicago. The project is part of the Smart Chicago Collaborative, an organization “devoted to improving lives in Chicago through technology.”

The app asks people who think they contracted food poisoning at a restaurant to fill out a form, which is sent to the Chicago Department of Public Health. The app also uses computer codes to search Twitter for anything relating to food poisoning in the Chicago area. People review the tweets and reply back to people who posted about them, asking them to fill out the web form. The form asks which restaurant the person believes is linked to the illness, what the person ate, and when they got sick.

More than 1,000 Photos of Public Computer Centers and Community Technology Centers Were Taken in the Connect Chicago Summer of Data

adminAugust 19, 2013

The Connect Chicago Summer of Data is almost over. 14 canvassers travelled the city to visit more than 200 Public Computer Centers and Community Technology Centers. They interviewed center staff, updated detail pages, and took many, many photos.

We outfitted each 2-person team with an iPad that allowed them to take high-quality photos of building exteriors, computer stations, and community rooms. The idea was that as people prepared to visit a public computer center, the more they knew about the place they were about to visit, the more confident they would be about it.

Ends up that the teams took hundreds of great photos. See them all here.

Here’s all of them, in a slideshow:

Cory Nissen and Joe Olson in Food Safety News re: Foodborne Chicago

adminAugust 19, 2013

More than 70 complaints have been submitted since Foodborne Chicago’s April launch, but not all submissions were driven through Twitter interactions.

“Outside of Twitter, a lot of people are finding this form randomly as a way of logging an incident of food poisoning,” said Cory Nissen, one of the app’s developers.

Nissen and Joe Olson, another developer behind the project, emphasized that a receptive and open city health department is needed to get a project such as Foodborne Chicago off the ground.

Full story on @foodsafetynews: Social Media Apps Use Twitter to Track Illness Outbreaks