Cities need to develop open data policies, but that’s easier said than done. The Sunlight Foundation, a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that uses technology and policy analysis to improve government transparency and accountability, recently released a free Open Data Policy Wizard.
Oakland’s Rent Adjustment Program released a new Web app that streamlined the rental complaint process. The RAP website provides residents with information regarding rent increase laws, their rights as tenants, and the eviction process.
In 2014, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio launched Vision Zero to end traffic-related fatalities in the city. Three years into the initiative, the mayor’s office released a new report touting how data analytics has helped drop traffic accidents and fatalities to record lows.
New York City’s Tech Talent Pipeline was founded in 2014 to connect New Yorkers with tech jobs and training. Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio, who created the TTP, announced an expansion of the program with a $1 million investment and new partnerships.
Los Angeles Controller Ron Galperin is giving city residents insight into parking ticket metrics via an open data portal dubbed Street Talk: Parking Tickets in LA.
Mobile devices and geographic information system software were partly responsible for yielding a homeless person census in Aurora, Colo., that was more accurate than the previous year’s count, according to the director of the city’s homelessness program.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Senseable City Lab used Google Street View to map the tree canopies in various cities around the world in order to inform the decisions of city planners on where to plant trees.
San Francisco is encouraging civic involvement through its Adopt a Drain SF program, where residents become responsible for one of the roughly 25,000 storm drains and catch basins that the city maintains.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department in Indiana received permission to purchase a TruNarc Handheld Narcotics Analyzer. The device is able to test for 370 illicit substances without requiring police to open any packaging that may be around the suspected substance.
A year ago this month, New York City deployed a beta test of kiosks across the city. The program, dubbed LinkNYC, is powered by CIVIQ Smartscapes and gives the public access to free, fast Wi-Fi, free domestic calling, two USB charging ports, maps, and direct access to 911 and 311.
