Newsletter No.5
Applications Taking Shape
Our team has been pushing on a number of fronts and our portfolio of work is coming into form. Reed and Tamara recently returned from their second trip to South Bend where they tested and gathered feedback on the team’s current prototypes.
The newest applications the team is working on are a set of interrelated tools to address vacant and abandoned properties. The first is a tool for collecting feedback and information on the properties and neighborhood priorities via text message and telephone. The team did significant testing with community members on this, and learned a lot about what user experiences will work for different residents.
To assist inspectors in collecting current data on the properties, the team deployed LocalData, an easy-to-use mobile app that lets inspectors click on a map and record information about a given property which is then available on the web. We rode along with several inspectors and summer interns as they surveyed all of the 1100 or so houses on the city’s vacant & abandoned property list and had them test the survey tool.
We also completed a first pass combining different data sources on the properties to support the decision-making process for what actions the city should take with each property. While still in the idea stage, a related idea to this would be a web interface to share key information about these properties with the public.
In addition to our efforts around vacant and abandoned properties, we continued testing Procure.io, a tool to engage more local businesses in city purchasing opportunities. It’s a promising product in the early stages of development, but based on feedback from our sessions with purchasers in several city departments we’ve decided to scale back our work to a more focused tool that would simply notify vendors of new opportunities via email or text. We plan to reevalute the status of Procure.io later in the summer to determine whether it’s a good fit for the city.
Open Data Policy and Portal
The team has also been advising the city on creating an open data portal and an open data policy. Each of these elements will make sharing data with citizens and between city departments much easier in the future. A test version of the open data portal has already been implemented, is being filled with data sets, and should be coming online to the public in the near future.
Hack Michiana
South Bend officially has a Code for America brigade - Hack Michiana! Made up of local residents interested in using technology to tackle civic problems, Hack Michiana will serve as an organizing vehicle to create and coordinate efforts among residents, connect with CfA’s broad civic tech network, and engage with city government in a more structured way.
Tamara and Reed were fortunate enough to be present for their first monthly meetup. During the event they tested the text-based community feedback tool and received some great input. WriteMyLaw, a community project from Hack Michiana, was also presented at the meet-up and seems to have great potential.
South Bend Fun
During the past visit to South Bend the team was able to squeeze a little fun in between the many meetings and testing sessions. This included a white water raft down the East Race followed by a riverside post raft beer at Emporium. We also had a chance to visit the Studebaker Museum and Copshaholm Mansion and discovered Girasol’s delicious Ecuadorian pupusas! We’ll back in just a few weeks, the week of July 15th.