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We talk a lot about the contributions that startups make to Chicago, but another way that techies are giving back to Chicago is through civic hacking. In fact, Chicago was recognized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for their role in last year’s National Day of Civic Hacking, featuring three events and over 300 participants.
But, what is civic hacking? It’s using technology specifically to create new solutions with public data to improve communities and government. The best part is, you don’t just have to be a developer: technologists, activists, scientists, humanists, and artists can all assist in changing the community for the better through new technologies. As we approach the National Day of Civic Hacking next weekend, here are a few ways you can get involved.
1. Connect Chicago
Before the weekend even starts, learn about Chicago’s role in the civic innovation movement at Connect Chicago’s weekly meetup on Friday, May 30. Christopher Whitaker, Chicago Code for America Brigade captain and the man behind Chicago’s NDOCH events, will be giving a presentation on Civic Hacking 101 and Danielle DuMerer, Chicago’s Director of Planning, Policy & Management in the Department of Innovation & Technology, will lead a discussion on how public computing centers and community technology centers can encourage old and train new developers to become civic hackers.
2. National Day of Civic Hacking in the Loop
Smart Chicago Collaborative will be hosting the official National Day of Civic Hacking in the Loop event next Saturday and Sunday, May 31 to June 1 with space and resources provided by e-discovery software company kCura. Andrew Sieja, CEO of kCura, is excited to see what the hackers will be able to provide for Chicago: “We’re excited to a host an awesome event like the National Day of Civic Hacking, especially as it’s committed to solving technology problems that could make Chicago an even better place. It’ll be great to see what kind of innovation comes out of this hackathon.”
The two days of hacking will feature presentations by civic leaders in the morning after breakfast, and then breakouts into teams at lunch. Check out the schedule and sign up here.
3. OpenGov Hack Night
Since the National Day of Civic Hacking in the Loop isn’t your typical overnight hackathon, the main event will be creating prototypes and wireframe, rather than a completed app. Presentations will be recorded, and teams are encouraged to attend events such as OpenGov Hack Night to finish the app.
Every Tuesday, civic tech group Open City hosts a hackathon for groups working on civic projects, or future groups looking to start one. This week Chris Whitaker will be presenting on what’s happened since last year’s events.
4. Adler Hack for Youth
But what if you’re a teenager without much experience in hacking, but you’re desperate to help your city? Enter Adler Civic Hack Day, a brand new event on May 31-June 1 for Chicagoans ages 12-20 to participate in workshops that teach hacking, bring problems they see in Chicago to light, or start solving those problems with a team of teen hackers.
5. After all that...
What do you do if you’ve made it through the National Day of Civic Hacking and want to continue your solution? Smart Chicago Collaborative makes it easy for civic hackers by hosting their civic app for free on their servers.
Don’t miss out, especially since you don’t want to disappoint Brian Forde, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer for Mobile and Data Innovation:
“We encourage you to join the movement and participate in the National Day of Civic Hacking. If you’re a local civic innovator, rally your community group to host a hackathon," Forde said. "If you’re a policymaker, identify which goals could be addressed with open data and technology tools. If you’re a local government official, don’t miss out on this opportunity to make a positive impact on your town or city.”
Katie Peters is currently a student at the Illinois Institute of Technology and a public relations intern at kCura in downtown Chicago. Contact her for story ideas at [email protected].
