Open Source
-
Speech Recognition for Open311
Really excited about a new project I started recently to enable phone-based speech recognition for 311 service requests. Here is a screen cast demonstrating the solution. I write about it in detail on the Tropo blog. Head on over the get the details, or check out the code for this solution (still a work in Continue reading
-
Building an Open311 Application with Node.js and CouchDB
Lots of work is being done to finalize the next version of the Open311 API spec (officially referred to as GeoReport V2). Almost a year ago I launched TweetMy311 – a service that lets people report non-emergency service requests using a smart phone and Twitter. Since then, a lot has changed – not only with Continue reading
-
Experiments in Open Data: Baltimore Edition
A lot of my open gov energy of late has been focused on replicating a technique pioneered by Max Ogden (creator of PDXAPI) to convert geographic information in shapefile format into an easy to use format for developers. Specifically, Max has pioneered a technique for converting shapefiles into documents in an instance of GeoCouch (the Continue reading
-
Echoes of Manor.GovFresh
A new year means retrospection and resolutions. For me, looking back on 2010, one of the most memorable events I participated in was an event held in Manor, TX. that focused on the use of new technologies by local governments. The Manor.GovFresh event – organized by GovFresh founder Luke Fretwell – cast a long shadow Continue reading
-
Tapping into Open Government
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of hanging out with a bunch of fellow geeks for the better part of a day in Philly at Neomind Labs to work on an open government / open data project as part of the Open Data Hackathon. Though most of us had just met, we were able Continue reading
-
Building Multichannel Transit Apps with Tropo
This post is the third in a series about building an open source transit data application using GTFS data from the Delaware Transit Corporation. In the first post, I described how to download the State of Delaware’s transit data and populate a MySQL database with it. In the previous post, I walked through a process Continue reading
-
Democratizing Transit Data with Open Source Software
Democratizing government data will help change how government operates—and give citizens the ability to participate in making government services more effective, accessible, and transparent. — Peter Orszag, OMB Director This post is a continuation in a series on building a transit data application using GTFS data recently released by the State of Delaware. If you Continue reading
-
How to Build an Open Transit Data Application
Earlier this year, I had the chance to work with one of my state’s Senators to draft and pass a bill requiring the state’s transit agency to publish all of it’s route, schedule and fare information in an open format for use by third parties. This bill was signed into law by the Governor a Continue reading
-
Gov 2.0 is Open Source
It’s interesting to reflect back on the not too distant past and think about how governments have used open source software. For many state and local governments – as recently as a few years ago – the use of open source software was something of a foreign concept. Many a government IT worker made an Continue reading
-
OpenGov APIs: Interfacing with Open Government
There has been lots of good talk (and a good deal of action) lately around open government APIs at events like Transparency Camp, Where 2.0 and on the Twitters. So, as a prelude to a talk I’ll be giving at eComm next month, I wanted to write a post surveying the landscape of recent government Continue reading
About Me
I am the former Chief Data Officer for the City of Philadelphia. I also served as Director of Government Relations at Code for America, and as Director of the State of Delaware’s Government Information Center. For about six years, I served in the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS), and helped pioneer their work with state and local governments. I also led platform evangelism efforts for TTS’ cloud platform, which supports over 30 critical federal agency systems.
Civic Innovations 