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December 20, 2017
Below is a collection of resources from the 2017 Data-Smart Summit presented by the Civic Analytics Network (CAN).
Applying Mobility Data in Cities
Louisville was one of the first cities to partner with Waze, the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation application. Through the Connected Citizens Program data exchange, Waze and the City of Louisville share incident, speed, and construction data. This enables the government to respond more immediately to accidents and congestion on their roads, and mine the historic data for future improvements. In turn, the company aggregates the City’s work-zone and road closure data on the Waze platform, resulting in the most succinct and thorough overview of current road conditions for citizens. Louisville has processed the raw Waze data feed into a usable platform internally that provides value for various departments. The City is now working to replicate this in AWS, and will open source code and processing tools on GitHub for other cities to quickly use. This session offers a look at the Waze data, process, code and how you can use it in your city to transform the data feed into actionable analytics and other valuable use cases for residents.
Presenter:
Michael Schnuerle, Data Officer, City of Louisville
Resources:
Leveraging Geospatial Data: The Los Angeles Story
Los Angeles has won international recognition for its GeoHub, a city-wide resource for data management and data visualization. Learn how the hub was created and how the CDO team developed a community of practice to improve city operations with data visualization.
Presenters:
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Sari Ladin- Sienne, Ash Fellow, City of Los Angeles
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Lilian Coral, Former Chief Data Officer, Los Angeles
Resources:
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Location is Driving the Value of L.A.’s Open Data (Ash Center)
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The Power of Data Visualization in Cities: Los Angeles’ GeoHub (Ash Center)
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Los Angeles Leads Open Data Innovation with the GeoHub (GovTech)
SF Data Academy: Developing a Data Culture Through Training
The San Francisco data team will share an overview of the way the city supports data literacy with its Data Academy. The session also includes highlights of the training delivered to city staff on creating dashboards and visualizations using Power BI.
Presenters:
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Joy Bonaguro, Chief Data Officer, City of San Francisco
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Blake Valenta, Ash Fellow, City of San Francisco
Resources:
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San Francisco’s Data Academy Develops a Data-Savvy Workforce (Ash Center)
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Cities Try to Promote Technology Solutions with New Initiative (Governing)
The Value of Data-Driven Decision-Making
This session provides an introductory data literacy workshop that could be delivered in your city. Topics include data quality assessment, basic data analysis tools and how to present data for decision-makers.
Presenter:
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Rayid Ghani, University of Chicago
Resources:
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Data Science for Social Good is Making a Mark, Starting a Movement (Ash Center)
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Center for Data Science and Public Policy (University of Chicago)
Police Early Intervention Systems
In this session, Joseph Walsh, Senior Data Scientist, provides a look at the data science work of the University of Chicago to develop a Police Early Intervention System that improves on current methods to identify officers at risk of adverse interactions. The model correctly flags more officers than existing early intervention systems while reducing incorrect flags.
Presenter:
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Joseph Walsh, University of Chicago Center for Data Science and Public Policy
Resources:
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U. of C. Researchers Use Data to Predict Police Misconduct (Chicago Tribune)
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Police Project Update: Expanding and Implementing the Early Intervention System (DSaPP)
Data Science Applications in City Government
San Diego has had a data scientist for over a year now and over that time has developed a methodology for working with departments to make the engagements maximally effective. Hear about data science engagements across the city, what works and what has been challenging. This session helps demystify the role of data scientist in city government and provides advice on how to make projects successful.
Presenter:
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Arnaud Vedy, Data Science & Analytics Program Coordinator, City of San Diego
Resources:
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San Diego’s ‘Get It Done’ App Collects 38,500 Issues So Far (KPBS)
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San Diego Focuses on Accountability, Transparency (Western City)
A Practical Guide to Predictive Analytics in Chicago
From forging unique partnerships to finding new ways to use its data, the City of Chicago has taken on many innovative approaches to develop predictive models that enhance city services and quality of life for residents. In this workshop, Chicago reviews these approaches through the lens of several successful use cases, which include projects for restaurant inspection forecasting and beach water quality protection, among others. Attendees will also have an opportunity to gain insights for launching advanced analytics projects in their own cities and organizations.
Presenters:
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Tom Schenk, Chief Data Officer, Chicago
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Sean Thornton, Program Advisor, Ash Center
Resources:
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Making Chicago’s Beach Water Safer With Analytics (Ash Center)
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Delivering Faster Results with Food Inspection Forecasting (Ash Center)
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Using Predictive Analytics to Combat Rodents in Chicago (Ash Center)
Saving Lives Through Data: New Orleans Smoke Signals
When the New Orleans fire chief sought help from the city analytics team, he wanted to be able to prevent fire fatalities by identifying the homes most likely to have a fatality and least likely to have a smoke alarm. The city was already providing free smoke alarms but not on a data-driven basis. The model has already saved lives in New Orleans and the model is available for other cities. Syracuse has already replicated the model. Learn how your city can use this code to prevent fire fatalities.
Presenter:
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Oliver Wise, Director of Performance and Accountability, City of New Orleans
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Sam Edelstein, Chief Data Officer, Syracuse
Resources:
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Predicting Fire Risk: From New Orleans to a Nationwide Tool (Ash Center)
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Stats in Action: New Orleans, LA: Smoke Alarm Outreach Program (US Census Bureau)
Preparing for Emergencies: New York City Data Drills
The Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics (MODA) conducted a series of “data drills” to prepare for a variety of possible incidents that could stress city data systems and operations. Bringing together leaders from across city departments to role play how they will respond to an emergency has improved data quality and interoperability, disaster or not. This model of preparation for how data is used as a tool for response to an incident has been institutionalized as a regular practice. Learn how you can conduct data drills in your city.
Presenters:
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Craig Campbell, Special Advisor, Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics, New York City
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James McConnell, Assistant Commissioner for Strategic Data, New York City Office of Emergency Management
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Mitsue Iwata, Project Manager, Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics
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Francoise Pickart, Senior Risk Analyst, Agency Preparedness, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
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Madhury Ray, MD, MPH, Senior Analyst, Risk+Analytics, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
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Amen Ra Mashariki, Innovations in American Government Fellow, Ash Center, Harvard Kennedy School (Former NYC Chief Analytics Officer)
Resources:
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How the NYC Data Analytics Team Responded to and Learned from a Catastrophe (Esri)
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How Data Can Stop Your City From Burning to the Ground (Motherboard)
Human-Centered Approaches to Data + Digital Services
The framework of human-centered design - which starts with end-users and tailors solutions to meet their needs - has emerged as an effective and empathetic way to build tools and services, craft public policy, and solve problems that matter. Learn how municipalities are beginning to practice these techniques, and how the City of Pittsburgh is democratizing their use through training for frontline employees.
Presenter:
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Robert Burack, Ash Fellow, City of Pittsburgh
Resources:
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Pittsburgh’s Regional and Inclusive Approach to Open Data (Ash Center)
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Burgh’s Eye View: How Pittsburgh Built an Agile Product Shop (Ash Center)
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Making the Case for Human-Centered Design for Open Data (Sunlight Foundation)
How to Scope Data Projects
In this session, Lauren Haynes, Associate Director at the Center for Data Science and Public Policy, walks participants through how to scope projects involving data, starting from identifying the problem you are trying to solve and the actions to address the issue.
Presenter:
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Lauren Haynes, University of Chicago Center for Data Science and Public Policy
Resources:
Automation of Open Data Delivery
Automating time-intensive manual processes has saved San Diego city staff countless hours and has improved timeliness and accuracy of data. The San Diego CDO and his team have made the city’s open data more useful and usable by removing manual labor steps from open data delivery. Automation of processes enables alerts for data-driven decision making at scale and has also saved on costly outside solutions.
Presenter:
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Maksim Pecherskiy, Chief Data Officer, City of San Diego
Resources:
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Becoming a Leading CDO: Maksim Pecherskiy, San Diego (Ash Center)
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Why Data Automation Matters for Open Data Portals (City of San Diego)
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San Diego Posts Emergency Phone Calls, Other Key Data (San Diego Union Tribune)
Making Data Useful
New platforms are allowing cities to publicly share and visualize data in compelling ways. Hear about leading examples of data portals and data visualization enabling insights into data. Chief Data Officers from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Cincinnati will share their insights on operationalizing and engaging constituents in interaction with open data, fostering transparency, public participation, and greater citywide data literacy.
Panelists:
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Andrew Therriault, Chief Data Officer, City of Boston
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Tom Schenk, Chief Data Officer, City of Chicago
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Sari Ladin-Sienne, Acting Chief Data Officer and Ash Fellow, City of Los Angeles
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Brandon Crowley, Chief Data Officer, City of Cincinnati
Moderator:
- Stephen Goldsmith, Professor and Director, Innovations in Government Program, Harvard Kennedy School
Resources:
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Location is Driving the Value of LA’s Open Data (Ash Center)
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Chicago Launches OpenGrid to Democratize Open Data (Ash Center)
Engaging With Departments
How do data teams engage with departments to source, scope and execute analytics projects? Hear about models and lessons learned from leading CDOs.
Panelists:
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Oliver Wise, Director, Office of Performance and Accountability, City of New Orleans
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Joy Bonaguro, Chief Data Officer, City of San Francisco
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Richard Todd, Strategic Advisor, Citywide Performance Team, City of Seattle
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Maksim Pecherskiy, Chief Data Officer, City of San Diego
Moderator:
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Stephen Goldsmith, Professor and Director, Innovations in Government Program, Harvard Kennedy School
Resources:
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Lessons from Leading CDOs: A Framework for Better Civic Analytics (Ash Center)
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Analytics Excellence Roadmap: A Four-Stage Maturity Model for Data-Driven Government (Ash Center)
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Building the Data City of the Future (Policy Data Infrastructure)
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Intragovernmental Collaborations: Pipedreams or the Future of the Public Sector? (SSIR)
The Power of Urban Sensors
Cities are beginning to take advantage of the power of the Internet of Things to understand the urban environment. Hear about early sensor projects and lessons learned from leaders in urban data analysis, including the innovative research, design and partnerships that launched these successful initiatives.
Panelists:
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Tom Schenk, Chief Data Officer, City of Chicago
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Eric Roche, Chief Data Officer, Kansas City, MO
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Laura Meixell, Assistant Director, Digital Services, City of Pittsburgh
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Sam Edelstein, Chief Data Officer, City of Syracuse
Moderator:
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David Margalit, Executive Director, Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative
Resources:
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Seeking Smart Streetlights: Creative Procurement in Pittsburgh (Ash Center)
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Road-testing the Internet of Things in Kansas City (Ash Center)
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Syracuse i-Team: Upgrading Infrastructure on a Limited Budget (Ash Center)
Optimizing EMS With Data
Emergency responders can save more lives when their basic logistics are optimized. Learn how cities are using data and analytics to speed the time from 911 call to response on the scene for medical emergencies.
Panelists:
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Stefanie Costa Leabo, Director of Performance Management, City of Boston
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Oliver Wise, Director, Office of Performance and Accountability, City of New Orleans
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Amen Ra Mashariki, Innovations in American Government Fellow, Ash Center, Harvard Kennedy School (Former NYC Chief Analytics Officer)
Moderator:
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Warren Dent, Program Manager for Content and Communications, Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, Ash Center
Resources:
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Nolalytics: Optimizing Resource Allocation (City of New Orleans)
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How Data Can Stop Your City From Burning to the Ground (MotherBoard)
UX: The Power of Design and Nudges in Government
Putting the user experience at the center of government operations has transformative potential. Hear about how design and behavioral insights are already being successfully applied in cities.
Panelists:
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Lindsay Moore, Advisor, Behavioral Insights Team
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Andres Lazo, Director of Citizen-Centered Design, City of Gainesville
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Santiago Garces, Chief Innovation Officer, City of South Bend
Moderator:
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Stephen Goldsmith, Professor and Director, Innovations in Government Program, Harvard Kennedy School
Resources:
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Paving a Path from Open Data to Open Government in South Bend (Ash Center)
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Three Tips for Designing Municipal Tools with Employees in Mind (Ash Center)
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Nudging Cities: Innovating with Behavioral Science (Ash Center)
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Ten Ways Cities are Nudging for Better, Healthier Citizens (Ash Center)
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How One Florida City is Reinventing Itself with UX Design (Fast Company)
Tackling the Opioid Crisis With Data
Americans are dying at an unprecedented rate from opiate drug poisoning -- the national average stands at 78 fatal overdoses per day. Forced to grapple with the ravaging effects of drug addiction and overdose in their communities, cities, counties, and states across the country are turning to data analytics and mapping to help alleviate the human toll and better direct critical resources to address the epidemic. Learn how data analysis and visualization are shaping effective responses across the country.
Panelists:
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Brandon Crowley, Chief Data Officer, City of Cincinnati
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Ray Campbell, Executive Director, Center for Health Information and Analysis, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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Kim Hicks, Data Scientist, City of San Francisco
Moderator:
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Tyler Kleykamp, Chief Data Officer, State of Connecticut
Resources:
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Tapping Local Data to Fight Drug Overdose: Part II, Dispatch Your Own Data (Ash Center)
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Using Data and Mapping to Understand and Solve the Opiate Crisis (Ash Center)
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Data’s Critical Role in Reversing the Opioid Epidemic (Governing)
Addressing the Challenges of Homelessness, Eviction, and Addiction
The challenge of homelessness in cities is compounded by the complexity of gathering accurate operational data. Hear about uses of data analytics to predict and prevent homelessness and to target those at risk of homelessness due to eviction or problematic use of opioids.
Panelists:
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Lubov McKone, Analytics Fellow, City of Boston
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Kim Hicks, Data Scientist, City of San Francisco
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Carter Hewgley, Senior Advisor to the Administrator, Family Services Administration, Washington, D.C.
Moderator:
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Joseph Cevetello, Chief Information Officer, City of Santa Monica
Resources:
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The Promise of Data and Collaboration in Tackling Homelessness (Ash Center)
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Data-Driven Strategies for Reducing Homelessness (Ash Center)
Leveraging Cross-Sector Partnerships
Effective city data projects often need to leverage outside capacity from all sectors. Hear about how cities have effectively engaged with partners, ranging from universities to the private sector.
Panelists:
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Santiago Garces, Chief Innovation Officer, City of South Bend
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Tom Schenk, Chief Data Officer, City of Chicago
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Laura Meixell, Assistant Director, Digital Services, City of Pittsburgh
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Oliver Wise, Director, Office of Performance and Accountability, City of New Orleans
Moderator:
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Kathy Pettit, Director, National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, Urban Institute
Resources:
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The Smart Chicago Collaborative: A New Model for Civic Innovation in Cities (Ash Center)
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Ten Notable Resources for Cross-Sector Collaboration and Smart Cities (Intersector Project)
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New Orleans Brings Data-Driven Tools to Blight Remediation (Ash Center)
Optimizing Inspections with Analytics
Allocating limited city inspector resources in a city is an optimal challenge to address with data. Cities are able to direct inspectors in a more targeted way by using data analytics to predict and prioritize sites of public safety concern, such as restaurants health code violations, units at risk of fire safety violations, or rodent control issues.
Panelists:
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Lauren Haynes, Associate Director, Center for Data Science and Public Policy, University of Chicago
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Michelle Tat, Principal Data Scientist, City of Boston
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Peter Casey, Senior Data Scientist, District of Columbia
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Craig Campbell, Special Advisor, Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics, New York City
Moderator:
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Andrew Nicklin, Director of Data Practices, Center for Government Excellence, Johns Hopkins University
Resources:
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Delivering Faster Results with Food Inspection Forecasting (Ash Center)
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Mayor’s Office of Data Analaytics, MODA (New York City Government)
Using Data to Improve Mobility and Infrastructure
In this session Shan Jiang (MIT) and Laurel Paget-Seekins (MBTA) will discuss advanced approaches to transportation analysis. They will present a range of data projects that draw upon various sources, from train schedules to cell phone data. The panel will discuss new ideas in the field of mobility management through data, and highlight challenges that still require innovative solutions.
Panelists:
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Shan Jiang, Postdoctoral Associate, MIT
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Laurel Paget-Seekins, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Resources:
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How Cities are Integrating Rideshare and Public Transportation (Ash Center)
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Inferring Urban Travel Patters from Cellphone Data (MIT News)
Open Data as a Gateway to Engagement
At the nexus of accountability, transparency, and public engagement, open data represents an opportunity to build new relationships with city stakeholders. Hear how have cities leveraged open data as an opportunity to engage internal and external audiences.
Panelists:
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Sari Ladin-Sienne, Acting Chief Data Officer and Ash Fellow, City of Los Angeles
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Laura Meixell, Assistant Director, Digital Services, City of Pittsburgh
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Katya Abazajian, Open Cities Analyst, Sunlight Foundation
Moderator:
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Eric Gordon, Director and Professor, Engagement Lab at Emerson College
Resources:
Hacking Open Data: Interactive Engagement Tools
To be engaging to the public, open data portals need to be designed with end use in mind. Hear from CDOs who are building open source tools that crate visually-engaging and widely-useful applications that enliven portal data. Based on user-centered design principles, engaging open data portals offer clear, tailored and interactive user interfaces that foster return engagement from users with a range of technical experience.
Panelists:
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Joy Bonaguro, Chief Data Officer, City of San Francisco
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Tim Wisniewski, Chief Data Officer, City of Philadelphia
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Maksim Pecherskiy, Chief Data Officer, City of San Diego
Moderator:
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Teresa Acuña, Associate Director, Democratic Governance, Ash Center, Harvard Kennedy School
Resources:
311: Analytics Superhero
Most cities routinely collect thousands, some millions of rows of data with their 311 systems, but few fully leverage the potential for analytics and insight. Learn how cities use 311 data to understand crime, combat rodents and improve customer service.
Panelists:
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Andrew Therriault, Chief Data Officer, City of Boston
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Sam Lovison, Data and Performance Analyst, City of Boston
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Tom Schenk, Chief Data Officer, City of Chicago
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Stephane Contre, Chief Analytics Officer, City of Edmonton
Moderator:
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Lena Geraghty, Senior Implementation Advisor, Center for Government Excellence, Johns Hopkins University
Resources:
Improving Public Safety Using Data Analytics and Visualization
How can data be used to make our criminal justice system more fair and efficient and enable allocation of resources to root causes of crime. Hear about new uses of analytics for reducing jail populations as well as data management and visualization for law enforcement.
Panelists:
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Lauren Haynes Associate Director, Center for Data Science and Public Policy, University of Chicago
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Barney Krucoff, Chief Data Officer, District of Columbia
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Santiago Garces, Chief Innovation Officer, City of South Bend
Moderator:
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Devin Romanul, Associate Director, Ash Center, Harvard Kennedy School
Resources:
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Paving a Path from Open Data to Open Government in South Bend (Ash Center)
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Preventing Juvenile Interactions with the Criminal Justice System (Data Science for Social Good)
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Metropolitan Police Department Crime Map (District of Columbia)
Challenges and Opportunities in Transportation Data
Dive into the current landscape of transportation data with experts Finch Fulton (DOT), Ariel Gold (DOT), and Andres Sevtsuk (Harvard Graduate School of Design) to learn about the most pressing issues in the field, the work that’s being done, and the questions left to be answered.
Panelists:
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Finch Fulton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation
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Ariel Gold, Data Program Manager, Intelligent Transportation Systems, U.S. Department of Transportation
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Andres Sevtsuk, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Moderator:
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Stephen Goldsmith, Professor and Director, Innovations in Government Program, Harvard Kennedy School
Resources: