#ThisWeekInData October 30, 2015

Each week we will bring you a summary of what happened this week on our site, on Twitter, and in the wider world of civic data. Suggest stories on Twitter with #ThisWeekInData.

In a follow-up to the announcement of Chicago’s predictive food inspections algorithm that allowed inspectors to discover critical violations seven days earlier, Sean Thornton chronicled how the city turned the algorithm into on-the-ground action. The process of developing an app for inspectors to use involved close collaboration between the Department of Innovation and Technology and the Department of Public Health. Thornton points to clear communication, a process map, and skilled team members as key elements to the success of the program.

Next City profiled a data-sharing project with Rice University and the City of Houston, which is designed to create cross-disciplinary and cross-sector work on urban problems. The city and university will together decide key research questions for the initiative to ensure that academic research is being applied to the most pressing problems, while also providing the data necessary to do so.

Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation published a new paper, “Smarter Government for Social Impact: A New Mindset for Better Outcomes.” The paper discusses how data, technology, and a focus on outcomes can create smarter government and deliver social impact.

On our site, we profiled RAVEN911, a regional emergency response data system created in the wake of Hurricane Ike. The GIS-based system combines data from many sources in the Greater Cincinnati region to enable coordinated, data-driven response to emergencies.

The White House released the third Open Government National Action Plan, which outlines the United States’ open government plans. This year’s commitments include making online information more accessible, creating an open standard for public address information, and increasing public participation in the development of regulations.

General Electric (GE) announced a partnership with ShotSpotter, a company that uses sensors to detect and locate gunfire. The new effort will add ShotSpotter’s technology to GE’s smart streetlights to vastly increase their coverage area in participating cities.

In Governing, Deloitte’s William Eggers and Kristin Russell analyze the results of a recent survey of 1200 government officials about digital transformation in government. They point to creating a strategy, involving users, changing culture, developing talent, and simplifying procurement as key elements of successful digital transformation.

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