Civic Innovation
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The City Council postponed to September a vote that would install cameras with artificial intelligence on garbage trucks, to search out blight. Areas of concern included cost amid budget tightening, and privacy.
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The Pathogen Forecast Model launched this week by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego looks five days ahead at weather, tides, waves and river flows to calculate ocean water conditions hour by hour.
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This effort to speed up the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting’s ability to process new building permit applications is scheduled to begin next month, city officials say.
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The app provides personalized recommendations for eating fish from lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior, from inland lakes in northern Michigan and northern Minnesota, and store-bought fish.
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The National Association of Counties’ AI Exploratory Committee has released a report for local governments on integrating artificial intelligence. It offers use cases, and examines risks and opportunities.
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The cities of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse collectively received funding via a “tech hub” competition run by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. They’ll use it to develop an area semiconductor industry.
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The application, DROPS, or Direct Resource Outreach and Placement Service, enables city staff to create and track digitized case files. It’s intended to streamline access to resources and avoid disconnections in the process.
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Two local governments have taken steps to make residents aware of their digital rights. Experts argue that cities actually have a responsibility to do so.
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The village of Saugerties, New York, may utilize TextMyGov to reach residents who subscribe, about issues including water main breaks, road closures and emergencies. Officials have discussed a $5,000 contract with the company.
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The federal oversight agency has launched its first cohort focused on artificial intelligence for its Presidential Innovation Fellows program, aiming to create a talent pipeline for AI in government.
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Artificial intelligence isn’t everywhere yet, but several local governments around the country have either discovered how it can further enable modern 311 or are considering how it could.
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Results for America has recognized nine municipalities for using data to inform policy and improve government service delivery to residents. To date, 83 cities have received the What Works Cities Certification.
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A new mobile-responsive web page from the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation lets the public more easily report harmful algal blooms. Features include an updated map and reporting system.
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Technology like mobile apps and data visualization dashboards is helping the state serve more of its residents — often without them having to leave their homes.
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AskCOS, the city of Colorado Springs’ new artificial intelligence-enabled chatbot, was trained using Colorado city government information alone. The virtual assistant can answer constituent questions in 71 languages.
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The city will work with technology company Populus and an urban design firm to digitize its streetscape. It’s part of a project known as The Curb Reimagined, which will create a real-time, digital city map.
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State data released one year after the launch of California vs. Hate, the hotline and online portal for reporting hate crimes and incidents, shows its impact. People statewide reported more than 1,000 acts of hate.
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The city of San Jose has adopted an AI-powered translation tool to improve accessibility at City Council meetings for people who primarily speak a language other than English. It may see wider use, depending upon its performance thus far.
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Technology work underway in Luzerne County includes a new infrastructure management platform, and migrating election-related information off paper. The goal is to make services more efficient and effective.
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Bill Zielinski, who has led the Information and Technology Services department since 2020, will step down April 30. In recent years, he led the city’s response to a ransomware attack, and to the deletion of millions of police records.
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Officials have leveraged digital and mobile tools to make services more widely accessible to Coloradans regardless of location. Simultaneously, they are upgrading their IT infrastructure to more modern tools.