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A Startup Documented a Sharp Drop in Calls for 911 "Frequent Fliers" — Just by Sharing Information

Plus, Responders Ventures, AWS Partner to Connect Emergency Responders to Tech, StreetLight Data Raises $10M Series C and more...

TOP NEWS

A Startup Documented a Sharp Drop in Calls for 911 "Frequent Fliers" — Just by Sharing Information The presence of "high utilizers" in the ecosystem of services that runs from police to hospitals to homeless shelters is well documented and widespread. It costs local government a lot of time and money, and leads to a cycle of incarceration for people with mental health problems. The startup RideAlong has found, working with its early customers, that sharing information about those people can be a big help.


Responder Ventures, AWS Partner to Connect Emergency Responders to Tech The venture capital firm, focused on emergency responders, is launching the program to give entrepreneurs resources to grow, visibility to find potential clients and credibility to get a foot in the door. And its first corporate partner for the project, called ResponderXLabs, is none other than Amazon Web Services.
 
StreetLight Data Raises $10M Series C The startup, which provides transportation data and analytics, is planning to invest in visualization, function automation and international expansion.
 
Amid Mounting Skepticism, West Virginia Extends Blockchain Voting Test In May, the state became the first to try out the mobile, blockchain-based platform Voatz for deployed military and overseas voters. Now, as more people criticize the idea of Internet-based voting, the state is planning to try the system for the same group of voters in the November elections.
 
Tampa Takes Waycare's Traffic Data AI for a Spin The city is an early pilot-tester for Waycare, which is using multiple transportation data streams to provide real-time situational awareness of urban traffic, including predicting congestion and accidents.
 
What if Emergency Dispatch Had Your Location and Medical History? A free smartphone app is working with a 911 call center in the St. Louis area to help dispatch direct emergency responders to the right location, saving valuable time, and also to give them access to details such as medical history.
 
Company Gives Naperville, Ill., Free Wi-Fi in Exchange for Running Ads The city's park district was looking at a big bill to install Wi-Fi, so it worked out an alternative: Let a vendor sell ads on the login page if they set up the network for free.
 
Stanford Undergrads Create Legislator Feedback Platform The students' company, Pulse, seeks to verify voters and help legislators better understand the feedback those constituents are sending their way.


MARKET SPOTLIGHT

A Bunch of States Encrypted Web Pages Ahead of Google Chrome's Deadline The most popular Web browser is now warning people that non-HTTPS pages are "not secure." In the months leading up to the deadline, several states encrypted their front pages, along with some of the most populous cities. Here's a list of who's encrypted and who hasn't.


WATCHLIST

GovTech company on our radar this week:

Cape: Cloud-based software for remotely operating drones and managing their data. Cape is working with the San Diego Fire Department on the project it's undertaking for the Federal Aviation Administration's Integration Pilot Program.
Run a GovTech company? Get on our radar here.

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BIZ NOTES

>Tyler Technologies has partnered with U.S. Imaging to offer document scanning to county recorders.
 
>Mark43 is now working to integrate RapidSOS' 911 call location-tracking technology into its own technology so that it can provide emergency responders with the information in their computer-aided dispatch systems.
 
>Remix has announced the first six cities it is working with to build and deploy its "Streets" transportation planning tool.
 
>Passport has launched its parking app in Richmond, Va., and Morton, Pa.
 
>Gilbert, Ariz., has launched a new website from Vision Internet.
 
>San Antonio has released a new 311 mobile app from Cityflag.


WHAT WE'RE READING

Axon CEO: Facial Recognition Tech Isn't Good Enough for Police to Use It Yet (Quartz)
 
Smart City Sensors as a Security Threat (Wired)
 
Redlining at the End of the World (Motherboard)


 
GovTechBiz is our weekly newsletter covering the companies, deals and trends in the business of gov tech. Got a news tip? Other feedback? We're listening. Send it to GovTechBiz Writer Ben Miller at biz@govtech.com.  

Ben Miller is the associate editor of data and business for Government Technology. His reporting experience includes breaking news, business, community features and technical subjects. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, and lives in Sacramento, Calif.