Civic Tech

In Bloomington, Minn., officials are leveraging technology to bring the city’s community-driven strategic plan to life in a way that those who contributed to its creation can visualize and interpret.

In Marin County, Calif., technology is being used to analyze wastewater samples to provide health officials with a population-level perspective of drug use. That data is shaping response and intervention efforts.

As summer heat approaches, officials in the Texas city are planning on testing a water-based asphalt treatment in all 10 City Council districts. The pavement is supposed to reduce spikes in temperature.

Through a combination of tech and data, the California Department of Water Resources is measuring the historic rainfall and snowfall the state saw this year — and in a way that helps prepare for the next drought.

As programs funded by the American Rescue Plan Act come to a close, several local governments share how the funding — and the technology that helped them distribute it — helped people in their communities.

Nevada State Parks is modernizing reservation processes with a cloud-based reservation software to simplify the visitor and staff experience. Officials say the state is the last to modernize its reservation system.

A new, interactive resource released today from Code for America aims to improve the online safety net benefits application processes across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

State officials marked International Transgender Day of Visibility last week with the launch of the first version of its new centralized information hub to support transgender and non-binary constituents.

Plus, the White House announces $25.7 million in new Internet grants for tribal communities in two states, Delaware names an executive director for its newly created broadband office and more.

As the opioid epidemic continues to impact communities nationwide, New Jersey and Ohio are using data to understand how overdoses impact constituents as well as to inform their ongoing responses.

The 12th cohort of the New York-based urban tech accelerator includes four companies with a government focus, as well as participation from a new venture capital partner.

Code for America has announced the second cohort of state partnerships that will work with the organization's Safety Net Innovation Lab to rebuild and innovate in social safety net benefit delivery.

At the same time, however, government practitioners must not lose sight of the high bar and rigor required to achieve true use of human-centric design. Simply saying a product was created using the practice won’t cut it.

Hartley, a veteran of public-sector technology with more than a decade of experience within government, is the group’s new CEO, describing the position as “the perfect next step.”

The state of Colorado has launched a pilot program at the Pueblo Regional Center that uses virtual reality technology to train staff to better serve individuals with developmental disabilities and other health needs.

Plus, Vermont is the latest state actively seeking resident input on its digital equity planning, Hawaii's state digital equity leader is honored by a pair of new awards, and more.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has approved funds for an app that will allow outreach workers, paramedics, law enforcement officers and others to match homeless people with available shelter.

The Washington, D.C., Department of Corrections has implemented a pilot program to help individuals who are incarcerated gain access to cloud certifications that will help ensure they earn living wages upon their release.