Civic Tech

Santa Fe city officials are working with researchers from Carnegie Mellon University to implement a first-of-its-kind smartphone app that would let residents track when COVID-19 is impacting their social circle.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has joined an international network that tracks the large-scale movements of birds, bats and large insects, turning to the Motus Wildlife Tracking System.

Plus, Philadelphia launches a new used technology donation program aimed at helping to close the digital divide, a federal agency releases hospital-level facility data related to COVID, and more.

The Navy has established new "Tech Bridges" in Hawaii and the Gulf Coast, with the Hawaii branch expected to be a super connector tying together state and local government, industry and academia to solve Navy problems.

Plus, Code for America expands its focus on taxes with a new leadership hire, a new Pew Charitable Trusts analysis examines how much broadband speed is needed for American households, and more.

For many jurisdictions, moving citizen services online was a long-term, “nice-to-have” project, but the pandemic forced new ways to bring city hall to the people, rather than the people to city hall.

Plus, Seattle IT is now accepting applications for its long-standing Technology Matching Fund grants program, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center wins TIME 2020 invention award, and more.

Plus, New York City announces winning projects for its civic tech contest around protecting tenant rights; MasterCard extends its City Possible network; Boston revamps its online housing assistance platform; and more.

A civic tech fellowship that was born out of crisis response earlier this year has now lead to nearly half a dozen successful digitization projects in New York City, with no sign of slowing down.

Plus, the NDIA reaches a new 500-affiliate milestone amid a crisis that emphasizes importance of its work; Pittsburgh groups to host a month of GIS events; and Delaware has launched a COVID-19 alert app.

A computer scientist has created an interactive map where people can look up almost any address in 16 California counties including the entire Bay Area, and see the tax on that property and all surrounding ones.

Plus, Colorado’s contract tracing app is seeing large buy-in from users within the state, the U.S. Digital Response publishes a social media playbook for government, and how to map election turnout change data.

Read more to see how Cisco helps the City of Buffalo in a 48-hour race for work-from-home unified communications.

Plus, New York City is relaunching its Neighborhood Challenge initiative to benefit small businesses, a new report notes that government agencies benefit from collective wisdom for COVID-19 problems, and more.

Woodbury County Auditor and commissioner of elections Pat Gill on Wednesday announced that the "WhereUVoteIA — Woodbury County" app is available for free download in both the Apple and Android app stores.

The 'Merced Recycles' app, launched by the Merced County, Calif., Regional Waste Management Authority, allows users to view trash pickup schedules and information on what bins items should be placed in.

Plus, meet the winner of the international Call for Code Challenge for 2020, West Virginia is moving to Google Workspace in its agencies statewide, Indiana’s digital government portal hits user milestone, and more.

Plus, Boulder, Colo., launches a beta website to gather user feedback; and a new Gallup/Knight survey finds that four out of five Americans worry disinformation will sway the presidential election.