Civic Tech

More than 400 students who participated in the Congressional App Challenge demonstrated their award-winning work this week at the U.S. Capitol. The apps they designed combined technical prowess and personal experience.

The city of around 25,000 will deploy 16 cameras to be used in open cases or other specific circumstances, such as finding suspects or missing children. A grant will fund about two-thirds of the devices.

New fleet management technology for optimizing the use of electric vehicles crunches numerous variables related to battery performance, route, topography and temperature to get the most out of zero emissions.

The report, which includes information on cybersecurity, is an expanded version of a self-assessment encouraged by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Trucks are scheduled to go fully driverless in April.

In separate endeavors with the technology company AidKit, Boulder County and the city of Boulder are simplifying how they deliver financial relief to residents, child-care providers and nonprofits.

The Massachusetts Broadband Institute has awarded upwards of $10.4 million to upgrade online access across public and affordable housing in Salem, Gloucester and 24 other communities.

The U.S. General Services Administration’s Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, known as FedRAMP, will develop and implement a new approach to authorizations to make them easier and cheaper.

The 32-year-old MTA MetroCard will cease operations Dec. 31, but other fare cards are coming. NJ Transit will debut one in just a few months, and PATH is in the works on a card for its new TAPP system.

The Pennsylvania city has met several major milestones in the past year in its journey to improve city services with technology. In the year ahead, officials will continue modernizing systems and processes.

Yuba City and Marysville would participate with Yuba and Sutter counties in joining an integrated public safety information system. The endeavor is contingent on the former county securing a $2.6 million federal grant.

The pilot with a tech company, underway until mid-April, adds artificial intelligence to several existing security cameras in the city. The software will have a human verify a weapon has been seen before notification.

The City Council signed off recently on spending $240,000 for 32 automatic license plate reader cameras, and three surveillance cameras. Two members did, however, express concerns about privacy and surveillance.

Leaders in Macon-Bibb County, Ga., are reporting a decrease in homicides in 2024, after using artificial intelligence in policing programs and youth outreach. The crimes declined by 2.5 percent from 2023.

As part of its proposed 2025-2026 fiscal year budget, Maggie Valley Police Department is seeking funding for the two cameras. Their installation would connect the department to data from a national camera network.

Local IT leaders in California and Delaware wield innovation and collaboration to reimagine technology, integrating community dialog into modernization to deliver projects that reflect a variety of feedback.

The Sawyer Free Library received the funding in the form of a Digital Equity Initiative Partnership Grant. The money, from the Essex County Community Foundation, will launch its digital learning lab.

The city’s commission has approved the purchase of three drones at a cost of more than $15,000. Police, who have 10 licensed drone pilots, will use them in searches, rescues, and to follow fleeing suspects.

A joint program between the city and the Sacramento Regional Transit District is fielding 100 buses with forward-facing cameras powered by artificial intelligence. The devices spot vehicles blocking bus stops.