Civic Hacking Day Is On the Way: What's On Your Wish List?

Organizers say the second National Day of Civic Hacking already has more than 100 events scheduled around the world and expects thousands of participants to show up to help turn data sets from local and federal agencies into impactful, technology-based tools and services.

Sponsored by Intel with support from the Knight Foundation and a number of other organizations, the event leverages the talent and brainpower of a growing civic hacker community to develop apps that address challenges facing their communities. But people don’t have to have technology skills to participate; generating ideas about community challenges and brainstorming ways to solve them are also part of the process.

“This unparalleled civic hacking event,” organizers say, “will illustrate the power of open government practices, particularly where data is readily available to support meaningful collaboration between the public and private sectors.”

Brian Forde, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer for Mobile and Data Innovation is encouraging widespread involvement. “If you’re a local civic innovator, rally your community group to host a hackathon,” he suggests. “If you’re a policymaker, identify which goals could be addressed with open data and technology tools. If you’re a local government official, don’t miss out on this opportunity to make a positive impact on your town or city.”