Posts By Abhi Nemani

Opening Data to Improve Public Health: Launch of the California Public Health Data Portal

Health and Human Services may be the (or one of the) most important agencies to engage with open data. Public health departments, in particular, analyze and understand threats to the public’s wellbeing— a vitally important civic function. Your local Department of Public Health, for instance, strives to keep you up-to-date of your risk of contagiousRead… Read more »

What We Should Learn from Apple

It’s been about 10 years. Apple went from creating one of the most interesting and successful media playing devices, the iPod, to generating the flagship mobile experience for consumers. Of course, I’m talking about the iPhone. The iPhone is simple, elegant, user friendly, and it just works, but the trick in the iPhone and theRead… Read more »

Thinking About Libraries, the Original Civic Platform

Libraries have always been dear to me. When I was growing up, the Carnegie-built library in my hometown was my sister’s and my favorite place to swing by during the summer — and not just for the books, mind you. They hosted wonderful youth engagement activities: volunteer opportunities, educational classes, and they even had a rental programRead… Read more »

The Power of Networks: On Joining GovDelivery & GovLoop as Civic Innovator-in-Residence

As a student of civic technology for some years now, it’s rare that I come across numbers that stun me. I’ve grown accustomed to typical facts and figures echoed by players in the space: X engaged users, Y partner governments. Typically, you’ll see some breakouts but, like many things, most fall somewhere in the middle.Read… Read more »

California’s Prop 42 & the challenge and opportunity for delivering on citizen demands

Civic software-as-a-service can make what seems like a new burden for cities an opportunity to collaborate Yesterday, citizens in the state of California amended their constitution to make it more open and transparent: Voters approved Tuesday a measure to give greater protection to California’s open meeting and public records laws by putting them in theRead… Read more »

Making Data Actionable: Charlotte’s Quality of Life Dashboard

When Charlotte, N.C. began funding neighborhood groups in 1992, government staff wanted to better understand the impact of the funding in Charlotte’s neighborhoods and where resources should be allocated; similarly, citizens wanted to see how their neighborhoods were changing over time. So, in 1993, the City started conducting an annual Quality of Life Study toRead… Read more »

Open Data for our Public Lands

Americans have inherited a vast and spectacular landscape. Through the efforts of citizens and governments throughout the 20th century, today Americans are the equal-owners of some 785 million acres of public land. These public lands and trails help us understand the world around us — including our environment, our communities, and ourselves. Across the country,Read… Read more »

Help Finding Help

In 2013, Code for America’s Fellows in San Mateo County were assigned the rather lofty mission of reducing hunger in in the County. (In fact, the project’s initial name was “Bytes to Bites.”) In the course of their research, they observed that many of the social services available (not just food pantries — but childRead… Read more »