A guide to when and how to build technology for social good Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Civic technology is a new phrase that’s gained recent popularity in the growing — but still nascent — sector of people who work in technology and focus their efforts towards solving challenges facing the public sector. The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to conduct in-depth, nonpartisan research to improve policy and governance at local, national, and global levels. Such projects also help to crowdsource funding and share information about projects and programs related to climate change and other pressing social or political Open Seattle issues. We’re blending Space industry pros with LA’s unique culture to link Government, Public, and Private sectors. Provide funding and expertise to help navigate complex systems, and to transform cutting-edge research into cool, market-ready tech. Founders come in with cutting-edge solutions that not everyone can understand to products no one can live without.

Though these findings and case studies don’t necessarily represent trends across the massive civic tech movement, the suite of projects is in line with the general mood at TICTeC 2017, which helped to kickstart a process of learning and reflection on the role and impact of civic tech. Next year, it would be great to go beyond “mass-tech” (Facebook and Google) and see more examples of more local, ground-built civic tech (the latest at iHub, Janaagraha’s IChangeMyCity.com, other suggestions welcome). A goal is to engage people who are typically disconnected from “data” to create their own framework to analyze and understand data.

• Venture capitalists recommended entrepreneurs stick to the private sector where budgets are looser and there’s a more diverse customer base.
• The Pirate Party (Iceland) uses the crowdsourcing platform Píratar for members to create party policies.
• Another key difference is that civic technology projects are collaborative and intentional right from the very beginning.
• And if you’re a woman jumping into civic tech, please take some time to read insights by the incredible Grace O’Hara.
• Though these findings and case studies don’t necessarily represent trends across the massive civic tech movement, the suite of projects is in line with the general mood at TICTeC 2017, which helped to kickstart a process of learning and reflection on the role and impact of civic tech.

It includes information and communications technology supporting government with software built by community-led teams of volunteers, nonprofits, consultants, and private companies as well as embedded tech teams working within government. As the field of civic technology advances, it seems that apps and handheld devices will become a key focus for development as more companies and municipalities reach out to developers to help with specific issues. Apps are being used in conjunction with handheld devices to simplify tasks such as communication, data tracking, and safety. The most cost-effective way for citizens to get help and information is through neighbors and others around them.

Enter civic tech, a movement that aims to revitalize and transform some of our most fundamental societal institutions. A movement which also happens to account for $6.4 billion to be spent in 2015 to connect citizens to services, and to one another. Uber is a company that tries to solve transportation problems in cities despite their bullcrap about not being a transportation company. With the do-good focus of the civic technology space, having Uber in the mix is like pouring oil in water. Get ten civic technologists in a room and hand them a list of companies and ask them if they’re civic technology companies. So, civic hacking may not be the best phrase when trying to convince people that they should be taking a radically different approach to how governments and nonprofits use technology.

Common civic tech needs across global contexts: Insights from our pro bono Democracy Tech Consultations

This article is meant to be both a helpful guide for those jumping into the civic tech realm, as well as a warm welcome to all who are joining (whether it be due to COVID-19 or any other reason that you find yourself here). This means developing a deep understanding of the context you’re trying to solve a problem in. Jordan’s original conception of Grassroot was an alert for when services weren’t working. But after walking around and talking to people in communities that might use the product, his team found that people were already alerting each other. “But when we asked, ‘how do people come together when you need to do something about it,’” says Jordan, “we were told over and over, ‘that’s actually really difficult.’” And so Grassroot became a platform activists could use to organize gatherings. Since then, they have worked hard to encourage the state government to make data open and have promoted partnerships between state agencies.

So You Want To Provide Citizens Access to Government Information

In civic tech, technology is always the means to an end, not the end itself. One of the overarching themes for those who identify as civic technology movement is that all this power should be leveraged to benefit the public. That if I can summon ramen to my door, then the people trying to feed the poor should have software that actually helps them accomplish that. That if I can summon somebody to do my laundry for me, then the people trying to protect children from abuse shouldn’t be stuck using a software system that constantly fails them. One aspect of civic tech includes the use of technology by governments to deepen the democratic relationship between citizens and their state. I have previously written about citizens engaging directly in governance.

This can all result in an important database for politics and civil society to help spur demand for effective measures. Civic technology projects are increasingly doing more than just building an app with open data, but having a real influence on the implementation of services. As a product, Largelots.org was more than just a web app but rather a example of a policy change augmented by user friendly technology.

MIT affiliates awarded 2024 National Medals of Science, Technology

Many governments are still hard pressed for cash and the procurement process rewards patience and tenacity above whiz bang features. That critical mass is important because as governments see a technology working for other municipalities, they are more likely to embrace that technology themselves. “Vertical is appealing because if you have the knowledge in that space better than anyone else you create a very sticky kind of recurring revenue,” says Blackman. But while there’s always a positive side to failure, we’d like to help you avoid the pit falls we’ve already faced so that you don’t need to start from square one when setting off on your civic tech endeavors.

(Even though it was) It works because community organizers got everyone together, worked out a game plan, got everyone to agree on the plan, and then got the funding to hire a civic app shop that he knew could do it. How useful do governments find feedback provided through civic technologies compared to traditional feedback channels? In high capacity contexts (U.S.), online forums in our case studies attracted different populations and feedback from in-person meetings, demonstrating that both online and in-person are necessary. In low capacity contexts (Guatemala and Liberia), the capacity and technical ‘know-how ’of government and citizens are limiting factors in tech uptake and effectiveness.

Of course, nobody writes a news story about somebody cutting vegetables — using a knife only makes the news when something bad happens. A group of mapping volunteers are now working to ensure all crises spots are covered. While civic-directed technologies hold great promise, they also face several challenges and considerations. Although the program originated in the UK, the idea has caught on and is gaining traction in municipalities around the world. There’s even a GitHub platform for those who want to start such a program in their local community.

In France, public data are available on data.gouv.fr by the Etalab mission, located under the authority of the Prime Minister.