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#  \#ThisWeekInData July 18, 2014 

 





A Weekly Roundup of the Latest Civic Data News

 

July 18, 2014

 

 

- JULY 18, 2014
- [Civic Data](/news/article/thisweekindata-498)

 *Each week, we bring you a summary of what happened this week on our site, on Twitter, and in the wider world of municipal data. Suggest stories on Twitter with #ThisWeekInData.*

 [*Fostering Innovation, Creating Jobs, Driving Better Decisions: The Value of Government Data*](http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/fosteringinnovationcreatingjobsdrivingbetterdecisionsthevalueofgovernmentdata714.pdf)[,](http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/fosteringinnovationcreatingjobsdrivingbetterdecisionsthevalueofgovernmentdata714.pdf) a report by the Economics and Statistics Administration, was released this week by the US Department of Commerce.

 David Leonhardt of *The New York Times* reports on how governments are using data-driven “efficiency experiments” to inform policy decisions that “[fail less often](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/upshot/the-quiet-movement-to-make-government-fail-less-often.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0).”

 An article in FCW explores how GitHub, a collaborative code sharing platform, is a becoming a “[Swiss Army knife for open government](http://fcw.com/Articles/2014/07/07/GitHub-swiss-army-knife.aspx?m=2&Page=1).”

 Tim Wisniewski, Philly’s new Chief Data Officer, [outlines his top three priorities](http://technical.ly/philly/2014/07/15/tim-wisniewski-chief-data-officer-priorities/) for the waning years of Mayor Nutter’s administration, including the development of public-facing apps and an "Open Data Census.”

 **New from our team**

 [Jon Keen discusses ATLCourt](http://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/atlcourt-upgrading-customer-service-in-atlantas-municipal-courts-495), a new website by Code for America that allows Atlantans to look up their court case, get text message reminders, and find answers to frequently asked questions.

 Guest authors from Freedman Consulting explain how, through the creation of a unified Department of Housing and Human Services, Boulder County, CO has been able to [expand the number of residents receiving services by 140%](http://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/boulder-county-colorado-integrated-service-delivery-496).

 RA [Jake Auchincloss studies innovative projects](http://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/old-town-new-tricks-491) in Casco Viejo, Panama, and concludes that the capacity for the private-sector to self-organize around acute problems has been crucial the city’s success.

 On *Better, Faster, Cheaper*, Charles Chieppo explores how a bridge-monitoring system used in South Carolina is helping to [hold down the costs of infrastructure maintenance](http://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/how-technology-can-stretch-infrastructure-dollars-497).



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Civic Data ](/topics/civic-data)
 
 

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