#ThisWeekInData June 3, 2016

• June 3, 2016
• Civic Data

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

Sidewalk Labs and Transportation for America announced a partnership to work with cities to create “connected streets” through data-driven approaches to transportation policy. The idea of “connected streets” advances the “complete streets” model, ensuring not only that streets can be safely used for all modes of transportation but that data and technology are fully leveraged to help transit run more efficiently. The partnership builds off of Sidewalk Labs’ experience incorporating tech into local government initiatives and Transportation for America’s experience working within local communities to improve transit.

Here on Data-Smart, Yannis Orfanos wrote about Harvard’s Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure’s data-driven tool for understanding water infrastructure. The open web tool, called the Zofnass Information Tool, provides holistic information about Chelsea, MA’s water systems for non-expert city stakeholders, such as city managers, policymakers, developers, and citizens. Through data visualization and system-based storytelling, it helps users better understand and improve complex water systems.

MIT News highlighted the smart city research being done at MIT’s new Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. The interdisciplinary center brings together researchers across MIT to work on, among other things, complex urban problems. Featured research initiatives include automated transportation systems, smart incentives to encourage residents to behave more efficiently, and smart energy grids.

GovTech wrote about the new data-sharing agreement signed by thirteen state agencies affiliated with the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services. The new enterprise memorandum of understanding (eMOU) will allow the agencies to share more information and make more informed decisions for their constituents. Many residents frequently interact with multiple health and human services agencies, but data-sharing between agencies has been slow and cumbersome in the past, creating inefficiencies in the overall system. The new and improved data-sharing methods will hopefully allow departments to collaborate better, prevent redundant work, and make more informed decisions overall to help residents.

CityLab covered the latest updates to San Francisco’s MuniMobile app, which will soon allow passengers to rate their rides. Users will be able to quickly rate the comfort and efficiency of their ride, along with providing information about any problems with fellow passengers. The SF Municipal Transportation Agency plans to use the resulting data to better understand the successes and failures of the current transit system and make targeted improvements to needed areas.

Next City featured a guest post by Matt Lawyue, communications associate at the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, and Kathryn Petit, director of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, on the importance of local data intermediaries. These intermediaries are able to connect important stakeholders (such as nonprofits, community organizations, and residents) with the data they need to make a difference in their community. Data intermediaries work to obtain, analyze, reformat, and visualize government and other data so that it can be understood and used by regular citizens. The article explains how the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP) has been a successful network of data intermediaries, helping share best practices and advice across the country.

GovTech explored the role state governments can play in the development of IoT projects. Cities across the country are beginning to pursue numerous IoT initiatives throughout government agencies, but IoT initiatives are mostly absent at the state level. The article describes potential smart initiatives for state governments, considers what it means for a state government to be “smart,” and explains how state governments can coordinate and enable IoT initiatives on the city level.