Data project

Over the past decade many governments, including Chicago’s, have put the spotlight on open data. But how do citizens really feel about these initiatives? A new study from the Pew Research Center found big splits in the public’s awareness of open data and its value for users. John Horrigan, a Senior Researcher at Pew and one of the authors of that report joins us to explain.

New study examines citizens’ feelings on open data initiatives

Chicago has gotten a lot of attention for its open data efforts, but cities around the region are also getting into the space. Evanston launched its open data portal in February and is starting to see how citizens are using the information and where to go next. Luke Stowe, Digital Services Coordinator for the city of Evanston, joins us with more.

What Evanston is learning a month after launching its open data portal

Now that the Memorial Day weekend is over, students around Chicago are counting down to the end of the school year. And for some, that means coding camp is right around the corner. All this week on Tech Shift, we’re looking at different options kids have to explore science, technology, engineering and math over the summer. We examine a new program from the civic tech group Smart Chicago called Youth-led Tech. Its goal is to introduce students on the South and West sides to coding, and to teach them how to translate their new-found programming skills into a job. Joining us to talk about that is Smart Chicago Executive Director Dan O’Neil, and Dr. Toni Irving, Executive Director of Get In Chicago, a violence prevention and reduction program. 

Summer tech program will introduce South and West Side kids to coding

Thousands of people across the country are taking part in the third annual National Day of Civic Hacking. Groups in more than 100 cities will meet to design apps, websites and services to try to solve problems in their communities. Chicago is hosting four events in 2015, with goals from improving  neighborhoods to creating more sustainable fisheries. Christopher Whitaker, the Chicago Brigade Captain for Code for America, and Steven Philpott, a Social Ventures Fellow at the Center for Neighborhood Technology, join us along with Kelly Borden, the Citizen Science Education Lead at Adler Planetarium, to fill us in on this year’s event.

Thousands to take part in National Day of Civic Hacking

The nonprofit organization Sunlight Foundation has been keeping track of the tweets politicians didn’t want you to see anymore. The site, called Politwoops, saved the tweets deleted by lawmakers. For the past three years, it tracked thousands of blunders and position changes. It also helped track how Twitter was being used for political discourse. But last week, Twitter suspended Sunlight’s access to its information, shutting down Politwoops. The move raises questions about how the social network balances privacy with the public’s right to know what their politicians are up to online. WBEZ web producer Chris Hagan tells us more.

Twitter restricts access to lawmakers’ deleted tweets

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Data project

WBEZ's Tech Shift