What is a Smart City?
Within the past 18 months the concept of smart (and intelligent) cities has been become popular in the media. For instance, Scientific American ran a special issue on smart cities. Industry players (e.g. IBM, Siemens, etc) have specific programs and practices dedicated to advancing the cause of building smart cities. Government agencies are dedicating resources […]
Report now Available – Challenge.Gov: Landscape Analysis + Citizen and Agency Perspective
I have just completed the first draft of my report on the Challenge.gov platform. This paper has been a few months in the making and builds on my recent work in community intelligence platforms, citizen apps, and innovation in the public sector. To receive a copy of the report, please send me an email. Challenge.Gov: […]
Dean Jenkins, Creator of PapayaHead App, Second Place @ Department of Agriculture’s “Apps for Healthy Kids”
We are half-way through our research project on Citizen Apps. Below, you will find our findings from our conversation with Dean Jenkins who created the PapayaHead App. Developer: Dean Jenkins Bio: Dean holds an Executive MBA degree from the University of Washington. Prior to establishing PapayaHead, Inc. in 2006, Dean spent 14 years working as an Enterprise […]
James Pol, US Department of Transportation Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office.
As part of our Citizen App project, we interviewed James Pol at the US Department of Transportation on his experience with the Connected Vehicle Technology Challenge. Current Position: Team Leader, Program Management and Evaluation at the US Department of Transportation Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office. Bio: James is a classically trained civil engineer, receiving […]
Community Intelligence Platforms: The Case of Open Government
Akshay Bhagwatwar (Kelley School of Business, Indiana University) and I have a paper accepted at the Eighteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), to be held in Seattle, Washington, August 9-12, 2012. This paper builds on our ongoing work in policy informatics, citizen apps, and design of participatory platforms. Community Intelligence Platforms: The Case of Open Government The […]
Leveraging the Wisdom of Crowds through Participatory Platforms – Planetizen
My article on Leveraging the Wisdom of Crowds through Participatory Platforms was published on Planetizen. The future of design and planning is certain to be around participatory platforms, designers and planners should embrace these platforms and leverage their potential towards designing smart(er) cities through open, inclusive, and collaborative approaches.Planners need to learn how to orchestrate participation […]
April in Lisbon – IGU Commission on Geography of Governance Annual Conference 2012
I will be presenting a paper at the Annual Conference of the IGU Commission on Geography of Governance in Lisbon, Portugal (April 12-14, 2012) .The paper, Citizen Apps and Urban Governance: Understanding the Landscape of Apps and their Impacts, draws on my current research project with Akshay Bhagwatwar (Kelley School of Business, Indiana University) and my IBM Center […]
Citizen Apps to Solve Complex Urban Problems – Journal of Urban Technology
I have a paper accepted for publication in the Journal of Urban Technology. Co-authored with Akshay Bhagwatwar (Kelley School of Business, Indiana University) this paper looks at how citizen apps are employed to solve complex urban problems. Abstract: Tackling complex urban problems requires us to examine and leverage diverse sources of information. Today, cities of all kinds and […]
Leveraging Technologies in Public Agencies: The Case of the US Census Bureau and the 2010 Census – MI Working Paper #2011-01
Akshay Bhagwatwar and I have completed a paper on how the US Census Bureau leveraged technologies during the 2010 Census effort. The papers is being made available as part of the Metropolitan Institute Working Paper series. Emerging technologies are transforming government agencies and the nature of governance. In this paper, we outline how the US Census […]
New Project – Examining Public Participation in ACTion Alexandria
The Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech has entered into an agreement to partner with ACT for Alexandria to advance the design of citizen engagement platforms.I will lead a team of researchers who will work in collaboration with ACT for Alexandria personnel to examine public participation on the ACTion Alexandria platform. The team will look at how user interactions on […]