US CTO Todd Park gets Safety Datapalooza started, photo courtesy Department of Labor.
The White House Office of Public Engagement held the first Safety Datapalooza illustrating the power of Data.gov communities. Federal Chief Technology Officer Todd Park and Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari hosted the event, which touted the data available on Safety.Data.gov and the community of innovators using it to make effective tools for consumers.
The event showcased many of the tools that have been produced as a result of opening this safety data including:
- PulsePoint, from the San Ramon Fire Protection District, a lifesaving mobile app that allows CPR-trained volunteers to be notified if someone nearby is in need of emergency assistance;
- Commute and crime maps, from Trulia, allow home buyers to choose their new residence based on two important everyday factors; and
- Hurricane App, from the American Red Cross, to monitor storm conditions, prepare your family and home, find help, and let others know you’re safe even if the power is out;
Safety data is far from alone in generating innovative ideas and gathering a community of developers and entrepreneurs, Data.gov currently has 16 different topically diverse communities on land and sea — the Cities and Oceans communities being two such examples. Data.gov’s communities are a virtual meeting spot for interested parties across government, academia and industry to come together and put the data to use. Data.gov enables a whole set of tools to make these communities come to life: apps, blogs, challenges, forums, ranking, rating and wikis.
For a summary of the Safety Datapalooza visit Transportation’s “Fast Lane” blog.
Visit Data.gov now to see if there is a community that fits your interest. And if there isn’t one to meet your needs, contact the Data.gov team to get started on one that does.
Loading tweets...
5 comments
Brand Niemann says:
October 9, 2012 at 7:21 pm (UTC -5 )
Lisa, I have some reservations about this activity and have expressed them in my Blog:
http://gov.aol.com/2012/09/26/safetydata-gov-review-long-on-text-short-on-data-tables/
Thank you for providing a place where we can comment.
Brand
Steven Clift says:
October 4, 2012 at 8:28 pm (UTC -5 )
We need apps that help people who live in higher crime areas, get connected and fight back. Using data to only say which areas to avoid isn’t solving the problem for many.
Lisa Nelson says:
October 5, 2012 at 3:46 pm (UTC -5 )
That is so true and I have read some police departments are starting to do that. Highlighting where crimes are most likely to happen, combining and analyzing many streams of information to track possible criminals.
miniatur alat berat says:
October 2, 2012 at 9:26 pm (UTC -5 )
It’s an idea that is very helpful for many people.
good luck.
miniatur alat berat
Big Data Doctor says:
September 26, 2012 at 4:32 pm (UTC -5 )
This is a really cool initiative all the governments in the world should be following. Thank you for comming up with such a good ideas to put the data at the service of the community. Safety starts by awareness and awareness starts by data