A meetup to plan the June 1 Hack for Change event.

On meetup.com.

 

notes from the meeting:

June 1, Hack for Change - Seattle.


Tentative hold on event space in City Hall.

Emailed Code for America about getting expenses paid for stuff like web hosting meetup dues, and costs for June 1 event, still waiting for response.


Should contact the Mozilla OpenNews folks: http://www.mozillaopennews.org/hackdays.html (There’s an open, OpenNews call tomorrow, March 27, you should hop on and mention this. )


June 1 hackathon as kickoff to Evergreen Apps type event would be cool.


We need to put together an email for the City of Seattle folks that run data.seattle.gov showing:


  • what data sets we need, and what attributes the data should have

  • what improvements we’d like to features on data.seattle.gov


Let’s compare to previous hack days to see how they were set up. We need to find agendas from old events.


Things we need:

  • volunteer sign-up form

  • Existing data sets that are ready to go

  • list of things volunteers can do:

    • leading up to the event

    • at the event

  • t-shirts, stickers

  • fliers

  • revise codeforseattle.org/hackforchange

  • projectors

  • large paper pads / easels / markers

  •  


Ask for donations to cover event costs and ongoing Code for Seattle costs – sell t-shirts, etc.


Prior to event:

Request new data sets from the City of Seattle.

On the day of the event people break into teams to work on the new data sets.

Certain number of tickets to event for designers, developers



Outline of activities on June 1:


Areas at the hackathon:

  • Editing SeattleWiki.net

  • Working with new data from the City of Seattle

  • Lounge, area for people to hang out, talk about ideas


Twitter hashtag #hackforchangeidea (or something more brief?) (Hack for Change, Seattle = #H4CS) ?

Display ideas on a large screen.


Have volunteers ready at each area that can direct newcomers to groups that match their interests.


10 a.m.

Introduction by _someone_ about civic data, why it’s important, and an overview of the goal of the day.


10:20 a.m.

Brainstorm ideas, vote on ideas, break into groups to work on apps / data visualizations


10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Optional workshop teaching the basics of working with data using javascript or python (or some language TBD). If people don’t need the workshop they can just start hacking.


First session, 10:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.


  • Edit SeattleWiki

  • Work on apps / data viz based on new data from City of Seattle.

  • Contribute ideas for civic data/engagement in the ideas area


1 p.m.

Lunch!


Second session, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.


  • Edit SeattleWiki

  • Work on apps / data viz based on new data from City of Seattle.

  • Contribute ideas for civic data/engagement in the ideas area


(exact times and such can and should be revised)



optionally: from 2 or 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

bands? playing in city hall? please?








Questions:


1. Any interest in a two day (june 1-2) event?

Maybe? Similarly, hackforchange.org suggests a block party-style event: http://hackforchange.org/events.html#blockparty

This event style seems really cool, but also a lot more work. ?


2. Is editing the wiki a distraction, or does that help pull in more participants?

It would be great to have a track for folks that aren’t necessarily interested in writing code.


3. Are there other possibilities for tracks? For example: working with Json, working with JavaScript, finding data sets, defining the API, building a client, building the data store/service, ...


4. Let's fold a party into the mix!

Yes! I wonder if City of Seattle would let a band play in City Hall? Too much?


5. It would be interesting to have a second sponsor, in addition to the City of Seattle.

costs to cover:


  • food

  • materials

  • promotion

  • rentals (projector, etc)

  • band

  •  


Getting sponsors to cover these things would be great.


Could have tables for businesses, organizations like makerspaces?


Suggested Sponsors:

1. Socrata

2. Globys

3. Newspapers

4. Kbcs FM

5.



Suggested Datasets:


  1. Locations of traffic collisions to enable something like http://chi.streetsblog.org/2013/03/21/help-make-the-chicago-crash-browser-an-even-better-tool-for-change/

  2. Web pages or wiki pages that are geocoded near me

  3. Roads under construction

  4. Fires and other emergencies

  5. Neighborhood events like block watches, community meetings about transit lines, or crime, or libraries, or P-patches, or schools.

     

  6.  

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