MAYOR NEWSOM LAUNCHES CITY APP STORE
California Desk
September 26, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today, Mayor Newsom announced the launch of the DataSF App Showcase (www.datasf.org/showcase) to highlight and centralize software applications created from City data. The site will celebrate the innovators and innovations from a more collaborative and open government. On the site the public can browse examples of new ways in which Bay Area constituents are using City data to improve San Francisco.
"We are trying to turn San Francisco´s government into an organizing platform for civic engagement by giving our residents the tools to build the kind of government that works for them," said Mayor Newsom. "This is just the beginning. We hope creative developers will build countless more apps never dreamed of in City Hall."
A number of software applications have already been created from government data and are featured in the Showcase. There is an interactive crime map with San Francisco Crimespotting, EcoFinder, an iPhone app that helps residents recycle based on their location, and Routesy, an app that helps people find their way around the Bay Area´s transit systems in real time.
"The Department of Technology is excited by the opportunity to work more closely with the technology community to lower costs and drive innovation in government," said Chief Information Officer for the City of San Francisco, Chris Vein. "The success of civic tools like the EcoFinder iPhone app clearly demonstrates the value of opening government data."
The DataSF App Showcase is part of a larger Open Gov Initiative for the City and County of San Francisco, which focuses on open data, open participation and open source.
Last month, at WordPress headquarters with leaders from the technology community, Mayor Newsom launched DataSF.org. This new web site is designed to improve transparency in government, increase access to City data, and engage our highly skilled workforce. The initial phase of DataSF includes more than 100 datasets, from a range of city departments, including Police, Public Works, and the Municipal Transportation Agency.
"We're thrilled that the City of San Francisco is defying convention by preemptively releasing data about its operations," said Shaw Allen of Stamen Design, the company responsible for San Francisco Crimespotting. "Open data empowers people like us to create pictures of the city that better allow its citizens to understand how and why it works."
"We are trying to turn San Francisco´s government into an organizing platform for civic engagement by giving our residents the tools to build the kind of government that works for them," said Mayor Newsom. "This is just the beginning. We hope creative developers will build countless more apps never dreamed of in City Hall."
A number of software applications have already been created from government data and are featured in the Showcase. There is an interactive crime map with San Francisco Crimespotting, EcoFinder, an iPhone app that helps residents recycle based on their location, and Routesy, an app that helps people find their way around the Bay Area´s transit systems in real time.
"The Department of Technology is excited by the opportunity to work more closely with the technology community to lower costs and drive innovation in government," said Chief Information Officer for the City of San Francisco, Chris Vein. "The success of civic tools like the EcoFinder iPhone app clearly demonstrates the value of opening government data."
The DataSF App Showcase is part of a larger Open Gov Initiative for the City and County of San Francisco, which focuses on open data, open participation and open source.
Last month, at WordPress headquarters with leaders from the technology community, Mayor Newsom launched DataSF.org. This new web site is designed to improve transparency in government, increase access to City data, and engage our highly skilled workforce. The initial phase of DataSF includes more than 100 datasets, from a range of city departments, including Police, Public Works, and the Municipal Transportation Agency.
"We're thrilled that the City of San Francisco is defying convention by preemptively releasing data about its operations," said Shaw Allen of Stamen Design, the company responsible for San Francisco Crimespotting. "Open data empowers people like us to create pictures of the city that better allow its citizens to understand how and why it works."
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