Meet the Commerce Data Service
The launch of the U.S. Department of Commerce Data Service (CDS) is one story that slipped through the digital cracks last November. But with a few major projects completed — and more underway — the group’s mention was a near inevitability. In a March 15 blog post, department Chief Data Officer Ian Kalin, the first to hold the role, highlighted CDS as one of his primary accomplishments after a year in the position.Like the White House’s U.S. Digital Service and the General Service Administration’s 18F, the team’s roster is a mashup of top tech-sector recruits. Its leadership consists of Kalin; Deputy Chief Data Officer Tyrone Grandison, a former IBM research manager; and Jeff Chen, a former NASA innovation fellow and data expert for the New York Mayor’s Office, acts as the department’s chief data scientist. Kalin said it was quickly apparent after an initial analysis that a data team was needed to modernize services. Currently, the CDS has launched five interactive open data Web apps through the Commerce Data Usability Project, an open data site meant to spotlight insights for American businesses.
According to a recent article, the goal of CDS is to hire a team of more than 100 software engineers and data experts by the end of 2016 to support the department’s more than 45,000 employees. The article also notes that 15 open data projects are slated for completion by August, one of which includes a partnership between CDS and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to shorten the patent applications to just three hours.
Chicago Creates Civic Tech Startup 101
Propelled by the rise of civic tech, the University of Chicago and venture capital fund Urban.us have teamed up to create a class for civic tech entrepreneurship. In an Inc. article, AppCityLife founder Lisa Abeyta writes about the inception of the coursework that aligns industry and government thought leaders with startup fundamentals.With the guidance of Urban.us Founder Stonly Baptiste, Professor Abbie Smith at UChicago’s Booth School of Business has structured the class, called Entrepreneurship: Urban Opportunities & Solutions, to be more like a startup incubator than a typical university course. Students must create a product and business model that solves a social or urban problem. Just like the many small groups of entrepreneurs in startups, this pursuit places them in teams that are mentored weekly with government and tech industry panelists. Contributors to the class have included speakers like Chicago CIO Brenna Berman; Palo Alto, Calif., Development Services Director Peter Pirnejad; and civic tech startups and nonprofits like MuniRent, NextDoor, SmartProcure and CityMart — to name just a few.
Smith said the concept for the class is part of a larger civic innovation focus that’s led by UChicago’s President Robert Zimmer. Outside the school, the program also underscores a growing trend in civic tech education that is seeded by both governments — who are educating through entrepreneurial fellowships and startup collaborations — and civic tech accelerators like San Francisco’s Tumml and Washington, D.C.’s 1776. Those looking for a more expansive academic program might head to the California College of the Arts, which launched its first MBA in Civic Innovation last year.