Apps

For States’ Covid Contact Tracing Apps, Privacy Tops Utility

Nearly half the states have or are planning to launch a digital contact tracing system, but critics say the technology has overemphasized privacy at the cost of usefulness.

  • By Lindsey Van Ness, Stateline

Want to Address Food Insecurity in Your Community? There's an App For That.

How a county housing authority partnered with a tech nonprofit to deliver food to vulnerable residents.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Quake Early-Warning App Now Available to Anyone in Los Angeles

Making seismic alerts available to the public has been a priority for Mayor Eric Garcetti.

  • By Michael Grass

Secret Government Communication Lawsuit Continues in Missouri

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Tulsa’s sexual assault grant funding … Louisiana wants to build an airport in a wildlife refuge … and Duluth’s unusual snow-shoveling rule.

  • By Michael Grass

Making Rescue Volunteers Part of the Official Response

A rescue website developed during Hurricane Harvey—and in use again during Hurricane Florence—wants to work more directly with local governments.

  • By Laura Maggi

Texas Is Building a Killer App for Killing Bureaucracy

Chief Information Officer Todd Kimbriel wants a digital assistant to navigate the state’s bureaucracy for citizens.

  • By Mitch Herckis

The Limits of Earthquake Early-Warning Alerts

Last week’s quake near L.A. shows the promise of the West Coast seismic notification system under development. But its effectiveness will depend on those using the technology.

  • By Michael Grass

The Perfect Selfishness of Mapping Apps

Apps like Waze, Google Maps, and Apple Maps may make traffic conditions worse in some areas, new research suggests.

  • By Alexis C. Madrigal, The Atlantic

Seattle Expects to Save Millions of Dollars Through Right-of-Way Management

“Our first goals were to protect the pavement as an asset and make sure people and visitors to Seattle were able to travel,” said the city’s Project and Construction Coordination Office manager.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

When Seconds Matter, Tiny Flaws in User Design Can Slow Things Down

Bus service can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including squinting. Yes, squinting.

  • By Michael Grass

New York's Pursuit of a More Useful App Contest

After drawing criticism from the tech community, the city redefines how government app competitions can work efficiently.

  • By Linda Poon, CityLab

California's Open Data Portal Goes Open Source for the Apps

The portal will be maintained by the state Office of Digital Innovation alongside its Innovation Lab--centralization that should bode well for future app development.

  • By Dave Nyczepir
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How Apps Can Prompt Police Departments to Release More Stats

In trying to answer questions about U.S. crime using open data, app developers on the online analytics platform Foxtrot Code are requiring even more transparency from city officials.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

This App Aims to Incentivize Public Transit Ridership and Boost Local Businesses

Shop and Ride is connecting riders with merchant offers along their routes, and soon they met be able to redeem points for travel rewards.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Cuomo Moves to Block Sex Offenders in N.Y. From Using ‘Pokemon Go’

The governor’s action follows an investigative report from lawmakers that highlighted potentially problematic trends.

  • By Bill Lucia

D.C.’s Foster Care App Illustrates the Importance of a Mobile-First Mentality

Many government agencies shy away from mobile apps, but the District of Columbia's Child and Family Services Agency recognized that’s just what it needed.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Zombie Invasion: Rethinking Undead Mobile Apps

Plenty of old, outdated, “zombie” native mobile apps are still around, swaying and shuffling around the app stores without serving a useful purpose for the government agencies that created them.

  • By Nolan Jones

For Smaller Cities, Intelligent Networks Offer a Solid Digital Foundation

Legacy networks are constraining when cities must meet connectivity demands, according to Verizon’s VP of SLED markets.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

This Housing Authority Took App Delivery Into the Cloud

Workplace entry is easier when core software can quickly be pushed to anyone’s device securely.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Government Agencies Continue Their Shift to Hybrid IT, But Few Will Go All In

Security concerns, lacking skills, budget constraints and legacy systems all impose barriers to a complete migration to the cloud.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

How Cities Are Leading the Way on Infrastructure Innovation

“While states weren’t looking, our cities became better governed, better managed places,” said Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimore.

  • By Dave Nyczepir