The National Day of Civic Hacking on Track to Set Civic-Hacking Records

Washington, DC, May 03, 2014 --(PR.com)-- The second National Day of Civic Hacking will take place throughout the U.S. (and beyond) on May 31 and June 1. Sponsored by Intel, the international event is a significant opportunity for government agencies, businesses, nonprofits and civically-engaged individuals to work together to solve complex social problems. Thousands of participants are expected to gather across the globe to leverage new data sets from local and federal agencies to create impactful, technology-based tools and services.

National Day of Civic Hacking demonstrates how citizens can actively participate in their governments, at all levels, to improve their local communities through technology. A strong, diverse and growing civic hacker community will result in apps, software, and other new technologies born out of volunteerism and civic duty - as well as a community to sustain those solutions. Projects can address any challenge facing the community: from a mobile app drivers can use to report potholes, to platforms that address food and housing distribution for those in need. This unparalleled civic hacking event will illustrate the power of open government practices, particularly where data is readily available to support meaningful collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Brian Forde, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer for Mobile and Data Innovation, said “We encourage you to join the movement and participate in the National Day of Civic Hacking. If you’re a local civic innovator, rally your community group to host a hackathon... If you’re a policymaker, identify which goals could be addressed with open data and technology tools. If you’re a local government official, don’t miss out on this opportunity to make a positive impact on your town or city.”

This international initiative to promote transparency, participation and collaboration between governments, companies and citizens is led by Intel with major support from the Knight Foundation. Additional sponsors include Socrata and Yahoo!. The leadership team includes SecondMuse, Code for America and Innovation Endeavors. Many other organizations contribute to the National Day of Civic Hacking, including Challenge Post, Institute for the Future, Sunlight Foundation, Khadem Foundation and the Random Hacks of Kindness community. More than 15 federal government agencies and departments; several state governments and dozens of local governments are participating by offering challenges, releasing data and hosting events.

For more information about the initiative, visit: http://hackforchange.org/

Nicholas Skytland
Washington, DC
nick.skytland@secondmuse.com