What's New in Teams Calling, Meetings and Devices March 2024
Speech at City Club: The Need for Investment in the Digital Lives of All
1. The Need for
Investment in the
Digital Lives of All
Daniel X. O’Neil
City Club of Chicago
September 8, 2014
1
@danxoneil @smartchicago
2. Points
@danxoneil @smartchicago
• Where you from?
• About Smart Chicago
• A focus on infrastructure for others
• What you can do
September 8, 2014 2
12. @danxoneil @smartchicago
We’re all about technology
• Everything we do relates to technology
• We are of and about the Internet
• We believe in the transformative power of
the Internet to change lives and build the
economy for all
September 8, 2014 12
13. @danxoneil @smartchicago
We are open
• Open source code
• More importantly: open processes, open
minds, open methods
• Allowing others “in”, wherever that may be
September 8, 2014 13
14. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Target market: everyone
• We believe in the power of the network
• The network needs everyone in it in order
for it to be powerful
• We work on solutions that cover the entire
city
September 8, 2014 14
15. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Chicago is our middle name
• All of our work is done here
• Unique and thriving ecosystem
• We serve as a model for others
September 8, 2014 15
17. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Access, Skills, and Data
Smart Chicago is a civic organization
devoted to improving lives in Chicago
through technology. We work on increasing
access to the Internet, improving skills for
using Internet, and developing meaningful
products from data that measurably
contribute to the quality of life of residents in
our region and beyond.
September 8, 2014 17
18. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Access
If you’re not connected
to the Internet, it is
difficult for technology to
be of much use to you.
September 8, 2014 18
19. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Skills
If you can’t use the
Internet, being
connected isn’t going to
be all that meaningful.
September 8, 2014 19
20. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Data
We construe data as
content. Because there
has to be something
meaningful to look at
once you’re connected
and skilled.
September 8, 2014 20
21. The Founders:
2 Philanthropies, 1 Municipality
September 8, 2014 21
22. @danxoneil @smartchicago
The John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation
• A center for ideation and
conception
• Julia Stasch: 2007 report,
“The City that NETWorks”
• Our primary source of funding
September 8, 2014 22
23. @danxoneil @smartchicago
The Chicago Community Trust
• Provides housing for the
organization and is fiscal
agent
• At the center of funding and
knowledge for the region
• Critical financial, human
resources, and other support
September 8, 2014 23
24. @danxoneil @smartchicago
The City of Chicago
• The most important policy
lever in the region
• Departmental relationships
• A critical partner for having
impact and getting things
done
September 8, 2014 24
26. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Sources of Capital
• MacArthur: primary; essential
• CCT: critical back-office support as well as grants
• Sprague: on-target programs centered on health
• Knight: an essential, growing partner focused on
civic engagement
• Cook County: to do open data work
September 8, 2014 26
27. We function as a tech
development outfit.
September 8, 2014 27
29. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Focus on infrastructure
We make technology, programs,
and initiatives that allow others
to be more effective— to
provide clarity and impetus
September 8, 2014 29
30. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Amazon Web Services
• We host dozens of apps
for civic hackers
• At a moment’s notice & for
as long as they want
• This allows us to be helpful
at the moment of
inspiration
• Eliminating stoppers,
encouraging innovation
September 8, 2014 30
31. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Project Work and Office Space
• We have three employees at Smart
Chicago
• A deliberate strategy to spread
revenue, power, and growth across
the ecosystem
• We are founding tenants of 1871,
going back to May 2012
• We’ve helped jumpstart a half dozen
companies
• OpenGov Hack Night— an
institution. There because of our
seats
September 8, 2014 31
32. @danxoneil @smartchicago
CUTGroup
• Civic User Testing Group as a new
model for UX testing, digital skills
development, and community
engagement in civic tech
• 800+ residents are available
• We’ve paid each of them a $5 VISA gift
card. When they participate in a test,
they get a $20 gift card
• We help the developers design and
implement UX testing and it allows us
to be deeply engaged with
communities while improving digital
skills
September 8, 2014 32
33. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Eliminate The Digital Divide
Advisory Committee
• I am the chair of this state-based
grant program
• They give grants to community
technology centers all over the
state of Illinois
• Allows me to be more plugged
in to the investments
happening outside of a
particular jurisdiction
September 8, 2014 33
34. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Cook County Open Data Work
• We have a contract with the
County to assist them with
their data portal
• Pure block-and-tackle
technical assistance
• Helping publish data that
grows the ecosystem
September 8, 2014 34
36. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Foodborne Chicago
• We use computers & code to search Twitter for
tweets related to food poisoning in Chicago
• We do as much as we can to automatically zero-in
on the tweets we think are really about a possible
food poisoning case and really coming from Chicago
• Then real humans review the tweets and @reply
back to people with a link back to our site, hoping to
generate legitimate service requests
September 8, 2014 36
37. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Chicago Early Learning
• Easily find early learning programs near your
home or work
• Compare programs side-by-side to select the
highest quality option for your child
• Kick off the enrollment process
September 8, 2014 37
38. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Chicago Works For You
• Citywide dashboard with ward-by-ward
views of service delivery in Chicago
• Slice, dice, view, review
• Sort by whatever interests you
• Automatic, running totals
September 8, 2014 38
39. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Chicago Health Atlas
• View citywide information about health
trends and take action near you to improve
your own health
• Our health programs are run by Kyla
Williams
• Also: Smart Health Centers
September 8, 2014 39
44. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Chicago School of Data
• There is a Chicago School of
Data emerging
• One that places people at the
center
• One in the service of people
September 8, 2014 44
45. @danxoneil @smartchicago
Chicago School of Data
• Chicago School of Data Days
• Friday and Saturday, September
19 and 20
• Let’s do this
September 8, 2014 45
46. @danxoneil @smartchicago
We have a chance to make
Chicago the most dynamic
digital city in the world.
September 8, 2014 46
So I am dubious of any discipline that seeks to help people that doesn’t seem to really include people in meaningful ways. Remember how stoked Burgess Meredith was in the Twilight Zone when all the people were gone and he was left with his books?
Pretty much every time I see something in the world of “big data” or “predictive analytics”, there is never any mention of humans. As if the machines are autochthonous, indigenous, comes from nowhere and knows everything. Empty of humans.
But of course humans have made everything. And they are the most versatile and capable objects on earth. Burgess Meredith got pretty bummed when he immediately broke his glasses and couldn’t read any of his glorious books. His myriad word repositories were of no use. If only there was one other human left to read to him.