Code for America on Why Civic Hacking Matters

 

Published on August 28th, 2013 | by Travis Korte, Center for Data Innovation

 

Civic hackathons sometimes get flak for failing to produce polished, government-ready applications. But for Jack Madans, Code for America‘s Government Partnerships Manager, that is missing the point.

 

Hackathons are not just for building apps, he says; they are also essential to building and sustaining a healthy data community. Developers can meet designers, entrepreneurs can identify business opportunities, and local government officials can get a glimpse of what is possible. Even if they do not always end up with a killer app, he says, these hackathons still matter because of the lasting connections they help establish between people who might not otherwise have met.

 

Watch the video for his full take.

About the Author

Travis Korte Travis Korte is a research analyst at the Center for Data Innovation specializing in data science applications and open data. He has a background in journalism, computer science and statistics. Prior to joining the Center for Data Innovation, he launched the Science vertical of The Huffington Post and served as its Associate Editor, covering a wide range of science and technology topics. He has worked on data science projects with HuffPost and other organizations. Before this, he graduated with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley, having studied critical theory and completed coursework in computer science and economics. His research interests are in computational social science and using data to engage with complex social systems.