Connecting for civic tech
I recently wrote about the growing civic technology movement and how local and state governments are expected to invest approximately $6.3 billion in civic engagement technologies this year. That was one of the reasons I was pleased to attend the March 1-4, Accela Connect conference. Accela, a Microsoft partner, is not only a key player in the civic tech space, they also have a great partner ecosystem. Another reason for attending the Olympic Valley, Calif., gathering was a bit more personal: I worked with Mark Headd, Accela’s developer evangelist, when both of us worked for the City of Philadelphia.
I came away from the Accela partner and developer conference with some key takeaways: First, Jennifer Pahlka, founder of Code for America , gave an excellent presentation on the state of civic technology and current trends. For many, Jennifer is credited with being one of the chief instigators of the modern civic tech movement and it’s always enlightening to hear her perspective. Also, Microsoft and Accela sponsored last year’s Code for America conference so it’s important to show continued support for an organization that “believes government can work for the people, by the people in the 21st century.”
Another takeaway: Everybody was really nice! Accela has a positive corporate culture that transcends to its partners and developers. I especially enjoyed a 2-hour speed networking session; in fact, I have never collected so many business cards and made so many connections! Accela staffed 12 tables, with partners pitching them on how they could collaborate. While discussing how to work with Microsoft CityNext, I connected with some key players in the civic tech space, including:
- Appallicious: This open data visualization company builds civic apps and mapping solutions for local governments and citizen engagement.
- CityGovApp Inc. I had the pleasure of meeting COO Haseeb Chaudhry and learning about this company’s municipal government apps. Their Manhole Inspection app intrigued me since it allows field staff to perform regular manhole inspections using their mobile device, eliminating paper forms. I also like their Garbage Collection app, which enables sending pictures and documentation about issues preventing garbage collection.
- PublicStuff: One of Forbes’ 2014 America’s Most Promising Companies, PublicStuff has an innovative mobile app for 311-type citizen services. They’ve worked with our DX (developer experience) team previously – and I hope there will be new opportunities to work together to make “smarter, safer and connected communities.”
- Of course, I would be remiss to not thank Accela for hosting an outstanding conference. I also want to congratulate them on recently closing $143.5 million in new financing, which will be used to round out its cloud offering, expand the capabilities of its Civic Platform and more. We’re proud that Accela’s Civic Platform runs on our cloud solution, Microsoft Azure, and we look forward to working with them on eGov projects.
After four days at Accela Connect, I left the California sunshine and returned to snowy Philadelphia filled with excitement about working with these companies – and even more enthused by the potential for creating thrilling and delightful civic tech projects for state and local governments!
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