A A R P C H A L L E N G E G R A N T F I N A L R E P O R T

S E A T T L E : A C I T Y F O R A L L

10.15.2017

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CONTENTSSUMMARY.............................................................................1

PROJECTS...............................................................................2

REPORT..................................................................................3WHATDIDYOUSETOUTTOACCOMPLISH?...............................................3

WHATWERETHERESULTS?....................................................................4

WHATWERETHEHIGHLIGHTSOFYOURPROJECT?....................................6

WHATCOULDHAVEBEENBETTER?...........................................................7

WHATLONGER-TERMIMPACTDOYOUEXPECT?NEXTSTEPS?..................8

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SUMMARYTheCityofSeattleisanationalleaderinbringingtechnologicalinnovationtobearondifficultcivicandsocialproblems.Aspartofitscommitmenttobecomingamoreage-friendlycity,outlinedinCityCouncilResolution31739,theHumanServicesDepartmentandSeattleITpartneredtocreateacivictechnologyevent,whichallowstheCitytocollaboratewithourtech-savvycommunitymembersonpotentialsolutionstoage-relatedchallenges.

Theresultingeventwasahackathoncalled“ACityforAll.”ScheduledtocoincidewiththeNationalDayofCivicHackingonSeptember23,theeventwasheldSeptember22-24inSeattle’sCityHall.ItwasproducedinpartnershipwiththeAARP,whichprovided$10,000inprizefundsforwinningteamsthroughitsChallengeGrant,aswellas4otherCitydepartmentsand15communityorganizations.

TheeventkickoffprovidedanopportunityforparticipantstolearnmoreabouttheAge-FriendlySeattleinitiative,relatedchallenges,andprojectideassponsoredbyexperts,aswellastonetworkwithmentorsfromacrossthecommunity.ItfeaturedwelcomeremarksbySeattleCityCouncilMemberSallyBagshaw,akeynotelecturebyUniversityofWaterloo’sColinEllard,andlightningtalksbytheCityofSeattle’sDemographer,DianaCanzoneri,inpartnershipwithTableauSoftware’sJennyRichards;UniversityofWashingtonpost-doctoralfellowTimThomas;andAARP’sAmandaFrame.

Followingthetalks,therewasanopportunityforbrainstormingandnetworkingbetweenparticipantsandmentors,attheendofwhich9teamsformed.Theseteamsworkedtogetherallweekendontheirprojects,whichtheypresentedonSundayafternoonbeforeapanelofjudgesfromtheCityofSeattle,AARP,ImpactHubSeattle,Microsoft,Socrata,andTableau.

Therewerefourprizes:BestOverallInnovation,wonbyTeamPandoraforStreets,whichbuiltamaptoincorporatesmells,noises,andotherstreet-levelinformationabouttheCity;BestAccessibilityHack,wonbyteamGoInfoGame,whichgamifiesthecrowdsourcingofbusstopdatarelevantfordisabledriders;andBestUseofOpenDataandBestDataVisualization,wonbyteamSeaSidewalks,whichcreatedaninterfacefortheSeattleDepartmentofTransportationtovisualizesidewalkdataandprioritizerepairsbasedonfactorssuchasthenumberofissuesandtheproximitytokeyinstitutionssuchashospitals.

196peopleregisteredfortheeventand78attended,with55stayingfortheentireweekend.TheeventreceivedmediacoverageinGovTechmagazine,StateScoop,andMeriTalk.

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PROJECTSThenineteamswere:

• PandoraforStreets,whichwonBestOverallInnovationwithamaptogeneratebetterpedestrianexperiences.Itaimstocrowdsourceinformationnottypicallyconsideredwhenevaluatingtheurbanenvironmentwithdata–suchasnoisesandsmells–inadditiontomappingelementssuchastreecanopyandpointsofinterestfrom10sourcesofopendatafromthecity,county,andfederalgovernment.

• Reflect&Connect,whichwasrunner-upforBestOverallInnovation.Itusedthemagicoftechnologytotransformwrittenorspokenjournalentriesintosuggestedfreeactivitiesinthecity,withthegoalofhelpingpeopleovercomelonelinessandsocialisolation.

• SeaSidewalks,whichwonintwocategories:BestUseofOpenDataandBestDataVisualization.ThetoolvisualizesdatafromSeattleDepartmentofTransportation’srecentsidewalkassessment,prioritizingissuesaswellaspointsofinterest,suchasmedicalfacilities,anddemographics,tohelptheDepartmentmakethebestuseofitslimitedsidewalkrepairbudget.Itcanbeviewedathttps://gngu.shinyapps.io/seattle_sidewalks/.

• GoInfoGame,whichwonBestAccessibilityHackwithatoolgamifiescrowdsourcingofbusstopdatathat'scriticalfordisabledand/orolderriders,thenmakesthatdataavailableforuseinothertools.Thesourcecodeisavailableathttps://github.com/opensidewalks/goinfogame.

• SpeedyWheels,whichwasrunner-upforBestAccessibilityHack,addressingthechallengeofrequestingspecializedridesfrompublicandvolunteerservices.Currently,forolderordisabledriders,findingaridecanbeatime-consumingchallengeinvolvingnumerousphonecallsandemails.CheckoutthepresentationfromSpeedyWheelsathttps://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WF769VnMLI5KRlSgva6cVgCNN0ORDtl2ugF8mdPC5cc/edit#slide=id.g25763da086_0_0.

• FindaRide++,whichalsocreatedawebsitetosimplifytheexperienceoffindingaspecializedridethroughoutKingCounty.Thetoolcanbeviewedathttps://deeglaze.github.io/findaride_hack/.

• AccessforServices,whichcreatedadashboardvisualizingdemographicdataalongsideAging&DisabilityServicesdata.

• SeaViz,whichusedvirtualrealitytovisualize7yearsofAging&DisabilityServicesdataona3DmapofSeattle.

• It'sAllDownhillFromHere,whichcreatedataxonomyforroadinformationthatcouldbeusefultootherappbuilders.

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REPORT

WHATDIDYOUSETOUTTOACCOMPLISH?

Thegoalsofthehackathonwereto:

1. Envisionwhatitlookslikeforacitytobeaccessibletopeopleofallagesandabilities,inthepresentandinthefuture

2. AssessthecurrentstateoftheCityofSeattleintermsofhowwellitservespeopleofallagesandabilitiesandtounderstandpatternsofdisplacementandhowtheyaffectagingresidents

3. Developinnovativetechnologyanddesignsolutionsthatcouldaddresscurrentareasofurgentneed

Assecondarygoals,wewantedtoleveragethisopportunitytoencouragethepublicationofopendatasetsthatshedlightonhowwellourcityisdoingonanongoingbasis,andtobuildrelationshipsacrossthecommunitybetweenpeoplewhomightnototherwiseinteract–suchassoftwaredevelopersandadvocateswhoworkonaging.

Wealsostrovetocreateaneventthatwouldbeopenandwelcomingtopeopleofallagesandabilities,withrolesforpeoplewithouttechnologyskillstolearnandworkasequallyvaluedmembersofteams.Weaimedtobringtogethertechnologyinnovatorsanddesignerswithseniorsandsubjectmatterexpertswhocancombineforcestoimaginenewwaysofimprovingqualityoflifeforallourresidents,especiallythosewhoaremostaffectedbychallengesinourservicesandourbuiltenvironment.

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WHATWERETHERESULTS?

TheCityforAlleffortmetallourgoalsinthefollowingways:

Goal1:Envisionwhatitlookslikeforacitytobeaccessibletopeopleofallagesandabilities,inthepresentandinthefuture.

- Priortothehackathon,inpublicoutreachevents,theCitysharedtheeightdimensionsoflivabilityandinvitedmembersofthepublictoenvisiontheirliveshereinthefuture.AtaneventatImpactHubSeattleonJuly6,morethan30peopledrewtheirideasforanaccessiblefuture.

- Atthehackathon,keynotespeakerColinEllardhighlightedthewaysthaturbandesigncanimpactpeople’swell-being,especiallywhenitcomestosocialinclusion.

- Thewinnerof“BestOverallInnovation”wasanapplicationtointegratefeaturessuchasviews,sounds/noise,andsmellsintohowwemapthecity,helpingtheaudienceandusersthinkaboutourenvironmentacrossmultipledimensionsoflivability.

Goal2:AssessthecurrentstateoftheCityofSeattleintermsofhowwellitservespeopleofallagesandabilitiesandtounderstandpatternsofdisplacementandhowtheyaffectagingresidents

- Aspartofthehackathon,theCityreleasedseveralnewdatasetsthatofferindicatorsintohowwellweareservingcommunities,includinginformationonLifelongRecreationprogramsofferedbyourParksdepartmentandsevenyearsofdataonservicesprovidedbytheCityofSeattleandKingCountythroughAgingandDisabilityServices.

- Thesedatasetswereusedintwoofthehackathonprojects,anAccessforServicesdashboardandaVRdatavisualization.

- Oneofthelightningtalkspeakers,TimThomas,highlighteddatathatofferedinsightsintopatternsofdisplacementacrosstheCityoverall.

Goal3:Developinnovativetechnologyanddesignsolutionsthatcouldaddresscurrentareasofurgentneed

- SeaSidewalks,winnerofBestUseofOpenDataandBestDataVisualization,wassponsoredbytheSeattleDepartmentofTransportationandwillhelpitsassetmanagementdivisionprioritizeitslimitedsidewalkrepairbudgettoaddressthemosturgentneeds.

- GoInfoGame,winnerofBestAccessibilityHack,builtatooltogamifycrowdsourcingofdataaroundbusstops,suchaswhetherthereisshelter,abench,orotherfeatures,thatcouldbeprovidedtousersofAccessMap,aroutingtoolformobility-impairedusers,andaddedtotheOpenStreetMapsdatabase.Thisaddressesanurgentneedforimpairedtransitriders.

- SpeedyWheelsandFindaRide++bothaddressedtheissuesofhowdifficultitisforqualifyingriderstofindandrequestspecializedtransit.

Additionally,ourhackathonwas:

- Age-friendly:Registrantsrangedinage(asself-reported)from16to82,withanunusuallyhighnumberofparticipantsovertheageof40(51registrants,or26percentofthosewhosignedup).Peopleofallageswererepresentedacrossteamsandasmentors,leadingtostronginteractionsacrossgenerationsthroughouttheevent.

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- Welcomingtopeopleofallabilities:Wecreatedseveralopportunitiesforpeoplewithouttechnicalknowledgetoengage,includingasmentorsandasattendeesofthekickofftalksandfinalpresentations.WeprovidedCARTcaptioningforahard-of-hearingparticipantthroughouttheevent.

- Sparkingunlikelyconnections:Mostteamsoptedtoworkwithoneormorementorsfromthegovernmentagenciesorcommunityorganizationsrepresented,resultinginthedevelopmentofnewrelationshipsbetweentechnologistsandsubjectmatterexperts,includingagingresidents.

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WHATWERETHEHIGHLIGHTSOFYOURPROJECT?

Communityconnections:Seeingpeoplewhomightotherwiseneverinteract–studentsoftechnology,technologyprofessionalsfromthecommunity,nonprofitstaff,andCityofficials–workingtogethertomakeourcitymoreage-friendly.

Cross-departmentalcollaboration:Thehackathonengaged5CitydepartmentsplusPublicHealth(ajointCity-Countyagency),increasingthesenseofcross-departmentalresponsibilityforcreatinganage-friendlyCity.

Transparency:Thiseventpromptedthereleaseof11newopendatasetsfrom6differentdepartmentsthatshedlightontheCityofSeattle’sworktomakeourcityanage-friendlycommunity,includinglocationsofpublicaccesscomputerlabs,homeownerassistantprograms,lifelongrecreationprograms,andaginganddisabilitiesservices.

Herearesomehighlightsfromourparticipantsurvey:

• “I'dlovetoseeeventslikethismoreoften,thiswasatonoffun.”• “Camaraderie--everyonewasveryopenandwelcoming,nomatterwhatexperienceorskillwas

broughttothetable.”• “Wellorganized,broadrangeofpassionatepeoplefromtheCity,clearscheduleand

expectations,waspartofagreatteam,andgreatfood!”• “Likedthat-Therewasdataavailablewithrelatedissues.-Foodwasexcellent.-Itwasgreatto

collaboratewithdifferentpeoplewithdifferentbackgrounds.-Overall,eventwaswellorganized.”

• “Veryclearsocialmission,lovedbeingabletoworkonproblemsthatmatterforthecityandcommunity.Significantturnoutbymentorsandhostorganizations.Greatfood.Clearcommunicationbeforeandduringtheevent.”

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WHATCOULDHAVEBEENBETTER?

Wewouldhavelovedtoseemoreparticipationfromourtechnologycommunity.Intheend,wehada60percentdropoutratefromthosewhoregisteredtothosewhoattended.ThisisnotuncommonforfreeeventsinSeattle,andtheunseasonablywarm,sunnyweatherofthatweekendlikelyimpactedtheeventualturnout.

Onethingwearealwayslookingatishowtodeveloptechnologysolutionstothelevelthattheycouldactuallybedeployed,maintained,marketed,andputintouse.Thisisnotsomethingthatcanbebuiltintothehackathonstructureitself.However,wehopethatbycontinuingtostimulateinnovationaroundareasofgreatestneed,wecanbuildsupportforthefuturedevelopmentofsuchtools.

Wewouldalsoliketohaveawaytoarchiveandshowcasetheseinnovations,asawayofrewardingcontributors,betterdocumentingwhattheycreated,andfacilitatingongoingdevelopment.

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WHATLONGER-TERMIMPACTDOYOUEXPECT?NEXTSTEPS?

• Hackathonimpact:Thevideocontentoftalksfromthekickoffhasbeenrequestedbyoneofourpartnerdepartmentstohelpinspirethinkingaboutwhatmakesourcommunityhealthyforpeopleofallages.

• Projects:Severaloftheteamscontinuetobeintouchwithsponsorsaboutfuturedevelopment,includingTeamPandoraforStreets,SpeedyWheels,andFindaRide++.

• Participantimpact:Wehopethishackathoninspiresparticipantstothinkdifferentlyabouttheircityandtosupportinitiativestomakeourcommunityworkforpeopleofallagesandabilities.