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Seattle Information Technology

A decade of open data, test your knowledge of Seattle data

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On average, how many 911 calls were placed per day in Seattle in 2019? What was the most popular name of dogs licensed? Which direction do most bikes travel on the Fremont Bridge? You don’t have to look far to find the answers.

Since the launch of the City of Seattle’s open data program in 2010, the open data portal has served as a wealth of information, giving residents insight into how the City is operating and empowering them with a rich source of information spanning more than 500 datasets, each ranging in size from a few dozen spreadsheet rows to several million rows.

For the 10th annual International Open Data Day on March 7, our open data team is marking the occasion with a fun data quiz. You can make educated guesses or dive into some of the City’s most popular datasets for answers.

In 2016, an executive order created an official open data policy directing City departments to make their data accessible to the public after screening for privacy, security, and quality considerations. The move set in motion a long-term cultural shift making Seattle a leader in open data and a model of transparency and accountability.

For instance, Seattle was the first in the nation to publish 911 dispatch data in near real time.

Some datasets have a unique origin. The Seattle Public Library’s dataset “checkouts by title” captures every check out dating back to 2005. The source is an electronic installation and public artwork at the Central Library that has tracked more than 100 million records of checkouts to date. The most popular titles? Children’s books finished in the top three: “Are You Ready to Play Outside?” by Mo Willems (10,007 checkouts), Dr. Seuss classic “Green Eggs and Ham” (9,959 checkouts) and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle (9,942 checkouts).

Seattle Animal Shelter data reveals the City’s reigning top dog is a Labrador Retriever. It’s top toy breed coming in at number three is a Chihuahua, exceeding the national ranking by 30 spots!

Open data is more than just a window into interesting city information and operations, it’s a valuable tool that over time can tell a story that has the potential to impact and influence public policy. The open data portal includes data across a wide range of topic areas, including traffic flow, public safety and city permitting.

The open data program makes the data generated by the City openly available to the public for the purpose of increasing the quality of life for our residents; increasing transparency, accountability and comparability; promoting economic development and research; and improving internal performance management. Open data also powers tools hosted on the City’s website such as Open Budget, Performance Seattle, and the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Capital Projects Explorer

Seattle launches open archive of City’s social media networks

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Social media has transformed civic engagement. Cities like Seattle are using social media to share information, engage with residents, and deliver services more quickly and effectively than ever before – but accessing past social media content can be a challenge.

Detailed searches of the City’s social media sites are now possible through a centralized, free and open portal powered by ArchiveSocial, which works with hundreds of government agencies and private companies to capture and archive information shared on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

This new social media archive lets you relive some of your favorite moments from City history, like Kitty Hall, the Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory parade, or Seattle’s farewell to the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Accessible on the Seattle Municipal Archives’ website, the archive captures social activity – posts and comments – going back to the City’s very first posts, creating a comprehensive set of records. The archive is in beta as additional City accounts are added.

“While all content on the City’s social media platforms is considered a public record, searching for it can be tedious,” said Michal Perlstein, who leads Seattle IT’s Public Engagement Services team, which works with City departments to improve public-facing digital communications. “Wouldn’t it be great to enter search terms and get the social media results you’re looking for instead of manually sifting through the vast amounts of data across the City’s social media accounts?”

The archive features more than 223,600 (and counting) publicly searchable posts, photos, and videos compiled from 114 City of Seattle social media accounts – from parks, to public safety, to public utilities, to public officials.

“By implementing a social media archive, we’re bringing increased usability and transparency to the City’s digital communications,” said Perlstein. “The archive also helps the City comply with records retention policies and streamlines responses to public information requests.”

Seattle Information Technology’s Public Engagement Services team has been leading an effort to streamline the City of Seattle’s social media presence. The process has included standardizing the visual identity across dozens of City department accounts, updating policies, and launching the social media archive.

The archive is another tool that helps advance Seattle’s commitment to providing greater transparency into its data. The City also maintains an open data portal; a web analytics dashboard; and Performance Seattle, a centralized dashboard designed to track the progress of major City initiatives across seven priority areas.

Seattle IT helps power giant free health clinic at Seattle Center

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Stephen Burke, Seattle IT desktop support technician, is marking his sixth year creating a complex online network to power and connect the Seattle/King County Health Clinic, a giant free health clinic at Seattle Center, Feb. 13 to 16. The volunteer-driven event provides free dental, vision, and medical to anyone who struggles to access and afford healthcare. 

This year, Burke started from scratch. And he is embracing the challenge. In the past, the mobile clinic was held at KeyArena, which is undergoing an overhaul and is unavailable. So Burke shelved his carefully constructed network blueprints for the arena and this year crafted a new plan to span the clinic’s three Seattle Center venues: McCaw Hall, Exhibition Hall and Cornish Playhouse.  

A man holding a spool of string walks next to a long table with technology equipment.
Stephen Burke, Seattle IT desktop support technician, prepares technology to help power the Seattle/King County Health Clinic at Seattle Center. Photo: Auston James

While Burke estimates he spends about a month preparing, he efficiently executes his plan over the course of two days.  

“We will need to invent a network on the go,” said Burke. “I have a team of volunteers to help.”  

Not all volunteers have an IT background, but under Burke’s guidance they get the job done. In addition to building a network of wires that bring power and internet connectivity to the clinic, Burke and a staff of about five will be on hand during the clinic to provide technical support.  

Seattle IT loaned the clinic 62 computers –  about 25 of which are used for patient registration – and Microsoft provided another 12 computers. 

“The expectation of technology is huge. One of our responsibilities as techs is to have the technology working all the time, every time,” Seattle IT Device Support Manager Ivan Balbuena told Seattle Channel in a segment that was part of a recent CityStream program featuring the clinic along with a documentary, “Stronger than Medicine,” which offers an inspiring behind-the-scenes look at the event. 

“A lot of volunteers, like the physicians, bring their own laptops to work with at the clinic,” said Burke. “I troubleshoot to fix any issues they may have as well as all donated and borrowed technology equipment that is used for the clinic.” 

Technology is the backbone of the well-organized clinic which has served 20,000 patients, provided $17 million in direct services, and engaged 17,000 volunteers since it began in 2014. 

“Seattle IT is critical to the successful operation of Seattle/King County Clinic. The clinic uses a wide range of technology, from X-ray and ultrasound equipment, to registration systems and remote interpretation devices,” said Seattle/King County Clinic Project Director Julie Colson. “The equipment and systems come from an equally wide array of sources that are unaccustomed to working together. With only two days to set up, thanks to the expertise and support of Seattle IT, all of the technology is integrated and operational allowing us to serve over 3,000 patients during the four-day clinic.” 

Although Burke could unplug from the massive operation, the compassion and sense of community the clinic inspires is contagious and keeps him on the job. 

“I have 32 years in with the City but I’m not going to retire until the clinic moves to the new arena,” said Burke. “Then I will consider it.” 

To learn about the clinic, including patient information, go here. 

Washington’s Privacy Act among flurry of state privacy bills

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By Ginger Armbruster, Chief Privacy Officer

Today is International Data Privacy Day, a holiday meant to raise awareness and promote privacy and data protection best practices. To mark the occasion, Seattle Information Technology’s Privacy Office offers an overview of a few proposed privacy laws in the state of Washington that could impact us in Seattle. 

In addition to reintroduced federal legislation (State Sen. Maria Cantwell’s Consumer Online Privacy Rights Act -COPRA was reintroduced late last year), state lawmakers are considering several privacy bills. It will be very interesting to see what comes of them. Here’s a recap of a few of the privacy-related bills lawmakers are considering this session:

The Washington Privacy Act (WPA – SB 6281) seeks to offer similar consumer data protections to the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. The law would require companies to provide information about how data is collected and used, and give consumers the ability to correct inaccurate information and delete data under specific circumstances. The law would apply to businesses that control or process personal data of 100,000 consumers or more. Businesses that collect more than 50 percent of their revenue from the sale of personal data and process or control personal data of more than 25,000 consumers are also subject to the regulations.

The Use of Facial Recognition Services Bill (SB 6280) would put stringent limitations on use, public comment, periodic testing and extensive reporting for any government agency seeking to use facial technology. This law would have implications for use beyond police investigation from mobile device authentication to a variety of smart city sensor technologies.

The Remedies for Misuse of Biometric Data Bill (HB 2363) establishes as a fundamental human right, the personal ownership of biometric identifying data such as fingerprints and other markers and requires a task force made up of primarily civil libertarians and privacy advocates to present findings and recommendations to relevant legislative committees about legal remedies for data misuse violations. Passage of this may set precedent for governance of sensitive personal data in the future.

Since the state’s legislative session opened two weeks ago, lawmakers have brought a renewed focus on consumer privacy through the introduction of 10 privacy-related bills across the House and Senate. The Privacy Office is closely tracking the bills.

Mitigating privacy risks of evolving technology

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By Ginger Armbruster, Chief Privacy Officer

A new decade means new tech. As emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning disrupt every industry, government must capitalize on opportunities to operate more efficiently and deliver better services while mitigating threats to cybersecurity and protecting privacy. 

Enter the City of Seattle’s Privacy Office, part of the Seattle Information Technology Department, which conducts hundreds of privacy reviews each year on technologies the City uses to deliver needed services.  The reviews ensure new and existing City programs appropriately manage and protect the public’s information. 

Data Privacy Day, held annually on Jan. 28 to increase awareness of privacy and data protection issues, presents an opportunity to highlight some of the new and innovative technologies the Privacy Office is tracking across City government. 

  • Employing advanced technologies to improve the quality of emergency response calls. 
  • Using marketing automation tools to conduct more efficient and targeted resident outreach to deliver programs and needed services. 
  • Exploring intelligent city technologies to improve traffic and building safety.  
  • Using contracted unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to improve watershed asset management. 

Each of these technologies offers opportunities for improving how City government delivers services. Introducing advanced technologies also requires privacy risk reviews to determine if the public’s personal data may be inadvertently affected.  

Artificial intelligence and algorithmic decision making have elected officials and academic thought leaders considering equity concerns as machine learning and decision making may amplify inherent human bias.  

The goal of the Privacy Program is to support these initiatives while offering methods to reduce negative impacts on personal data privacy. To learn more about how the City meets its privacy commitments through the Privacy Program, visit the website. 

Data Privacy Day, prime time to think about a new, improved digital you

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Content provided by the National Cyber Security Alliance

When Americans reflect back on the previous year and think about their aspirations for 2020, common goals range from getting more exercise to improving finances to eating healthier. At the beginning of a new decade in today’s hyper-connected world, it’s prime time to think about a new, improved digital you. By taking some smart, simple steps, you can greatly impact the safety and security of your online identity. 

“In the last few years, millions of digital citizens have become more aware of cybersecurity and how to better protect their privacy. At the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), we remind consumers and businesses about basic information like the critical importance of software and system updates, how to avoid phishing scams and to never conduct financial transactions using public WiFi,” said Kelvin Coleman, NCSA’s executive director. “It is estimated that in 2020, there will be 20.4 billion connected devices. With this increased interconnectivity, there are some easy-to-implement, tried-and-true practices to keep you safer and more secure. With Data Privacy Day coming up on Jan. 28, we want both individuals and businesses to have a strong head start on protecting their online identity and privacy.” 

NCSA’s Top Recommendations for a New Digital You 

  • Re-invent yourself with a different online identity. If a site asks for sensitive, personal information – like your email and/or mailing address, Social Security number, birth date, phone number, etc. – consider “re-inventing” your digital persona by sharing alternative answers to those queries that ONLY you would know. An “alter-internet” persona will help limit tracking by search engines, websites and apps. Think of yourself as an actor slipping into a role to help thwart the continuous onslaught of online intrusions. This can also help safeguard you from identity theft. 
  • Share with care. Be aware that when you post a picture or message, you may also be inadvertently sharing personal details and sensitive data with strangers about yourself, family and friends. It is also OK to limit who can see your information and what you share. Learn about and use privacy and security settings on your favorite websites. NCSA has an excellent resource that includes direct links to update you privacy settings on popular devices and online services. 
  • Lock down your login. Create long and unique passphrases for all accounts and use multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible. A strong passphrase is a sentence that is at least 12 characters long. Focus on positive sentences or phrases that are easy to remember (for example, “I love country music.”). On many sites, you can even use spaces. MFA will fortify your accounts by enabling the strongest authentication tools available, such as biometrics or a unique one-time code sent to your phone or mobile device. This additional layer of security makes it harder for bad guys to log in as if they were you.

Cable TV fees to increase, Feb. 1

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Many may not know the Seattle Information Technology Department regulates cable television providers offering service in Seattle and responds to consumer questions and issues.

With an increase in cable TV fees on the horizon, the City’s Office of Cable Communications advises Seattle cable subscribers to watch for notices from their cable providers announcing changes to monthly pricing. Citing annual programming cost increases by major TV networks, Comcast Xfinity and Wave Broadband will raise prices for some video services and equipment beginning Feb. 1.  

The Comcast broadcast TV monthly fee will increase from $10 to $14.95, and the TV box fees will rise from $2.50 to $4.85 per month. Wave Broadband will add $2 to its monthly fee for local broadcast TV. The price for digital set-top boxes will go up $1, and the Seattle TV station fee will increase by 58 cents per month.

The Office of Cable Communications website has a complete listing of 2020 rate changes for Comcast and Wave subscribers. Staff can also help resolve complaints, answer questions regarding cable service and provide information about discounted cable TV.

Cyber safety first for last-minute holiday shopping

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Content courtesy of the National Cyber Security Alliance

Have some last-minute gifts to tick off your list but prefer to make purchases online instead of in the aisle? As the the window for online purchase delivery dwindles, give yourself the gift of cyber safety.

According to the National Retail Federation, 73 percent of consumers plan to use their smartphone or tablet to research or make a purchase this holiday season. Don’t let cyber grinches turn merriment into mayhem. Following some simple cybersecurity tips and practices before and while you shop online will help ensure peace of mind during the holidays and year-round.

Here are a few take-action tips for a cyber-safe season.

Keep a clean machine. Before picking out that perfect present, be sure that all internet-connected devices ‒ including PCs, smartphones and tablets ‒ are free from malware and infections by running only the most current versions of software and apps.

Use a secure Wi-Fi. Using public Wi-Fi to shop online while at your favorite coffee shop is tremendously convenient, but it is not cyber safe. Don’t make purchases via public Wi-Fi; instead use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or your phone as a hotspot.

Lock Down Your Login. Create long and unique passphrases for all accounts and use multifactor authentication (MFA) wherever possible. MFA will fortify your online accounts by enabling the strongest authentication tools available, such as biometrics or a unique one-time code sent to your phone or mobile device

The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) builds strong public/private partnerships to create and implement broad-reaching education and awareness efforts to empower users at home, work and school with the information they need to keep themselves, their organizations, their systems and their sensitive information safe and secure online and encourage a culture of cybersecurity.

2020 Census is first high-tech count, what’s at stake?

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When the next United States Census arrives in April 2020, it will be the nation’s first high-tech count, with residents encouraged to primarily respond to the census survey online.

We now live in a world in which more local governments are using data to guide their decisions. There’s a lot at stake for Seattle in the 2020 U.S. Census, and the data gathered from the count could affect U.S. cities for the next decade.

While going digital could make the census more inclusive and efficient, there are potential downsides, including hard-to-count populations which are not comfortable using computers or lack access to high-speed internet. Many people have cybersecurity concerns and are cautious about sharing their data. And the threat of disinformation campaigns looms.

Seattle is responding by working with community partners to ensure historically undercounted residents receive accurate census information and know their rights.  

In April, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan, Seattle Foundation President and CEO Tony Mestres and King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the creation of a Regional Census Fund to provide $1 million in funding to help community groups prepare for the 2020 Census.

The federal government uses U.S. Census data to help decide where money should go. The more accurate the census count is in our community, the more likely our community will receive the resources that we need for important federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid, Head Start, and SNAP. The census also determines how communities are represented in state and federal legislatures. We need an accurate count in order to have more equitable representation.

At the City, we know that many communities, especially immigrant and refugee residents, do not trust our chaotic federal government and are worried that information they include on their census form will not be protected. Importantly, federal law prohibits the Census Bureau from publishing or sharing identifying information, and as of July 2019 there will not be a citizenship question on the 2020 Census form.  

Visit www.seattlecensus.org, the City of Seattle’s comprehensive resource for regular updates on the 2020 Census, including information on privacy and data protection, census trainings, and opportunities for grant funding. 

At the City, we will continue to work with our communities to ensure everyone knows their rights and can be counted in the 2020 Census.

Applying design thinking to digital government

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At the center of Seattle.gov’s online news feed is its dozens of City department blogs featuring updates from parks, police, public utilities and more. In this post, Beverly Slabosky, user experience program lead, outlines the collaborative design-thinking approach a team of city employees applied to update Citywide blog templates. Two refreshed blogs recently launched: Office of the Mayor and Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. New blog features include trending topics, related articles based on taxonomy, and a site map of all City blogs.

For a year and a half, I have led a small team of user experience designers in the Public Engagement Services Division of the Seattle Information Technology Department. Our team’s goal is to create Citywide web templates and standards so the public interacting with our 40-plus department websites will have an easier time navigating, finding information, and connecting to their City government.

We have been advocating a shift away from organizationally structured websites and applications towards a customer-centered mindset. My team uses a range of human-centered methods to bring broad groups of internal customers together to solve similar problems. I’ve adapted methods I’ve learned from more than 13 years working in the private sector in user experience, information architecture, user research, and taxonomy. Our team received a lot of positive feedback for its work, so I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my very first project.

Last year, I facilitated our first design sprint inspired by Google Venture’s model but adapted it to the needs of a government culture. Our goal was to update Citywide blog templates to better meet the needs of publishers, solve usability issues, and refresh the look and feel. I worked with two user experience designers to create an agenda, and we tag-teamed during design sessions.

We used design-thinking activities to solve real problems for humans and involve representatives across departments.

Understanding

  • We audited the City of Seattle’s 30-plus department blogs to understand their range of content and remove outdated information.
  • We analyzed Google usage data to identify which blogs received the most traffic and viewed those blog’s user paths.
  • We interviewed staff from departments with high-traffic and low-traffic blogs to understand their publishing needs and challenges.
  • We also conducted remote usability tests on select blogs to identify usability issues we could fix in the new templates.

Collaboration

We invited representatives from City departments with varying publishing needs together to share information and ideate. And staff in different roles across our Seattle IT team, including developers and web producers, also participated.

City staff participate in a blog design session.

Defining key problems

  • Department representatives shared data about the audiences they serve, what they blog about and why.
  • Together we created problem statements and voted on which problems to focus on.
  • We broke into small groups to brainstorm solutions to the problems and then shared collectively.
  • We voted again on which solutions were the most feasible and beneficial to blog readers and the staff members who maintain the blogs.

Prototyping

The designers and I came up with three prototypes to serve different publishing needs ranging from departments that publish requests for contracting bids and proposals to departments that publish videos and content from public events. We solicited feedback and co-generated a list of questions from our design session participants to test our design prototypes.

Office of the Mayor’s redesigned blog.

Usability Testing

We tested the design prototypes remotely and asked test users to navigate to blog articles, execute searches and evaluate results pages. Our biggest finding was City departments frequently use acronyms and organizational language which is confusing to readers. As a result, we’ve shifted our work to a more customer-centered focus. We accomplish this by consulting on projects and providing trainings.

New blog templates

In the end, we developed three templates for departments to choose from. The template designs are based on publishing needs and fixed usability issues. To help readers discover content, the City blogs include a few new features, including highlighted posts, trending tags, related articles based on tagging taxonomy, and a site map of all City blogs.

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods redesigned blog.

Lessons Learned

Department representatives really appreciated being part of the discovery process, which built a lot of long-term positive relationships. While I was brand new to Seattle IT and our team was new, the process was more collaborative than people expected. I heard feedback such as, “You’re running at the pace of a private sector project.” “You’re so organized,” and “This is fun.”

Over the past year, my team has worked on more experience-based projects, including helping other teams and departments approach their digital experiences with a human-centered mindset. For larger projects, we have stuck with the design sprint model, using activities from design thinking frameworks. We regularly conduct trainings to help website owners understand user experience, usability and accessibility best practices. This collaborative approach really helps our tiny team scale its reach. We look forward to continuing to grow our knowledge of City services and collaborating with other City departments so Seattle residents can more easily access their City government and public services.

Beverly Slabosky

Beverly Slabosky is the user experience program lead for Seattle IT. She manages a small, but mighty team of designers. Beverly has worked in the user experience field for 10-plus years. Before coming to the City in 2018, Beverly worked at Capital One and Premera Blue Cross and consulted for big tech companies. After many years working on business applications, eCommerce, intranets and marketing sites, she is excited to work at the City of Seattle knowing she is making a difference in her local community.