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Seattle Information Technology

Tech Talk Tuesday: Vendor Forum Offers Window into City and County Technology Partnerships

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2018 vendor forum attendees participate in speed networking session
2018 Vendor Forum

Seattle Information Technology (Seattle IT) and King County Information Technology (KCIT) are jointly hosting their annual IT Vendor Forum this Thursday, May 16, 2019 at Seattle’s City Hall. This event is held every year to lay the groundwork for successful future partnerships with technology organizations. The goal is to give attendees a chance to learn how to do business with the City of Seattle and King County, hear about upcoming technology projects, and speak with managers one on one. This event also gives Seattle IT and KCIT the chance hear ideas and solutions from our local technology community.

Interested in joining us? Here’s what to expect?

Make sure to bring business cards and wear comfortable shoes. Have a short introduction prepared for the five-minute networking sessions and come with ideas! There is no sign-up for the networking session this year. Project leads will be on hand to speak to you in the following categories: • Collaboration Tools

  • Automation
  • Network and Applications Monitoring
  • Data Analytics
  • GIS
  • Project Management
  • Digital Security
  • New Technologies

If you have not done business with the City of Seattle or King County before or need to change your status to include the women or minority-owned business designation, you can do it at this event.

Details:

Where: Seattle City Hall Bertha Knight Landes Conference Room

When: Doors open for the morning session at 9:30 a.m. The session runs from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Doors open for the afternoon session at 12:30 p.m. with session at 1 – 3 p.m.

Parking: There is no public parking at City Hall. There are several parking garages in the area. Street parking is limited.

We look forward to seeing you at the 5th Annual Seattle IT/King County IT Vendor Forum! Go to our Vendor Forum page for more information, or to join our Listserv to get updates on the Vendor Forum throughout the year.

Tech Talk Tuesday: Using Data to Improve the Health of Seattle’s Open Data Inventory Paul Alley, Open Data Manager, City of Seattle April 2019

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With 30 departments represented across more than 250 open datasets (and counting), the City of Seattle’s Open Data inventory has grown significantly since data.seattle.gov was launched in 2010. While this growth has contributed to the success and reputation of Seattle’s Open Data Program, it also comes with a responsibility to ensure that data consumers can not only find, but trust the accuracy, currency, and privacy of open datasets published on data.seattle.gov.

Seattle Open Data Homepage

Like many other open data programs that share their origins with the Federal Government’s launch of data.gov (also in 2010), the first datasets were often spreadsheets uploaded from employees’ hard drives, or one-time “snapshot” of data from source systems. As programs matured, they increasingly relied on more sophisticated ETL and automation tools to extract data directly from transactional databases and OLTP systems. Most recently, open data pipelines and platforms are being integrated into enterprise data architectures so that open data becomes a natural byproduct of an organization’s overall data architecture strategy. This evolution has put open data squarely at the forefront of innovation and near-real-time smart city initiatives and brought with it a heightened need to focus on the “health” and curation of open data inventories.

As open data portals begin to age, and more datasets are added to their inventories with ever-increasing amounts data, datasets can get stale and search results can become cluttered. This ultimately makes it more difficult for data consumers to find the data they’re looking for because top search results might contain outdated or superseded data, or datasets with minimal metadata aren’t properly indexed for searching. This “search noise” has the potential to diminish the overall trust that departments and residents place in open data portals, and to an extent, their government. Needless to say, ignoring the need to keep open data inventories current and clean won’t make these challenges go away.

While Seattle’s Open Data Team is excited about the future of open data and the possibilities to help enable smart city initiatives and near-real-time data flows, they’re also keenly aware that keeping the inventory healthy is vital to maintaining the overall value of the City’s open data inventory.

To help improve and maintain the health of data.seattle.gov, Seattle’s Open Data Team is working with departments and developing analytical tools to improve metadata, remove un-needed datasets from the platform, and reduce the average time between dataset updates. By May 2019, the Open Data team will have met with representatives from over 15 City departments to implement open data action plans which identify opportunities for improving metadata or curating stale or low-value datasets. In just the first four months of 2019, this work has led to a roughly 30% rise in average metadata-completeness across Seattle’s Open Data inventory!

Open Data analytics dashboard

Cleaning up Seattle’s Open Data inventory has been an all-hands-on-deck effort for the Open Data team and its network of Open Data Champions who represent their departments’ open data needs. From developing a data warehouse that enables long term analytics of Seattle’s Open Data inventory, refactoring legacy automation code, and developing analytical self-service dashboards, every member of the Open Data team has played a vital role in not only cleaning up Seattle’s open data inventory but building tools and processes to help ensure the inventory stays healthy for years to come.

As you search for datasets on https://data.seattle.gov, rest assured that Seattle’s Open Data Team is hard at work behind the scenes to ensure you can not only find the dataset you’re looking for, but have confidence in the quality and currency of the underlying data. If you have any questions about Seattle’s Open Data Program, or its efforts to improve the health of the City’s open data inventory, please reach out to Paul Alley or send an email to open.data@seattle.gov.


Seattle Open Data Manager Paul Alley

Paul Alley is the City of Seattle’s Open Data Manager, and has worked in public sector data management and software engineering since 2001. Prior to his current focus on open data architecture and governance, Paul led the development of custom data management and analytics solutions across a variety of domains including university accreditation, remote telemetry, ecosystem monitoring, supply chain logistics, tax calculation, and asset management. Paul’s enjoys bringing his passion for data stewardship to the City of Seattle and helping departments release the city’s most valuable data for public consumption.

Tech Talk Tuesday: City of Seattle’s Ginger Armbruster named one of the Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers Award by GovTech Magazine

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by Ginger Armbruster

Ginger Armbruster holds award

I am honored to receive GovTech’s 2019 Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers Award. I am very fortunate to work in a constantly evolving area of technology with talented and dedicated leaders and colleagues. With their support, I was encouraged to lead the effort to develop the City’s Privacy Program, the first municipal privacy program in the nation, with the mission to build and maintain public trust about how the City manages the personal and sensitive information we collect to provide needed services. This award is indicative of what may be achieved in an environment that supports innovation and risk-taking.  

I came to the City in 2012 as an intern, while earning my master’s degree and shifting to a career in privacy. As a Scholarship for Service recipient and member of the National Science Foundation’s CyberCorps, my internship led to a love for public service. The City has been a very supportive and nurturing environment. I found mentors throughout the organization who helped me transition to full-time City employment and grow into my current role. I have also enjoyed working with bright and motivated colleagues who, like me, are dedicated to public service and improving how City residents interact with their local government.

The Privacy Program’s team of four employees, myself, Sarah Carrier, Nathan Merrells, and Omari Stringer, continues to mature the Privacy Program as we work to become a model for municipal data privacy. With the support of my City work family, I am confident we will achieve this goal together.

To learn more about the City of Seattle’s Privacy Program, visit seattle.gov/tech.

Tech Talk Tuesday: Bringing Transparency to Our Digital Properties

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The reality of providing online content in 2019 is that all visitors to our public website have distinct needs and abilities. As a local government, the City of Seattle is responsible for providing access to digital information and services for all residents. We strive to create an inclusive experience.

In the City’s 2018 Technology Access and Adoption Study, almost one-quarter of the respondents fall into a segment labeled “digitally cautious.” This segment represents residents who have limited their internet use because of concerns about the privacy and security of their online interactions. It’s important to build trust with our residents; with consistent design and processes we can ensure that our website is easily identifiable as belonging to and representing the City of Seattle.

As we identified patterns in the way residents engage with the City online, two concepts merged together:

  1. The need to create and display the rules for interacting in online forums.
  2. The need to provide simple and clear information about how the City of Seattle manages its website and makes design decisions.

With one portal consisting of a few pages, we’re able to describe our human-centered approach to user experience, highlight our commitment to accessibility, introduce our existing digital programs that support the public, and showcase analytics we’ve collected about user behavior.

Image showing the four sections of the "About Our Digital Properties" portal: Content Policies, User Experience, Privacy and Data, and Web Analytics

We decided to make our web analytics publicly available in a dashboard format and illustrate a comprehensive reflection of our residents. When do you visit? How did you get here? What are you doing here? Drawing from the federal government’s analytics page, we reviewed and compared various online dashboards. We selected data points in Google Analytics that told a story about our website visitors with visualizations through a JavaScript-based charting library called Highcharts. We displayed our active web visitors with 10-minute intervals using Google’s superProxy. Finally, we performed an unmoderated usability test to validate that the charts and interactions made sense. The results have informed refinement of the language used in our dashboard and we’ll continue to study reactions for further improvements.

Image showing two data visualizations from our web analytics: Overall City Visitors and How Visitors Get Here

Explore more at https://www.seattle.gov/digital.

About the Digital Services Team

Photo of Michal Perlstein

Michal Perlstein leads Digital Services for Seattle IT. The team consists of designers, developers, and producers who continuously innovate on the technology platforms that enable City departments to communicate effectively with the public and fulfill their expectation to access City information on any computer or device. The expertise among the members of the Digital Services Team brings increased consistency, usability, and accessibility to the City’s digital communications.

Seattle Channel receives 17 Northwest Emmy Nominations

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Seattle Channel received 17 Northwest Regional Emmy Award nominations from the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). The nominations were announced earlier in April and highlight the quality of two longtime Seattle Channel series, feature magazine show CityStream and arts program Art Zone with Nancy Guppy.

Image of Northwest Emmy Awards

The municipal TV station received nominations in a wide range of program categories including the environment, politics, sports, business/consumer, arts, historic/cultural, human interest, documentary/cultural, informational and program promotion. Staff was also recognized in hosting, photography and editing categories.

“Seattle Channel is honored to be recognized for its work,” said Shannon Gee, Seattle Channel general manager. “Seattle Channel has a deep commitment to share our city’s stories, revealing its diverse culture and history, its artists, activists, community leaders and unsung heroes. I congratulate our dedicated and talented team of producers, hosts, photographers and editors.”

Image of Shannon Gee and Randy Eng announce nominees
Seattle Channel General Manager Shannon Gee and Video Specialist Randy Eng announce nominees at the NATAS Northwest Regional Emmy nomination party at the Triple Door, April 12.

The Northwest Regional Emmy Awards will be announced June 8. The NATAS region includes five states: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

To see a complete list of Seattle Channel’s 17 Emmy nominations log on to the Take 21 blog: https://take21.seattlechannel.org/2019/04/15/seattle-channel-receives-17-northwest-emmy-nominations/

CSR Mobile Workforce app delivers efficiencies to SPU field staff

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Faced with more than 1,200 percent growth in customer reports of illegal dumping and graffiti over four years, Seattle Public Utilities needed to find a way to maintain high levels of customer service for illegal dumping and graffiti reports.

While the Find it, Fix it app was making it easy for customers to report graffiti and illegal dumping, the field team did not have an easy process.  Intake staff, Illegal dumping inspectors and Graffiti Rangers lacked real-time connectivity to find problems and communicate with customers. All service requests had to be processed in the office in both the Motorola CSR (customer service request) app and the work order system Maximo before crews headed out into the field. Lacking onsite system connectivity, field crews had no convenient way of learning about new requests, and often missed opportunities to respond to a new request in the neighborhood they were already in because they didn’t learn of it until returning to the office.

The CSR project team of Rodney Baladad, Deanna Wang, and Brandon Bolinger worked with Motorola and Connected Bits to develop a backend solution for field workers to access and resolve requests via mobile application developing the CSR Mobile Workforce. Motorola PremierOne CSR is the core service request tracking and workflow system used city-wide. It is built on cloud technology and hosted on Amazon Web Services and accessed via a web browser. Where before, customers could report issues and request information in person, over the phone, web and the Find it Fix it mobile app, City staff can now respond with real-time updates to requests using the CSR Mobile Workforce app in the field.

In just a year, here’s what one little app accomplished:

  • SPU has managed 30 percent annual growth in reports with current staff and no reduction in performance
  • SPU is saving an estimated 35 hours of labor time per week from efficiencies
  • Seattle residents and visitors live in a cleaner and safer environment as field staff can take immediate action
  • Customers receive real-time status updates at critical stages of the process including, intake, inspection, and resolution.

The customer service request suite of applications, with the Motorola PremierOne system at its core, empowers customers and City staff to quickly and seamlessly report and respond to a broad range of request types, from initial customer report through real-time response in the field. The FAS CSR team is keen to engage with other City service providers to explore how this functionality can benefit both them and their customer.











Seattle IT remaps during the Seattle Squeeze

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When the work and planning to permanently close the Alaskan Way Viaduct started months ago, Seattle IT’s GIS team was preparing to support the process. The team needed to update maps and data for each phase of the Viaduct closure and tunnel opening.

As construction crews made changes in the City’s landscape, Seattle IT’s GIS staff needed to represent each of the changes, in all its products, and do it accurately and timely.

“It was sort of like heart surgery,” said Charles Spear. “You had to take away the organ, which was the Viaduct with all its connections, and replace it with a new organ and hook it up to nerve endings and blood vessels, which were the connecting streets.”

The phases were:

  • To provide an initial update to ensure the network was current as the changes began to occur
  • Support the closing of the first two viaduct ramps on January 4, 2019
  • The closing of the Viaduct and the opening of new sections of Alaskan Way on January 11
  • The closing of the Battery Street tunnel and the opening of the new SR99 tunnel on February 4

At the core of Seattle IT’s response was the City’s Street Network Database, maintained by GIS Analyst Desiree Hunter. Ian Mooser, a GIS analyst who supports SDOT, kept an ear to the ground with SDOT and WSDOT and provided the timing of the phases and the exact opening and closure status.  With each phase, Hunter updated the affected street segments, and those updates fed the rest of the GIS.

A citywide base map image created from GIS data layers served as a backdrop for external-facing applications such as SDOT’s Winter Weather Map as well as internal ones such as SPU’s Utiliview and Field Operations Mapping System. With Products and Services Manager Brian Rosete overseeing the cartography, Developers Arielle Simmons-Steffen and Joel Herd refined a process to pull together all the data and compile the new base map. They passed the resulting routines on to Henry Ho in the GIS Infrastructure group. Ho ran them at each construction phase and posted the resulting base maps to servers for citywide consumption.

Meanwhile, on a similar cadence, Rita Lee and Jacob Jawson, GIS analysts who support Police and Fire, translated the street network changes into a format the dispatching systems could consume. Dispatching the right units to respond to incidents in a two-mile tunnel is a unique requirement. Lee and Jawson had to manually adjust data such as police beat codes to make that happen. This enabled officers to respond in the quickest possible way to emergencies inside the tunnel.

It all went off without a hitch. Users of all these systems saw little or no disruption and worked with up-to-date information at every phase. With a working process in place, the citywide base map is now slated for quarterly updates.











Technology Matching Fund Workshops: What You Missed

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The City of Seattle recently held three workshops to help understand how to apply for the Technology Matching Fund Grant program. Missed one of the workshops? No problem! Here’s some information designed to get you up-to-speed on the application process.

So, what is the Technology Matching Fund?

Technology Matching Fund (TMF) grants up to $50,000 will be awarded to organizations with projects that support digital equity. These public funds have accrued from fees cable companies are required to pay the City of Seattle. Winning projects must be matched by volunteer hours or cash. Applicants must be working towards fulfilling the top goals of the program including:

  • Providing devices and technical support. This could include anything from smart phones to laptops. For example, many computer labs have been financially supported by TMF grants, but all device-driven projects are encouraged to apply.
  • Connectivity. Having citywide access to the internet is a major factor in improving digital equity.
  • Digital Skills Training. Knowledge is power in the world of technology. Projects that work to improve computer literacy by offering training and instruction are qualities considered favorable in the application process.

Cool! Is my group eligible?

To qualify for a TMF grant, groups must have the following requirements:

  • Be Seattle based
  • Be a non-profit or community group
  • Have a project that can be completed within one year
  • Have the ability to leverage existing relationships, resources, and expertise.

Frequently Asked Questions from the Workshops

My organization is not a 501 (c) 3. Can we still apply?

Yes, you can apply without a 501 (C) 3 status, but you will need to secure a fiscal sponsor by the time of contracting, which is usually in September or October.

We are working with a Fiscal Sponsor on our project. What is the going rate for those services?

Fiscal sponsors typically charge 3%-15%, to fiscally manage a project. You can include this as an expense on your project. If your Fiscal Sponsor waives their fee, you can count the value of the services as match.

My organization received a Technology Matching Fund grant last year. Can I apply again this year?

Yes, you may apply each year for a new project or an expansion of an existing project. We will not fund ongoing operations for an organization.

My project will benefit Seattle residents, but my organization is not located in the City of Seattle. Can we apply?

No, an organization must be located in the City of Seattle to receive funds. You may be a partner in the project, but you cannot receive the funds directly.

My organization is a school. Can we apply for funding?

Yes, with a few limitations. The project must be for an after-school program or it should clearly involve community members besides the students. The application has to come from a PTSA or other non-profit organization that you partner with. 

We currently have a computer lab. Can we use the value of the computers as match?

No, you cannot count existing equipment currently used by your organization as a match. You can, however, count any new contributions that will be used specifically for the project as a match.

We received a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant? Can we use this as match?

No, you cannot match City funds with other City funds. You can list it as “sources not counted as match” in your budget. 

How are projects selected for funding?  

An external review panel rates your proposal using the following criteria:

  • Meets program goals (20 points)
  • Budget (20 points)
  • Project Clarity (20 points)
  • Community Partnerships (15 points)
  • Community Benefit (15 points)
  • Evaluation (10 points)

We need to upgrade our staff computers. Can we include this in our budget?
No, the program funds equipment that will help to achieve client outcomes, not to upgrade internal operational capacity.

We are developing an online application that will benefit our clients. Can we apply for development costs to support this?
No, unless the project includes digital skills training and/or technology access for clients to use the application.

Technology Matching Fund grants 2019 timeline:

  • TMF Outreach and education: January-March
  • Application deadline: Tuesday, March 26, 5 p.m.
  • Award notification: Mid-May
  • City Council Approval: July-August
  • Contracting: September-October
  • Project Implementation: Fall 2019-November 2020

Ready to apply? Visit http://www.seattle.gov/tech/initiatives/digital-equity/technology-matching-fund to apply and learn more about the program and past winners!

Have questions? Please feel free to reach out to one of the Community Technology team members:

Delia Burke
Vicky Yuki
David Keyes
Chance Hunt











Running a Complex IT Service in a Rapidly Changing Environment

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I’m honored to have been confirmed by the City Councilmembers and sworn in this week as the new Chief Technology Officer for the City of Seattle. As part of Mayor Durkan’s team, I will be leading a dedicated team of public servants contributing towards Seattle’s success.

Six weeks ago, I moved to Seattle and I hit the ground running – and listening. Most of my time so far has been spent meeting with my Seattle Information Technology (IT) colleagues, as well as staff in other departments. The idea is to influence my approach based on what my fellow colleagues have to say about their work and how technology can help with their passion for improving how the City functions. Hundreds of conversations later, I’ve collected some great ideas all pointing to a strong desire to reimagine how we run a complex IT service – which is fitting since technology evolves at a rapid pace.

Municipalities and particularly large urban centers like Seattle are increasingly getting into the technology management business. We are not just enabling business solutions using a piece of software, but in fact redefining the way we run operations, interact with our citizens and deliver our services. I believe having an open mind to how we leverage technological innovations, being extremely nimble in our approach and building strategic partnerships with both big and small private sector firms will move the City of Seattle to a place of digital leadership amongst its peers.

I’m truly excited to begin my Seattle journey and especially at this time – a city recognized globally for its innovation, creativity, and progressive drive. I plan to continue to cultivate this unique Seattle energy to make lasting positive changes while keeping the internal IT talent as my focus to drive a multitude of technology modernizations. Seattle residents might not notice most of the work that we’re doing – but it is my hope that you all will notice the results. Most of the work we do is behind the scenes, but that work is critical to make sure that the city keeps running smoothly and efficiently. It is not something that I take lightly.

If you’d like to learn more about the Seattle Information Technology Department, I invite you to explore our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. This way you can be sure to stay up-to-date with our programs and see how we are making innovative changes through technology to the city we call home.

Watch a video of the complete swearing in ceremony on the Seattle Channel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 











South Park Information and Resources Center Celebrates Successful First Year of Operation

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In 2018, its first year of operation, with just 20 laptops and one instructor, the South Park Information and Resources Center enrolled 85 people, predominantly Latino, who were looking to sharpen their digital expertise. Funding from the Center came from a Technology Matching Fund grant that was awarded to help close the digital divide and provide more opportunities to improve computer skills in underrepresented communities.

“I was really surprised how many people wanted to learn about computers,” said Education Program Coordinator Gladis Clemente.

Enrollees ranged in age, skill, and need, but all were hoping for one outcome from taking the class; to learn new computer skills that will help improve their lives.

They started with the basics of how to turn on the laptops, how to type, how to manage simple navigation, and how to conduct a search. When students gained more confidence, instructors moved on to tougher challenges and customized the class to accommodate everyone’s expected curriculum.

“At the beginning of the class, we asked everyone what they wanted to know,” said Clemente. “And that is how we determined what we would cover for each session.”

The success stories from what the students learned in the class are diverse and encouraging:

  • One student got a promotion at work because he was able to learn Microsoft Office.
  • Several enrollees were able to complete online applications for childcare, employment, and affordable housing.
  • One person expanded his construction business by learning to promote it on social media.
  • Many connected with family and friends who they don’t see every day.
  • Several parents opened email accounts to connect with their child’s teacher and learn more about grades, homework assignments, and volunteer opportunities.

“Those parents told me they now know what subjects their kids excel in and need more help with,” said Clemente. ‘It opened up a new avenue to connect with their children.”

The South Park Information and Resource Center  believes they have far exceeded their goal of making attendees feel more valuable and creating opportunities for improvement. They’ve been pleased with the response from the community and the success rate of their class attendees. They hope to expand the lab and open more spots for popular classes in the future.  To learn more about the South Park Information and Resource Center and the courses and events they offer, visit, www.southparkinfocenter.org.

To learn more about the Technology Matching Fund program, including more on past winners and how to apply, visit www.seattle.gov/tech.