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Seattle Information Technology

Seattle IT launches new mobile app for restaurant takeout map

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A new mobile app version of the City of Seattle’s #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz map, a popular regional interactive map connecting residents with takeout and delivery options during Washington’s stay-at-home order, is now accessible via iOS and Android.

Seattle Information Technology’s Geographic Information System (GIS) team launched the free mobile app to allow swift access to the map which allows users to search for small businesses near them and find operating hours, contact information and customized links for delivery services.

After launching a Seattle-specific map in late March, municipalities from across the region reached out to Seattle IT and asked to participate. Mayor Jenny Durkan last month announced the expansion of the map. It now includes nearly 3,000 restaurants across Puget Sound, including more than a dozen cities in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Municipalities worked with their local economic development organizations to add restaurants to the map, which is also available in a screen-reader accessible version for users who are blind or have low vision.

Since it went live, the map has logged nearly 278,000 visits, and during the first two weeks in May has averaged 1,400 views per day. 

“At a time when we’re all feeling the stress and negative impacts of COVID-19, it is extremely inspiring to work in an organization where so many have pivoted to the new shared focus of responding to this crisis,” said Harvey Arnone, Seattle IT’s GIS/CAAD applications development manager.

Many restaurants offering to-go food during the coronavirus pandemic will continue to offer takeout as Washington’s economy slowly reopens. Dining rooms will remain closed until at least May 31. If public health data looks favorable, most of Washington’s 39 counties could begin the second phase of the governor’s four-part statewide reopening plan on June 1, which would allow restaurants to restart some dining.

Seattle IT continues to partner with municipalities across the Puget Sound to populate the map with businesses. To help ensure quality and consistent data, IT has created an internal map and survey that business owners can use to enter their information. If you are a business owner and want to be added to the map, please email at supportsmallbiz@seattle.gov for instructions.

The City has also created a comprehensive resource page for residents and small businesses impacted by COVID-19. The page is updated as more information becomes available.

Internet and wireless providers pledge to make it easier to access broadband amid coronavirus crisis

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The Federal Communications Commission recently introduced a broadband and telecom industry measure called Keep Americans Connected pledge. The 60-day pledge, announced March 13, calls on telecom companies to help people remain connected amid the coronavirus outbreak. 

So far, virtually every major company in the U.S. broadband and telecom businesses, including those in Seattle, has committed to the pledge:

  • Not terminate service to residential or small business customers because of inability to pay bills due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • Waive any late fees that residential or small business customers incur because of their economic circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic; and
  • Open Wi-Fi hotspots to any American who needs them.

Carriers have also offered additional support. Here’s an overview:

AT&T  is waiving wireless overage charges for data, voice and text for residential or small business.

CenturyLink is suspending data usage limits.

Comcast paused data plans for 60 days giving all customers unlimited data for no additional charge. New customers that are qualified low-income households can receive 60 days of complimentary Internet Essentials service, which includes an internet speed increase to 25 Mbps for new and existing program customers.

Sprint is waiving activation and upgrade fees as well as offering free next-day shipping for upgrades and new phone orders. Customers with metered data plans will receive unlimited data per month for 60 days. Customers will also receive an additional 20GB of mobile hotspot data per month for 60 days at no extra cost.

T-Mobile is offering current customers with data plans unlimited smartphone data for 60 days (excluding roaming). Customers will also receive an additional 20GB of mobile hotspot/tethering service. The offer applies to T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers.

Verizon has introduced new affordable plans for low-income households, waived over-limit fees, and increased wireless customers’ data allowance by 15GB through April 30.

Wave is waiving internet data overage fees for customer charges incurred in March and April and increasing its Simply Internet low-income service speed to 18Mbps for all new and existing Seattle customers.

For more specific information on your service provider’s offerings, contact their customer service team or visit their website. Also, be sure to contact your service provider directly with any service issues or payment hardships related to COVID-19.

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.

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.

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.

Technology Matching Fund grant applications open for 2020

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Fund invests in community projects to improve digital literacy, access to technology

Education for All, Digital Citizenship & Communication, 2017 Technology Matching Fund Project.
Photo courtesy Mohamud Yussuf.
Education for All, Digital Citizenship & Communication, 2017 Technology Matching Fund Project.

The Seattle Information Technology Department is opening the Technology Matching Fund’s 2020 cycle in conjunction with Digital Inclusion Week (Oct. 7 -11), an opportunity to raise awareness about digital inequities and nationwide efforts to close the digital divide. 

The Technology Matching Fund offers matching funds of up to $25,000 to community-led Seattle-based projects that increase digital literacy and access to free or low-cost broadband and provide technology support to underserved communities.  

“While Seattle has a long history of leading the way on digital innovation, not everyone has benefitted equally from our City’s technological revolution,” said Mayor Jenny A. Durkan. “We know that digital equity is a race and social justice issue. More and more it is becoming difficult to survive without access to high-speed internet and the skills to navigate the digital world. Access to vital services, employment, housing, and continued learning opportunities have all moved online. The Technology Matching Fund is one way that the City of Seattle is working to close the opportunity gap for low-income residents and vulnerable populations.”  

Central to the Technology Matching Fund is the community match which requires funded nonprofit organizations to match at least half of their award request with volunteer time, donated materials including hardware and software, donated professional services, or cash. 

In 2019, the City invested $320,000 in 11 projects estimated to reach more than 3,400 residents — including 1,700 immigrants and refugees, 250 youth, 570 seniors and 900 people with disabilities. The City’s investment will be matched with a projected $302,915 in community resources. In an effort to fund more projects, the maximum award amount in the current funding cycle is $25,000, down from $50,000 in recent years.   

“Everyone should be on equal footing in an increasingly digitally-driven world. A lack of connectivity and digital literacy skills makes it difficult for people to be successful in modern society,” said Seattle City Council President Bruce Harrell and chair of the Governance, Equity & Technology Committee. “Improving digital equity has been a major commitment of mine, and I am inspired by the impact of our investments designed to reduce and eliminate barriers to technology access and use.” 

The Technology Matching Fund application and guidelines are available at seattle.gov/tech/initiatives/digital-equity/technology-matching-fund. The application deadline is Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, at 5 p.m. 

“In Seattle, we’re working diligently to close the digital divide in partnership with a diverse group of community partners,” said Seattle’s Chief Technology Officer Saad Bashir. “This funding cycle, we look forward to streamlining the Technology Matching Fund review process to get our investments into the community more quickly.” 

Learn what makes a strong application by attending a workshop. The sessions will cover specifics on eligibility and how to apply. While attendance is not required, first-time applicants are encouraged to attend. 

Grant Workshops 

Wednesday, Nov. 6, 5:30 – 7 p.m. 
2100 Building, Community Room B, 2100 24th Ave S.  

Friday, Nov. 22, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. 
Northgate Branch Library, 10548 5th Ave N.E. 

Saturday, Dec. 7, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. 
Rainier Beach Branch Library, 9125 Rainier Ave S. 

Interpretation and accommodations at the workshops are available upon request. Call (206) 233-2751 or email communitytechnology@seattle.gov. 

The Technology Matching Fund was created in 1997 and has since awarded more than $5 million to organizations funding more than 300 community technology projects. The grants are funded through the city’s broadband franchise agreement. 

What is a Cybersecurity Threat?

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A Cybersecurity threat is the threat of a malicious act resulting in an adversary attempting to gain unauthorized access to a system. They are often launched by criminal or politically motivated groups looking to steal money, data, intellectual property, or simply to disrupt normal operations of their target.    

Defining Common Threats 

Below are four common cybersecurity threats you may have heard about recently. These threats are intertwined and typically used in tandem. For example, a ransomware attack may be deployed through a phish, which utilizes social engineering to make a staff person believe the email actually came from their boss. 

  1. Phishing: a malicious hacker tries to trick the victim into believing they’re legitimate to get username and password credentials or other identifying information. If you think you’ve been phished, change your password. Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) on your systems is another great way to keep your system secure. 
  1. Ransomware: A type of malicious software designed to block access to data or systems until a sum of money is paid, typically through bitcoin. It is typically delivered through phishing and malicious email attachments, beginning with a single workstation and spreading throughout the technology environment.
  1. Social engineering: The use of deception and manipulation to trick individuals into divulging confidential or personal information. Staff should always be vigilant in confirming the identity of individuals before divulging personal information and verify the authenticity of links or emails before clicking on them by checking the URL for odd characteristics. 
  1. Malware/Spyware: Software that aims to collect a person or organization’s information, without their knowledge or consent.

What Can You Do?

Clean off your virtual desktop!

Files saved to your desktop are subject to different data protection practices and may not be backed up.

Need more ideas on how to be more cyber secure?

Stop. Think. Connect.

https://www.stopthinkconnect.org/