As an elected body, the City of Boston has an obligation to its constituents to engage in the constant advancement of the city’s livability. This obligation manifests in a number of ways; most prominently, the obligation compels the City to maintain an awareness of its citizens’ health, safety, and well-being as well as the needs that arise from maintaining or improving the health, safety, and well-being of its citizens. The City successfully meets these needs in any manner that it is effective, whether that be a mobile application for students or an electronically-managed bike share system for all.
BOSTONavigator
With the goal of improving and increasing bystander CPR and ultimately saving more lives, staff from Boston EMS’ Dispatch Operations as well as RTQI (Research, Training, and Quality Improvement) has implemented an addition to the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system which shows the location of hundreds of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across the city.
The improved system, known as AED Alert, allows Boston EMS 911 call takers to identify the location of the nearest AED unit once an address is entered. So far, Boston EMS’ RTQI has developed an extensive list of more than 900 AED locations. In addition, to support this effort, our applications team developed an online AED Location form which allows the community to add an AED location to Emergency Medical Services’ database.
Food Trucks
In the spring of 2011, the City of Boston employed a mapping interface to receive suggested locations, days and times, and comments from constituents on the siting of food trucks. The service was promoted via existing food mailing lists, cityofboston.gov, and the city’s twitter account; upwards of 4000 submissions were received. ESRI and SharePoint tools were utilized to report the clustering of these responses, which enabled the selection of the 20+ permitted locations across the city.
Various City departments developed an application process for procuring food truck permits and licenses to operate in the City of Boston. Our web portal outlines the business application process from start to finish, and allows direct and transparent communication of any program requirement or specific vending instruction changes.
Food Truck Locator
Our Food Truck Locator tool permits users to search for food trucks by location, neighborhood, or truck name. The tool is optimized for mobile devices and has caught on quickly among the young food truck aficionado set with its features:
Library Information System
Promoting faster and more efficient service for all visitors to the Boston Public Library
Boston Public Library is in the process of selecting a new Integrated Library System to replace an aging and inadequate system with one that will be stable, scalable, and based on current technology. Its features will enable staff to be more effective in the development and management of its collections, as well as in its service to the public. In addition, the system will offer a platform to provide information and functions directly tailored to the library’s customers, based upon how they desire to consume services and information.
The library intends to finalize their selection in early 2012 and migrate to the new system during the course of 2012.
Youth Connections
Promoting positive social engagement for Boston Youth, and fostering communication between youth, their parents, and the individuals working in youth services
BOSTONavigator
BOSTONavigator, created in a partnership with Boston After School & Beyond, is an online directory of youth programs, searchable by keyword, activity, age, location and cost. It connects youth, parents and youth workers directly to program opportunities in the arts, sports, and academic support.
Each program is listed with contact details, hours of operation, detailed description, cost and financial aid, availability, and more. Results are displayed on a map which includes subway stations and bus routes to navigate transportation.
BOSTONavigator connects youth to authority figures and peers through its referral and review system. Referral agents, such as teachers and guidance counselors, may refer programs to youth and other agencies, and then track such referrals via BOSTONavigator. Youth may submit or survey peer reviews by program.
Currently, over 100 “referral agents” are registered across the city in schools, libraries, and community centers to ensure that youth are gaining access to the programs that will benefit them the most.
In the next year, the project will focus on measuring how the programming aligns with our community goals so the City & Partners will be able to:
Each program is listed with contact details, hours of operation, detailed description, cost and financial aid, availability, and more. Results are displayed on a map which includes subway stations and bus routes to navigate transportation.
BOSTONavigator connects youth to authority figures and peers through its referral and review system. Referral agents, such as teachers and guidance counselors, may refer programs to youth and other agencies, and then track such referrals via BOSTONavigator. Youth may submit or survey peer reviews by program.
Currently, over 100 “referral agents” are registered across the city in schools, libraries, and community centers to ensure that youth are gaining access to the programs that will benefit them the most.
In the next year, the project will focus on measuring how the programming aligns with our community goals so the City & Partners will be able to:
- Respond quickly to community problems
- Inform funding decisions
- Identify and replicate best practices
- Identify service gaps and at-risk populations
- Centralize and standardize program info
- Measure interest in programs
- Measure effectiveness and impact on community
BOSTONavigator
Boston After School & Beyond
2011 ComputerWorld Laureate Award Winner
Code for America
Through a partnership with Code for America, Boston has developed and leveraged several forms of technology to support students, families, and community members in the Boston Public School (BPS) system:
- What Are My Schools?: a web application allowing guardians of new BPS students to learn what schools the students are eligible for, and what each school offers academically and programmatically
- Where’s My School Bus: a service allowing authorized guardians of BPS students who own GPS-enabled phones to sign up to track their student's bus location
- Class Talk: a communication tool allowing teachers and principals to communicate 160-character messages instantly to students and/or guardians through SMS and email
One Card
In 2010 the City of Boston piloted a single youth ID card at one high school. The card served as school ID, lunch, and attendance card; public library card; public transportation pass; and public community center membership card. Program expansion next year will benefit more than 7,500 BPS students:
- Standardized IDs across 13 high schools;
- Accurate and efficient electronic attendance tracking;
- Cost savings related to card materials, printing, distribution and replacement.
Technology Goes Home
Connecting constituents with currently technology, in turn connecting them to greater services, information, and accessibility
The goal of the Tech Goes Home (TGH) program has always been to close the digital divide in Boston by providing training, Internet access, and hardware to those who are currently digitally unconnected. TGH provides participants with a new netbook computer at the conclusion of fifteen hour training.
To meet changing technology opportunities and their associated costs, TGH has:
To meet changing technology opportunities and their associated costs, TGH has:
- Reduced its cost over time to less than half that of its original fee.
- Worked collaboratively with Comcast to combat the high cost of Internet access; all eligible TGH graduates may obtain low cost Internet access through this partnership
- 67% of community participants are unemployed and 28% are working part time
- 60% of our participants have a household income of under $20,000 per year
- 46% are English Language Learners
- 90% of the participants continue to have Internet access in their homes 6 months after course completion
- Over 3,000 Boston citizens were served by the program this year, bringing total numbers to over 8,800
- 4,000 additional participants will be included in the upcoming year
Technology Goes Home
2011 ComputerWorld Laureate Award Winner
Boston Emergency Medical Services' Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Alert
Encouraging constituents to engage with the City in life-saving data compilation
With the goal of improving and increasing bystander CPR and ultimately saving more lives, staff from Boston EMS’ Dispatch Operations as well as RTQI (Research, Training, and Quality Improvement) has implemented an addition to the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system which shows the location of hundreds of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across the city.
The improved system, known as AED Alert, allows Boston EMS 911 call takers to identify the location of the nearest AED unit once an address is entered. So far, Boston EMS’ RTQI has developed an extensive list of more than 900 AED locations. In addition, to support this effort, our applications team developed an online AED Location form which allows the community to add an AED location to Emergency Medical Services’ database.
AED Alert
2011 ComputerWorld Laureate Award Winner
Food Initiatives
Working to promote healthy food options and active lifestyles among City employees and residents
Food Trucks
In the spring of 2011, the City of Boston employed a mapping interface to receive suggested locations, days and times, and comments from constituents on the siting of food trucks. The service was promoted via existing food mailing lists, cityofboston.gov, and the city’s twitter account; upwards of 4000 submissions were received. ESRI and SharePoint tools were utilized to report the clustering of these responses, which enabled the selection of the 20+ permitted locations across the city.
Various City departments developed an application process for procuring food truck permits and licenses to operate in the City of Boston. Our web portal outlines the business application process from start to finish, and allows direct and transparent communication of any program requirement or specific vending instruction changes.
Food Truck Locator
Our Food Truck Locator tool permits users to search for food trucks by location, neighborhood, or truck name. The tool is optimized for mobile devices and has caught on quickly among the young food truck aficionado set with its features:
- List View enables constituents to search for food trucks by name, day, time, and/or location. Each result has an accompanying Google Map of its location as well as a link to the food truck website.
- Map View maps out the food trucks currently out on city streets using GIS overlay.
- A liaison utilizes a backend form for inputting and modifying food trucks and their schedule information into the food trucks database (*maybe we say something about how this ties into the permitting process.
Food Truck General Information
Food Truck Locator
License Information
Permit Information
Food Violations Search
Through the Mayor’s Food Court, the City of Boston provides constituents with current information regarding Boston’s restaurants so that they can make informed decisions about where to eat. The searchable database, optimized for mobile use, provides records of food service establishment violations by date and establishment.
Mayor’s Food Court Web Application
Mayor's Food Court Application (Mobile Version)
Boston Bounty Bucks
Boston Bounty Bucks, a partnership between the City of Boston and non-profit The Food Project, is a dual effort to enable all residents of Boston to access local farm products from area farmers markets and strengthen the economy of local farmers. Now, the 82,000 Boston SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients may use their EBT cards at area farmer’s markets. Recipients receive a 50% food discount off on products up to $20.
Hubway Bike Launch
Providing residents with an affordable, eco-friendly, and healthy transportation solutionThe City of Boston's New Balance Hubway bike share system features 61 stations and over 600 bikes around the city. Created under Mayor Menino’s nationally recognized Boston Bikes program, the New Balance Hubway is fully operated by Alta Bicycle Share. Its equipment is a state-of-the-art, third generation, solar powered automated system developed by Public Bike System Company. Specifically designed to be fully regional and at full size, the system could reach as many as 5,000 bikes across Boston, Cambridge, Brookline and Somerville.
New Balance Hubway features “swipe card” payments and costs $5 per day with free trips that are 30 minutes or less, and $85 annual memberships. Discounted subscriptions for low-income residents are available through the Boston Public Health Commission from August until the end of March 2011.
Initiatives by Category
- Governance, Management & Funding
- Finance, Administration & Human Resource Management, Licensing & Permitting
- Public Safety & Emergency Management
- Health, Social & Human Services
- Citizen Engagement, Open Gov & Online Services
- Innovation
- Jurisdictional Differentiator
Initiatives by Work Unit
- Privacy & Security
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