GovEx Data Points

GovEx Data Points
GovEx Data Points

A podcast about government and data. Telling stories from practitioners and academics about how data affects communities and the lives of residents.

  1. 6 NOV

    #90 - Strengthening Community Food Systems: Resilience Strategies in Adams County, Colorado

    --- In this episode of Data Points, GovEx’s Meg Burke sits down with Tessa Cushman, the Food Access and Systems Coordinator in Adams County, Colorado and a Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow, to discuss Cushman’s experience putting the Food System Resilience Planning Guide, which GovEx created in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future in 2022, into action. --- Burke and Cushman review the importance of authentic engagement with local communities and the need to leverage existing resources, like local food policy councils, to enhance food resilience efforts. They also cover challenges, particularly the complexities of coordinating among multiple stakeholders to put a plan in place, and staying connected to a changing policy landscape. --- Partially as a result of supply chain disruptions during the COVID pandemic, more governments recognize the need to build and secure food systems, but this is a nascent research topic. The Food System Resilience Planning Guide is one of the few resources currently available to government leaders thinking about how climate change, natural disasters, and public health crises can affect their communities’ access to food. Cushman notes that creating a road map, as recommended in the guide, helped her conceive of what a plan could look like in growing suburban/urban Adams County.--- Learn more about the Food System Resilience Toolkit here! (https://clf.jhsph.edu/projects/food-system-resilience/resilience-planning-guide)--- Learn more about GovEx! (https://govex.jhu.edu/)--- Fill out our listener survey! (https://share.hsforms.com/1vWk35gnzQn6yU5BqpE1QbQ2jlaq)

    36 min
  2. 16 AGO

    #87 - Increasing Access while Reducing Emissions: Iowa City’s Fare Free Pilot Program

    Iowa City and GovEx collaborate to solve a problem: How do you gather ridership data without fares?--- In the latest episode of the Data Points podcast, GovEx and Iowa City staff about collaborative efforts to track bus ridership for a free-fare program aimed at reducing carbon emissions. Iowa City is a participant of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative Data Track, a program aimed at connecting cities with coaches and data practitioners to build data skills and techniques to tackle complex challenges and improve residents’ quality of life.---Iowa City bus ridership dropped precipitously during the pandemic and had not rebounded, leading the city to consider shifting to a free-fare program to increase ridership and help the city reach its goal of reduced carbon emissions. But, without fares to count, the city struggled to find a way to track ridership for a free-fare program to help it determine whether the increased ridership was having the desired impact. Rachel Bloom, the GovEx coach working with Iowa City, consulted GovEx data analyst Maeve Mulholland, who presented the city with a creative solution that leveraged data the city was already collecting.--- Since moving forward with its free-fare program, the city has used data to show an increased bus ridership of 40% - compared with a 10% post-pandemic increase nationwide - and a reduction in tailpipe carbon emissions by approximately 284 metric tons. It is now using an analysis of timing and location data to gain further insight into the program and to increase equity in access to public transportation.--- Learn more about Iowa City’s Fare Free Pilot Program (https://www.icgov.org/government/departments-and-divisions/transportation/transit)--- Learn more about GovEx (https://govex.jhu.edu)--- Learn more about the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative (https://cityleadership.harvard.edu/)

    34 min
  3. 22 MAR

    #84 - Women’s History Now: The Women Behind the Coronavirus Resource Center

    --- In this episode, we celebrate Women’s History Month by talking to some of the women who made history by leading the development of the Coronavirus Resource Center, or “CRC.” Launched in January 2020, the CRC became the indispensable source for data about COVID-19 for government officials, academics, journalists, and the pubic, surpassing 2.5 billion website views before winding down last year. --- Our history-making guests include: * Dr. Lauren Gardner, Alton and Sandra Cleveland Professor in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, * Beth Blauer, Associate Vice Provost for Public Sector Innovation at Johns Hopkins University and founder of GovEx, * Dr. Sara Bertran de Lis, Director of Research and Analytics at GovEx, and * Mary Conway Vaughan, Deputy Director of Research and Analytics at GovEx. --- We discuss the origins and ongoing relevance of public-facing data dashboards like the CRC, look at some of the challenges involved in capturing and reporting public data, and unpack if and how the fact that women led most facets of this project impacted the project. We will also hear about how these women balanced their essential work with the uncertainty and chaos that COVID-19 brought to all of our lives. --- Learn more at govex.jhu.edu (https://govex.jhu.edu/)--- Fill out our listener survey! (https://govex.jhu.edu/data-points/)

    45 min
  4. 1 FEB

    #83 - City AI Connect: Risk vs. Opportunity in Government AI

    --- In this episode, we discuss City AI Connect, a global learning community and digital platform for cities to trial and advance the usage of generative artificial intelligence to improve public services.--- Generative AI, powered by advanced machine learning algorithms, has the potential to analyze vast amounts of data to predict trends, helping cities improve emergency response, mitigate severe weather events, and target resources for infrastructure enhancements. The technologies might also be harnessed to design creative solutions that could transform government delivery by reducing processing delays, eliminating cumbersome paperwork, and expanding multi-language access to reach many more residents with vital, public services.--- To maximize the potential and expand the availability of generative artificial intelligence learning for local governments, City AI Connect might offer locals officials a single destination to ideate, develop, and test new utilizations with peers across cities. Through social networking features, digital forums, virtual events, and a repository of blueprints and resources, city leaders might have the opportunity to exchange strategies and work with data and technology experts brought together by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University to accelerate implementation in their city halls.--- We're joined by Beth Blauer, Associate Vice Provost for Public Sector Innovation at Johns Hopkins University and the founder of GovEx; Mary Conway Vaughan, Deputy Director of Research and Analytics at GovEx; and Denise Reidl, the Chief Innovation Officer for the City of South Bend, Indiana.--- City AI Connect (https://cityaiconnect.jhu.edu/)--- "Gen AI: Get Ready!" Webinar (City AI Connect Members Only) (https://app.civicroundtable.com/community/1695044240027x694032557499220000?tab=Feed&post=1706731625981x630604869877366800)--- Fill out our listener survey! (https://govex.jhu.edu/data-points/)

    28 min
4.9
de 5
17 calificaciones

Acerca de

A podcast about government and data. Telling stories from practitioners and academics about how data affects communities and the lives of residents.

También te podría interesar

Para escuchar episodios explícitos, inicia sesión.

Mantente al día con este programa

Inicia sesión o regístrate para seguir programas, guardar episodios y enterarte de las últimas novedades.

Elige un país o región

Africa, Oriente Medio e India

Asia-Pacífico

Europa

Latinoamérica y el Caribe

Estados Unidos y Canadá