Indy Chamber to Host City’s First Open Data Hackathon

Indianapolis is one of 76 cities worldwide participating in the National Day of Civic Hacking. The event, planned in coordination with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, aims to bring technologists, entrepreneurs and developers together to improve communities and the governments that serve them.

"It's exciting when government opens its doors to our best tech talent through opportunities like this hackathon," said Michael Huber, president and CEO of the Indy Chamber. "When we invite the tech community to be disruptors, we're not only leveraging local talent but creative solutions and new possibilities for our community."

Attendees will have the opportunity to explore a newly created open data portal provided by Socrata, a leader in open data and open performance software. Fifth District Congresswoman Susan Brooks will be on hand to discuss recent activity around open data at the federal level and Chief Information Officer for the State of Indiana, Paul Baltzell, will speak regarding the State's open data initiatives.

"Open data has the potential to allow government to provide a higher level of service at a lower cost to more of its citizens," said Congresswoman Susan Brooks. "As the chair of a Committee on Homeland Security subcommittee that focuses on emergency preparedness and response, I've spent considerable time looking at how open data, social media and new technology can help first responders and rescue organizations save lives during disaster situations. Fueled by top medical and engineering schools and a vibrant tech entrepreneurial community, Indiana is in position to lead this exciting new field of opportunity."

Indy Civic Hack Day is a free event open to the public and made possible by the support of title sponsor Healthx and organization sponsor Social Health Insights. 

About the Indy Chamber

The Indy Chamber is the voice of progress and improvement for the Indianapolis region's business community. With membership of nearly 3,000 businesses representing 230,000 employees in the Indianapolis region, the Indy Chamber is leading the effort to strengthen the business climate, improve the state of education, revitalize neighborhoods and enhance the region's workforce. In 2012, the Indy Chamber merged with Indy Partnership, Develop Indy, and Business Ownership Initiative. For more information about the Indy Chamber, visit IndyChamber.com.

About Healthx

Healthx provides cloud-based solutions for payers to drive member engagement and provider collaboration. For more information, visit www.healthx.com. 

About Social Health Insights

Social Health Insights brings together clinicians, developers and designers to solve challenging healthcare problems through its research, strategy, innovation and software development services. For more information, visit www.socialhealthinsights.com.    

For more information, visit www.indycivichack.com. For information on the National Day of Civic Hacking, visit www.hackforchange.org. 

Media Contact: 

Ashley Elrod
317-464-2241
[email protected]