Pothole App Developers Win First-Ever Indy Civic Hack Day

Indy Chamber News Archives

Indianapolis (June 3, 2014) - The Indy Chamber's first-ever Indy Civic Hack Day, held in conjunction with the National Day of Civic Hacking, concluded May 31 with 14 teams coming together to create solutions to real-world challenges utilizing local and state government open data.

The winning team developed an interactive pothole tracking application which allows drivers to report potholes by resting their smartphone on their vehicle's dashboard. As the user drives city streets, the app will note any bumps along the way. Once a section of the road is marked three times by the app, a service request for the pothole is created. Development of this app could help local governments find and repair potholes on a shorter timeline.

"We saw a convergence of Indy's developer community and government to create something for the greater good this weekend," said Michael Huber, president and CEO of the Indy Chamber. "Bringing together these communities who otherwise don't have access to each other is key to progressing as an innovative, competitive region. Through this event, we are able to show both the local and national tech community that the Indy region has true tech talent."

Developers of the app, David Tschida, Michael Hockerman, Ben Wencke, and Michael Price, are currently participating in TechPoint's inaugural IndyXtern class. This talent recruitment pilot program launched in May with an initial group of 50 college students.

"Being able to participate in the Indy Civic Hack Day with this team is another reason why the IndyXtern experience is so great," said David Tschida, team lead. "If not for thisprogram, we may not have had this opportunity. Through this app, we're able to make a difference in our city by using our skillset. To me, that's a priceless opportunity."

Indy Civic Hack Day runners up include:

• Team PotHoleValueIndex, which created an index that prioritizes the severity of potholes leading to better triage of potholes
• Team MACti, which created an opt-in text message and email notification system that reminds residents of trash day, special heavy trash pickup days, and changes in schedules.

The open data movement is growing across the nation, with local governments leveraging existing data with local talent to develop solutions to growing issues.

For more information, visit www.indycivichack.com or visit the Indy Chamber's Facebook page for photos from the event. For information on the National Day of Civic Hacking, visit www.hackforchange.org.

More details about the IndyXtern program can be found at www.indyx.com.

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.

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