DXO

Year: 2015

  • Documenters Session with Honorary Chicago

    This evening I helped set up and run a Documenters session for Honorary Chicago. Here’s a snip from a blog post I wrote about the work on the Smart Chicago blog: All of this is a part of digitizing the official records of the streets from City Council data not yet available in digital format to…

  • The Essential Civic Whitaker

    The Essential Civic Whitaker

    I edited and published “The @CivicWhitaker Anthology: three years of organizing, writing, and documenting in Chicago civic tech at the Smart Chicago Collaborative”. Here’s my introduction: Hiring Christopher Whitaker to work as a consultant for Smart Chicago was one of the best decisions I made here. Together, we created a new job type— part documenter, part…

  • Experimental Modes of Civic Engagement in Civic Tech

    Experimental Modes of Civic Engagement in Civic Tech

    I edited, published, and wrote the preface for this book, subtitled “Meeting people where they are” while I was Executive Director at the Smart Chicago Collaborative.

  • Writing: OpenGov Voices: The Smart Chicago model for community in civic tech

    Writing: OpenGov Voices: The Smart Chicago model for community in civic tech

    Today I wrote about our unique, comprehensive approach to civic tech. Here’s a snip: What we’ve learned at Smart Chicago is that direct service to regular residents beats any technology that any single developer can make by slogging along alone. We’ve learned that direct action — being in rooms with real people, working together, sharing…

  • Press: Ventra Testing

    Today the Smart Chicago work on testing the Ventra app was referenced in a number of places. Here’s one: First-Ever Ventra App for Riding CTA, Ventra, and PACE Makes Strong Progress During Development Phase “In order to get the best experience for our customers, we placed a heavy emphasis on testing from a diverse group of…

  • Presentation: The Data-Driven City: Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy at UIC

    Presentation: The Data-Driven City: Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy at UIC

    Today I did a presentation to the Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy. Great set of scholars from across the country who are focused on the right questions to keep cities thriving.

  • Remarks at Youth-Led Tech Celebration Ceremony

    Here’s a short video of part of the remarks I gave at the conclusion of Smart Chicago’s first season of Youth-Led Tech: Here’s a complete text of the remarks as prepared: Hello. My name is Daniel X. O’Neil and I’m the Executive Director of the Smart Chicago Collaborative. I, along with my colleagues here, came…

  • PRESS: League of Legends online video game plans big connection to Chicago

    Today I was quoted in a story about League of Legends moving servers to Chicago. https://twitter.com/ChicagoBlueSky/status/629681527727767553 Here’s a snip: Dan O’Neil ⇒, executive director of Smart Chicago, said the move is a big deal for Chicago as the eSports industry booms. With the city’s central location and connectivity, the announcement “just ties in with a world…

  • Post: Better Together with Technology— The Role of the Americans With Disabilities Act in Tech Innovation

    Here’s a re-post of an interview on the ADA 25 Chicago blog. GREATER TOGETHER WITH TECHNOLOGY By: Daniel X. O’Neil, Executive Director for Smart Chicago I was a teenager in the 1980’s and remember disability activists taking over bus routes and rolling in front of buses in acts of civil disobedience. There was one specific time…

  • Chicago Tech Plan 18 Month Update

    Today the City of Chicago Chief Information Officer Brenna Berman announced an 18-month update to Chicago’s Tech Plan.   The work of Smart Chicago is deeply represented in this Tech Plan. Here’s an excerpt from the Smart Chicago blog post about the plan: Civic Innovation A big part of the city’s strategy around civic innovation is supporting the…