Code for America: An upgrade of government IT

The nonprofit Code for America lets programmers lend their expertise to state and local governments. The effort has resulted in applications that have solved some nagging and pressing problems.

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SolarCity

The Web-based application uses Esri mapping sofware to calculate the potential for solar on rooftops. Any city with the required geodata could implement the program to spread public awareness of the potential savings from using solar power. The project was led by Code for America Technical Lead Ryan Resella. A contractor from Green Mountain Energy Company installs solar rooftop panels at a home in Northern California.

GEORGE NIKITIN / PR NEWSWIRE

DataWorks:Boston

DataWorks:Boston is a Web-based platform that connects developers to those with ideas for potential projects. The platform serves as an application catalogue, project management tool and platform to form ideas. The project was led by Code for America 2011 fellow Karla Macedo.

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DataCouch

Government data can be a powerful tool for citizens, and DataCouch.com was created to cut through the challenge of delivering it. The program can take any data set and convert it into an application programming interface, or API, which makes it easier to build programs. The project was led by 2011 fellow Max Ogden. In this photo, Andrew Lewis, 22, a member of Telecomix, a Western hacker group that has been helping pro-democracy activists during this year's Arab Spring, types on his computer.

Carol Guzy / The Washington Post

Iconathon

The nation's changing neighborhood environments, including the existence of gluten-free food and rooftop gardens, call for a new era of public signage. The Iconathon model seeks to create new public service symbols. Six Iconathon gatherings have led to the creation of 40 new symbols for the public domain, including symbols for geolocation, 24-hour services and security check areas. In this photo, Aweis Hasan, a signmaker, works at the Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Engineering and Operations in Potomac.

Juana Arias / For The Washington Post

Muralapp

Have you ever passed a mural and wondered who painted it and when? The mobile application Muralapp attempts to make it easier to answer these and other questions about street art, enriching residents' and visitors' experience exploring a city. The application maps out murals and provides relevant data to users. The project was created for the city of Philadelphia and led by 2011 fellow Anna Bloom. In this photo, a George Washington University student paints a mural of President Obama.

/ George Washington University Media Relations

Adopt-a-Hydrant

The application Adopt-a-Hydrant turns the need to clear snow from around fire hydrants into a competitive game for Boston residents, who can gain points by removing snow. The application has been modified and used for various purposes in Chicago, Honolulu and Buenos Aires. The project was led by 2011 fellow Erik Michaels-Ober. In this photo, Kenmore School employee Anthony Nguyen clears the snow from a fire hydrant near the school on Carlin Springs Road in Arlington County on Feb. 16, 2010.

Gerald Martineau / For The Washington Post

Where's My School Bus?

The application "Where's My School Bus?" was created, as the name suggests, to help parents track the location and status of their children's school bus. The project was led by 2011 Felow Talin Salway. In this photo, the top of a school bus peeks out from a snowbank in Alexandria.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

ClassTalk

The application ClassTalk seeks to eliminate communication barriers between teachers and students, by giving teachers a platform through which to send 160-character messages to entire classes. The platform also gives students the opportunity to communicate directly with their teacher via phone or e-mail. The project was led by 2011 fellow Scott Silverman. In this photo, students raise their hands during an advanced geometry class at Suitland High School in Prince George's County on Oct. 20, 2008.

Sarah L. Voisin / The Washington Post

CityGroups

The application CityGroups was created to publicize the work done by community organizers. It allows users to find and recommend groups working to make the city better. The application is active in four cities, including Seattle, according to Code for America's Web site. Code for America 2011 fellow Chacha Sikes led the project.

Kevin P. Casey / Bloomberg News

DiscoverBPS

The application DiscoverBPS simplifies Boston parent's otherwise complicated task of choosing which school is right for their child. The project was led by 2011 fellow Joel Mahoney. In this photo, third-grade students raise their hands at James Curley Elementary School in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood on Sept. 3, 1997.

Jay Malonson / AP

Open211 Redirectory

The Web application Open 211 Redirectory seeks to better inform social service providers about services available in their area. The application was featured as an "open data Champion of Change" by the White House. In this photo, Lutheran Social Services youth advocate Callie Schroeder decorates a paper hand that says "Anger Group" during an anger management session at Runaway and Youth Services (formerly Project Youth) in Manitowoc, Wis., on Nov. 10, 2011.

Matthew Apgar / AP

Reroute.it

The mobile application Reroute.it helps people choose transportation options by presenting the potential consequences, including time, cost, health and environmental impacts. The project was led by 2011 Fellow Aaron Ogle.

Stephanie K. Kuykendal / For The Washington Post

MadeWithData

MadeWithData.com, part of the Civic APIs project, makes it easier for residents to find out important information about their neighborhood, including which entites have been given permits to pollute public water sources. In this photo, wastewater is stirred by coarse bubble aeration at the District's Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, the largest in the world.

Robert A. Reeder / TWP

Procurement Legal Guide

Keeping up with changes to a city's legal and regulatory guidelines is far from simple. The Procurement Legal Guide is a wiki that attempts to solve this by serving as "a centralized and comprehensive body of information," according to the Code for America Web site. The project was led by 2011 fellow Michelle Koeth. In this photo, the Howard University Law Library is pictured.

Michael Temchine / For The Washington Post

CouncilMatic

The application CouncilMatic makes Philadelphia city legislative data easier to read, formatting the data like a blog and allowing users to subscribe to and monitor legislation. Code for America 2011 Fellow Mjumbe Poe led the project. In this photo, Michael Glazer, right, of Chicago addresses a group of marchers during a general assembly meeting at the Occupy Philadelphia encampment at City Hall on Nov. 15, 2011.

Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post

Cities have implemented 311 services to field complaints and notifications from residents regarding non-emergency service needs, such as filling potholes. The Open311 Dashboard allows Web applications to use city data to create easy-to-use applications to monitor response times and project statuses. The Open311 project was led by 2011 fellow Michael Lawrence Evans.

/ Gerald Martineau / The Washington Post

SnapFresh

Information about which retailers accept food stamps is not always readily available. The application SnapFresh helps consumers easily identify which retailers accept federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program vouchers. Users can text their location and receive a text reply with the location of the five nearest high-quality food retailers that accept food stamps. The application uses regularly updated U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

iStockphoto

Civic Commons

Creative Commons has made the fair-use sharing of creative content easier. The Civic Commons Marketplace is an online database of the technology used by cities throughout a particular county and how well that technology is working. The project is led by 2011 fellow Jeremy Canfield. In this photo, power overhead supplies customers' racks of servers at Latisys, in Ashburn, on Aug. 22, 2011.

Jeffrey MacMillan / For The Washington Post

The Change by Us platform was created to make it easier to organize community projects. It provides a central location for residents’ ideas on community improvement projects. It also gives residents the tools to carry out grass-roots action. The project was led by 2011 fellow Anna Bloom. The program has been deployed in Philadelphia and New York City. In this photo, the corporate logo for Zynga is seen on the board outside the Nasdaq Market Site in New York's Times Square on Dec. 16, 2011.

BRENDAN MCDERMID / REUTERS

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