| layout | title |
|---|---|
default |
Code for BTV, A Code for America Brigade |
One Year Strategic Plan
Contribute to this strategic plan by forking this document on GitHub:
https://github.com/codeforbtv
Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties
Jason Pelletier and Bradley Holt
TBD
TBD
The first year goal of Code for BTV is to facilitate sustainable collaboration on civic software and open data projects between coders, designers, and non-governmental organizations. Code for BTV will develop a pipeline of organizations in need of civic software, as well as a pipeline of coders and designers able to develop, deploy, and maintain civic software and infrastructure. Code for BTV aims to have a broad impact as many statewide organizations are based in the Burlington metropolitan area. Coders and designers from all over Vermont (and beyond) are welcome to participate in Code for BTV. Additionally, Code for BTV aims to create civic software and open data sources that can be used well beyond our local area.
There are many organizations in need of coding and design capacity for civic software projects. While these organizations may be able to find short term help through volunteers or one-time grants, building long term capacity is a larger challenge. At the same time, aspiring coders and designers seek to gain experience through work on real projects while professionals are looking for projects on which to experiment with new technologies or approaches. All of this exists in an environment where modern technology and infrastructure has enabled new forms of collaborative and participatory government.
Vermonters value participatory government and civic engagement as manifest in traditions such as Town Meeting Day. Code for BTV believes that by working together we can create and sustain civic software and infrastructure that will improve our communities. Code for BTV recognizes the value of sharing both our tools and our data allowing others to build on our work.
The mission of Code for BTV is to develop, deploy, and maintain modern civic software and infrastructure for the benefit of communities in the Burlington metropolitan area. Domain-specific civic software will be created for the organizations served. These organizations will be encouraged to open their data allowing for an infrastructure of open data to emerge as more-and-more organizations are served. Code, practices, and data will be openly available as templates for other communities looking to solve similar domain-specific problems.
The State of Vermont, county governments, and municipalities have outsourced many human services to non-governmental organizations. Many governmental programs are run through these organizations. Municipalities often partner with non-governmental organizations for economic development initiatives. These organizations bridge the gap between governments and the people. The focus of Code for BTV is to work with these organizations on civic software and open data projects. This work will have the added effect of achieving better collaboration between governments and non-governmental organizations.
The Burlington area has a very active community of technologists including the Burlington Web Application Group, the Vermont.NET User Group, Girl Develop It Burlington, and an annual event called Vermont Code Camp. These existing channels can be utilized to recruit Code for BTV members. The area also includes many technology-focused organizations that are potential partners including the Emergent Media Center, the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies, Dealer.com, MyWebGrocer, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and IBM. Code for BTV aims to recruit coders and designers with a wide range of experiences.
| Governments leveraging technology more effectively | |
| Citizens and community groups solving civic issues | ✓ |
| Cities collaborating to work better | ✓ |
| Civic apps built on linked, open data | ✓ |
| Structural changes in government | |
| Reusing civic apps | ✓ |
| Opening civic data | ✓ |
| Active brigade members | ✓ |
The Brigade Captains for Code for BTV are Jason Pelletier and Bradley Holt.
The initial Code for BTV Steering Committee members are:
- James Lockridge
- Jason Pelletier
- Bradley Holt
The goal is to recruit a total of seven Code for BTV Steering Committee members.
Initial Code for BTV partners include:
- Big Heavy World
- Found Line
New partners will be brought on at a pace that allows for the development of sustainable collaborations.
TBD
Each campaign will focus on developing, deploying, and maintaining modern civic software for a given organization. Each campaign will bring on a new organization while continuing to support those that came before. Leaders, coders, and designers will be recruited specifically for each campaign.
Code for BTV will launch with the National Day of Civic Hacking on June 1-2, 2013. Its initial campaign will involve building a set of web apps for Big Heavy World, a volunteer-staffed nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting Vermont-made music. These apps will be part of a redesigned bigheavyworld.com, a web site providing resources and community-building for Vermont-based musicians and Vermont's music fans. Initial prototypes will be developed during the National Day of Civic Hacking. After this event, the campaign will move forward with its goal of developing, deploying, and maintaining apps for Big Heavy World based on these prototypes.
Big Heavy World's apps will be built using HTML5 and other modern web technologies and will make its Vermont music industry directories, interviews, and audio and visual content readily accessible to mobile and accessibility devices. Each component of the web site will be reconstructed as open-source software, enabling other communities and municipal and state governments to leverage these tools for their own music offices based on the Big Heavy World programming. The bigheavyworld.com site was launched first in 1996 and rebuilt in 2005. The new version will make it functional well into the future and create opportunities to employ emerging and future web technologies to serve Vermont music.
Big Heavy World has had a high level of success in harnessing the power of volunteers. However, developing and maintaining its web site through volunteers has proven to be a challenge. A new approach is needed that focuses on long term sustainability. Code for BTV's focus on long term sustainability combined with Big Heavy World's success in recruiting volunteers represents a new approach to addressing this issue of maintainability.
Examples of app functionality needed by Big Heavy World:
- Directory of Vermont Bands and Musicians
- Directory of Vermont Instrument Shops
- Directory of Live Music Venues in Vermont
- Live Music Calendar (integrated with the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing's events calendar)
- Live Music Recordings
- Concert Photos
- Free Classifieds for Vermont Musicians
- Scene Wiki for Vermont Musicians
- Public Forum for Vermont Musicians
- Bands Update Listings
- Band Photos
TBD (previous campaign will continue)
TBD (previous campaigns will continue)
TBD (previous campaigns will continue)
Code for BTV will measure its success using the following quantitative metrics:
- Number of active brigade members.
- Number of civic apps maintained.
- Number of organizations served.
- Number of open source components released.
- Number of open data sources created.
The following qualitative metrics will also be used to measure the success of Code for BTV:
- Satisfaction of brigade members.
- Maintainability of deployed civic apps.
- Satisfaction of organizations served.
- Reusability of open source components released.
- Usefulness of open data sources created.