Comparing budget data is no easy task for cities. Categories aren't standardized, budget cycles often don't align, and each city funds its priorities differently according to the governmental structure, age, and size among other factors. However, cities need to be able to compare budget and spending data in order to understand how their spending is affecting their priorities in context.

To help Jackson, Mississippi, tackle this problem the GovEx team developed a tool called "Compared to Jackson." The tool allowed city officials to compare their spending and budget data to other cities deemed comparable by a GovEx machine learning algorithm. This week, GovExers Sheila Dugan and Nick Hadjigeorge join Data Points to talk about their work on the project and takeaways for other cities to replicate this process.

To learn more about Compared to Jackson, check out the GovEx Github page and to see the tool in use check out the Jackson Budget page.
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Ep. 34 - Compared to Jackson - GovEx Data Points

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--- GovEx Executive Director Amy Holmes introduces highlights from the organization’s recent event marking the DATA Act’s 10th anniversary--- In the latest episode of GovEx Data Points from the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence, GovEx Executive Director Amy Holmes, a key figure in the passage and implementation of the 2014 DATA Act, reflects on the organization’s recent event marking the law’s 10th anniversary at the new Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC. The DATA Act, the nation’s first open data law, standardized data for more than $6 trillion in annual spending and enabled taxpayers to monitor how federal funds are allocated and trace those funds to direct investments in their community. It became a model for open data laws around the country and around the world.--- Learn more about us at govex.jhu.edu (http://govex.jhu.edu/)--- Fill out our listener survey! (https://govex.jhu.edu/data-points/)

#86 - Celebrating 10 Years: Reflections on the DATA Act and the future of open data

--- The Data Track at Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative helps leaders to the see the people behind city-level data.--- Today, we’re throwing a spotlight on the Data track of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a collaboration between Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School, and GovEx. Launched in 2017, the Initiative has worked with 539 mayors and 2500+ senior city officials in 560 cities worldwide, and has also advanced research and developed new curriculum and teaching tools to help city leaders solve real-world problems. Latricia Boone, GovEx’s Senior Director of Partnerships, talks to Sari Ladin-Sienne, the Initiative’s program director and former Chief Data Officer of the City of Los Angeles, about the program’s history and goals, what the experience is like for mayors, and how the Data track teaches mayors how to leverage data to address challenges and realize their vision.--- Learn more about the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative (https://www.cityleadership.harvard.edu/)--- Learn more about us at govex.jhu.edu (http://govex.jhu.edu/)--- Fill out our listener survey! (https://govex.jhu.edu/data-points/)

#85 - Teaching Mayors to Tap Data’s “Sneaky Super Power”: Bringing People Together

--- In this episode, we celebrate Women’s History Month by talking to some of the women who made history by leading the development of the Coronavirus Resource Center, or “CRC.” Launched in January 2020, the CRC became the indispensable source for data about COVID-19 for government officials, academics, journalists, and the pubic, surpassing 2.5 billion website views before winding down last year. --- Our history-making guests include: * Dr. Lauren Gardner, Alton and Sandra Cleveland Professor in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, * Beth Blauer, Associate Vice Provost for Public Sector Innovation at Johns Hopkins University and founder of GovEx, * Dr. Sara Bertran de Lis, Director of Research and Analytics at GovEx, and * Mary Conway Vaughan, Deputy Director of Research and Analytics at GovEx. --- We discuss the origins and ongoing relevance of public-facing data dashboards like the CRC, look at some of the challenges involved in capturing and reporting public data, and unpack if and how the fact that women led most facets of this project impacted the project. We will also hear about how these women balanced their essential work with the uncertainty and chaos that COVID-19 brought to all of our lives. --- Learn more at govex.jhu.edu (https://govex.jhu.edu/)--- Fill out our listener survey! (https://govex.jhu.edu/data-points/)

#84 - Women’s History Now: The Women Behind the Coronavirus Resource Center

--- In this episode, we discuss City AI Connect, a global learning community and digital platform for cities to trial and advance the usage of generative artificial intelligence to improve public services.--- Generative AI, powered by advanced machine learning algorithms, has the potential to analyze vast amounts of data to predict trends, helping cities improve emergency response, mitigate severe weather events, and target resources for infrastructure enhancements. The technologies might also be harnessed to design creative solutions that could transform government delivery by reducing processing delays, eliminating cumbersome paperwork, and expanding multi-language access to reach many more residents with vital, public services.--- To maximize the potential and expand the availability of generative artificial intelligence learning for local governments, City AI Connect might offer locals officials a single destination to ideate, develop, and test new utilizations with peers across cities. Through social networking features, digital forums, virtual events, and a repository of blueprints and resources, city leaders might have the opportunity to exchange strategies and work with data and technology experts brought together by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University to accelerate implementation in their city halls.--- We're joined by Beth Blauer, Associate Vice Provost for Public Sector Innovation at Johns Hopkins University and the founder of GovEx; Mary Conway Vaughan, Deputy Director of Research and Analytics at GovEx; and Denise Reidl, the Chief Innovation Officer for the City of South Bend, Indiana.--- City AI Connect (https://cityaiconnect.jhu.edu/)--- "Gen AI: Get Ready!" Webinar (City AI Connect Members Only) (https://app.civicroundtable.com/community/1695044240027x694032557499220000?tab=Feed&post=1706731625981x630604869877366800)--- Fill out our listener survey! (https://govex.jhu.edu/data-points/)

#83 - City AI Connect: Risk vs. Opportunity in Government AI

In the latest Data Points Podcast from the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University (“GovEx”), GovEx Chief of Staff Dr. Rudy de Leon Dinglas talks to Amy Edwards Holmes, who recently completed her first year as the center’s Executive Director. Amy came to GovEx with years of public service experience in both the non-profit and government sector. In this podcast, Amy explains the origin of her passion for helping cities use data to improve people’s lives. She and Rudy also review the past year of GovEx programming and discuss future engagements with partner cities across the Americas, including those engaged with the center’s flagship program, the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance. To learn more about GovEx, Amy, or any of our programming, please visit us at govex.jhu.edu (http://govex.jhu.edu/). We would also love to hear from you! Fill out our listener survey at https://forms.fillout.com/t/tvfZVqXrqXus (https://forms.fillout.com/t/tvfZVqXrqXus)

Ep. 34 - Compared to Jackson - GovEx Data Points

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