"Hackstock for #LocalGov” hosted by the #LocalGov Technology Alliance, will gather New England-area computer programmers and university students who will use input from local government professionals from across North America to develop new technology applications for solving community problems and engaging citizens in community dialogue.

Scheduled to run from 7:00 a.m.to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 22 at the Hynes Convention Center, the event will bring together government personnel and developers to foster innovation in government via collective problem solving. “The first Hackstock for #LocalGov" is an excellent forum to demonstrate the power of open data combined with tools to express that data,” says Chris Thomas, director of government marketing for Esri. “Esri strongly supports transparency in all levels of government, particularly the local level. Through the apps developed at the Esri-ICMA Hackstock for #LocalGov, we hope to provide new information portals and tools to inform decision makers and the public.”

Web sites with data portal access and links to Esri developer tools—sample code, APIs, SDKs, and map viewers—will be supplied to all teams, giving participants a one-stop resource for creating applications that display authoritative national data. Esri staff will also be present throughout the hackathon in Boston to provide hands-on technical assistance. For developers unable to attend any of the Hackstock for Government, Esri developer tools, such as APIs, SDKs, and map viewers, can be freely downloaded at http://www.esri.com/getting-started/developer.

Want to get involved?

Share your Data-If your organization is interested in making its data available for the hackathon, please contact Cory Fleming, the project manager for the Initiative at cfleming@icma.org or 207-854-1083.

Spread the Word- Let your IT department know about Hackstock for #LocalGov and encourage them to spread the word about the hackathon. The more talent we have at the hackathon, the more solutions can be designed for the challenges of local government!To register for the hackathon, visit http://hackstockforlocalgov.eventbrite.com.

The #LocalGov Technology Alliance is an Esri-ICMA initiative to explore the world of big data, open data, apps and dashboards, and what it all means for local governments. Join the conversation on the #LocalGov Technology Alliance Blog today!