#516 In-person and Online: Breakout Group Showcase

Every week, after presentations are given, announcements are shared, and 3-word introductions are popcorned, Chi Hack Night attendees split off into breakout groups and work on civic tech projects.

Some of these groups have been meeting for years, while others started in the past few weeks. Join us for our next in-person Chi Hack Night to hear from each of these breakout groups and learn how they are using technology and data to further the public good.

The breakout groups presenting are:

ChiCommons
Presenters: Alvyn Walker, Steve Ediger
We’re a worker-owned Cooperative and building wifi networks in Chicago Communities where neighbors can share their garden produce, time, talents, tools and rides. We’re also mapping the solidarity economies. We’re supporting ourselves and the whole project with ChiCommons Consulting, a premier agency supplying business and technology services to the SME and cooperative markets.

DecarbMyState.com
Presenters: Surag Nuthulapaty, Derek Eder
We have 28 years to reduce worldwide emissions to zero to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. But how do we get there and what can I do to help? DecarbMyState.com is a website to answer that question and galvanize US residents to take direct and personal action to fight climate change. Along the way we’ve started partnering with climate change advocacy groups and electrifying our own homes.

Ghost Buses
Presenters: Laurie Merrell
During the pandemic, many transit riders have noted that transit service has seemed less reliable. People have complained about “ghost buses”, where apps or trackers claim a bus is coming and it never shows up. This breakout group uses public data (the CTA Bus and Rail Tracker APIs and CTA GTFS schedule dataset) to assess the discrepancy between scheduled and actual service levels, to understand the prevalence and geographic distribution of “ghost buses”.

Civi.Social
Presenters: Sartaj Chowdhury, Brian Burns
We want to create a social network for elected officials to get feedback from their residents on real bills & resolutions. Our goals are to focus on official things - verified elected officials engaging with registered voters on actual bills & resolutions - start local, and to maintain this work as a non-profit & open-source.

This event will be in person, but you can also tune in via our usual livestream. Doors open at 6pm. The livestream and announcements will start around 6:30pm CDT.

In-person: TeamWorking, 20 N Upper Wacker Drive, 12th Floor, Chicago IL. Enter the Civic Opera Building using the entrance in the middle of the block between Washington and Madison streets. Take the elevators to the 12th floor.

For more information on our in-person events, please see our COVID Policy.

RSVP In-person attendees should RSVP beforehand. As occupancy limits permit, walk-ins will be allowed to enter.

Vaccination required In order to keep attendees safe, we will be requiring proof of vaccination at the door. A physical vaccine cards or picture of one will be accepted. If you are not vaccinated, you can tune in to the livestream.

Masks required Attendees will be required to wear a mask. We will provide additional masks if you forget yours.

There will be food! We will be serving chicken, steak and veggie tacos from Atolito’s Tacos!

ASL This event will have an American Sign Language interpreter.