Working in collaboration with City of Tulsa officials to make more data accessible to the public through online applications, a local group of community-minded technologists, planners, and designers announced today it will join the Code for America Brigade.
This local Brigade, Code for Tulsa will collaborate with Tulsa government to draft policies, open city data in standard formats, and deploy web and mobile apps for citizens.
Code for Tulsa, headed up by Luke Crouch and John Whitlock, will participate in the national Brigade’s leadership program, which includes monthly trainings, participation in a network of civic and tech leaders, and support from Code for America staff.
This partnership effort began with discussions with government leaders in 2012 and culminated in a recent joint Mayor/Council Resolution supporting open data. Tulsa Councilor G.T. Bynum sponsored the Council resolution to find ways to make data more accessible to the public.
"As the City of Tulsa continues to chart a new path – one that uses modern technology and grassroots talent to make municipal government more transparent, responsive, and user friendly – it is great to have the partnership of a group like Code for America,” said Councilor Bynum.
Mayor Dewey Bartlett supported the resolution, and has asked the City of Tulsa’s Chief Information Officer T.L. Cox to proceed with the effort, pledging the City’s administrative support and involvement with the Code for America Brigade at the local level.
“As I have learned more about the innovative approaches we can pursue with Code for Tulsa, I have come to strongly support it,” Bartlett said. “I joined with the Council in supporting Open Data in order to use public records to create valuable information tools that will help our citizens and our businesses. This local effort is still in its infancy, and I eagerly look forward to using open source data as a means for more open and transparent local government.”
Crouch said, “The Code for America Brigade program supports grassroots groups like ours to put the power and value of technology in citizens' hands. So together, government, developers, and citizens can solve community problems in innovative ways that aren't always possible to government alone.”