“We’ve finally got our new data portal up and running,” announced Forest Frizzell, Deputy Director of Information Technology for the City and County of Honolulu, in a Facebook post today. “Our data sets now have API’s wrapped around them so developers have more capability to work with City data.”
He said the new Data.Honolulu.gov site takes the city’s transparency efforts “to the next level,” expanding upon the “CAN-DO” portal it unveiled last March.
There are over 50 datasets available at launch, including city budget and spending data, and basic information on neighborhood boards and land zoning. some of the data formed the basis of the the three new city apps announced earlier this month, developed by Code for America Honolulu fellow Mick Thompson.
Many of the datasets are static lists, such as the locations of lifeguard towers, tsunami sirens, parking lots, recycling centers and refuse yards. And while “Honolulu 311 Reports” are also on the list, it is currently just a snapshot of the data collected through the “Honolulu 311” app from CitySourced.
Obviously, having access to a live or realtime feed of “Honolulu 311″ reports would be much more compelling, and Frizzell says that’s coming soon. I’ve also been encouraging (or, perhaps, nagging) him to work on opening up access to Honolulu Police Department datasets like crime reports (available to CrimeMapping but not to the public) and traffic incidents(now posted to a relentlessly scraped web page). These too, he has said, are in the works.
Data.Honolulu.gov is powered by the Socrata open government platform, which was also selected by the State of Hawaii for its open data portal slated to launch at Data.Hawaii.gov. As part of Hawaii Open Data, my partners Burt Lum, Jared Kuroiwa and I are working with Socrata, the city and the state to move these and other initiatives forward.
Want to learn more? Tomorrow night, the monthly Wetware Wednesday mixer for developers and system engineers will highlight the local open data movement, with presentations by Frizzell and Hawaii State CIO Sonny Bhagowalia. And on Saturday, a ‘Write-a-Thon’ is being held to help build another Code for America resource: Honolulu Answers.
When my friend and fellow geek Burt Lum suggested we start a local chapter of Hacks/Hackers, I was initially skeptical. Frankly, both of us have an unhealthy tendency to jump into the latest cool tool or group, and we’d just had a Sunlight Foundation meetup. But when I finally looked into it, I was immediately on board.
First, “Hacks/Hackers” shared a lot of complementary goals with groups I supported and blog about (including the Sunlight Foundation, CityCamp, and the Online News Association). More importantly, its focus overlapped quite a bit with the things we’re working on as Hawaii Open Data.
But more importantly, the two main pillars of Hacks/Hackers was journalism and programming, two things I love and at least aspire to do well. It was a perfect fit. The Hacks/Hackers “About” page says it all:
Hacks/Hackers is a rapidly expanding international grassroots journalism organization with dozens of chapters and thousands of members across four continents. Our mission is to create a network of journalists (“hacks”) and technologists (“hackers”) who rethink the future of news and information. Our mission is to spread knowledge. information and ideas. Local chapter activities currently include talks, hackathons and demo days.
The online headquarters of Hacks/Hackers Hawaii is a group on Meetup.com. With almost no promotion, we were heartened to see more than 50 people sign up. And we were impressed to discover that we weren’t familiar with many of the names. The best meetups, after all, are the ones where you discover totally new local contacts and communities.
Burt lined up some great presenters around the theme of open data and Government 2.0 (including Ben Trevino, Jared Kuroiwa, and Misa Maruyama), and there were more than a few “oohs” and “aahs.” It was a great first gathering under the Hacks/Hackers banner, and there’ll undoubtedly be more. Until then, to get a feel for the evening, check out the video above. We used the occasion as an opportunity to add another episode to our “Techspotting” series of reports.
When I first signed up for Twitter in November 2006, it was even harder to explain than it is today. Twitter was born as a group SMS messaging service (a side project of a now defunct podcasting company), evolved into a “microblogging” platform, and eventually grew into a social network and a major player in the technology space.
Although I’m disappointed to see that Twitter is now shifting its focus from being an open platform to just being another publishing company, it remains my favorite service. And there’s no question that Twitter has transformed many aspects of online life, including personal publishing, commercial marketing, and newsgathering.
But one of the greatest tragedies of Twitter’s massive success that its database of content is simply too large to search in its entirety. With over 300 million messages posted each day, it’s no surprise that you can’t go very far back into its archives. I’ve posted over 35,000 messages to Twitter (which isn’t all that much spread out over more than five years), and I hadn’t thought to archive my own posts until it was far, far too late to capture those exciting early days.
Enter Kellan Elliott-McCrea, now Chief Technology Officer at Etsy. He somehow managed to obtain the first messages ever posted to Twitter, and has posted them online as a searchable archive. Now anyone can sift through a year’s worth of status updates, beginning from Biz Stone’s “just setting up my twttr,” to read just what sorts of things people shared back then (which were not very different from what’s shared today).
It’s interesting to read how people described Twitter to new and other users, what things they expected it to do, and what they felt was the “right way” to use it. Kellan’s archive has allowed people to document the evolution of the ‘@’ symbol as a conversational marker into an almost universal form of identity.
Though somewhat narcissistic, five years stretches far enough back that I feel there’s at least some historical value to read through one-line recaps of my day. For example, my daughter turned nine (she’s now 14) on the same day I left my bank job:
Friday. Daughter’s ninth birthday. My last day at work. Bring it on!
If you were an early Twitter user, check it out. And even if you weren’t, the archive provides a unique opportunity to see what Twitter was like well before most people had any idea what it was for.
Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle has directed all city department and agency heads to support its open data initatives. In his June 18 memo, he wrote: “By freely sharing data amongst the citizens of the City & County of Honolulu, we hope to develop opportunities for economic development, civic engagement, and create a more informed citizen.”
And now, Honolulu’s engagement with the national “Code For America” program has now brought three new web apps for citizens, coded by Code for America 2012 fellow Mick Thompson and based on data made public by the city. Here’s a quick look:
RouteView
http://routeview.honolulu.gov/
Gives drivers the opportunity to avoid traffic jams by showing images of real traffic conditions along their route. The mashup combines Google Maps with the city’s traffic camera network.
Adopt-A-Siren
http://sirens.honolulu.gov/
Allows users to adopt a tsunami siren in their neighborhood. Residents can sign up to take responsibility for individual sirens and to report any malfunctions (false alarms or failure to sound). The application also allows users to name their siren and receive an email notification alerting them when the siren will be tested. This app was based on code from Boston’s “Adopt-A-Hydrant” program, where citizens volunteer to shovel out fire hydrants after heavy snow covers them.
MOCA Public Art Finder
http://art.honolulu.gov/
Gives users the location of public art on display at City sites. This app is optimized to be viewed on mobile web browsers, and uses the GPS locations reported by smartphones or location-aware web browsers.
The Sea-Based X-Band radar ship, the SBX-1, dominates the horizon when it’s in port in Pearl Harbor, makingheadlines just by showing up.
Part of the U.S. Department of Defense Ballistic Missile Defense System, it’s 280 feet tall, 380 feet long, with a displacement of 50,000 tons. Two out of three dimensions are comparable to an Enterprise-class aircraft carrier, and each of the massive pontoons upon which it sits are each the size of a Los Angeles-class submarine.
Inside the dome, often dubbed the “giant golf ball” (my wife and kids call it, jokingly, the “egg of doom”), there’s a radar array that can turn and pivot as it tracks missiles. That array alone weighs four million pounds.
As it has a fuel capacity of 1.8 million gallons, our guide, Lt. Col. Steve Braddom confirmed that they watch oil prices very closely. Braddom, who is with the army, said that the SBX is a multi-agency vessel, operated by a mix of military, maritime, and civillian crew members. The radar system was built and managed by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems.
There was a lot of debate over what location the SBX would call home, although Adak, Alaska was gearing up to be its home port. But when the floating radar platform wasn’t at sea, it spent most of its time in Hawaii. And while the Missile Defense Agency said last year that it would be a “nomadic” vessel, it essentially became at least a part-time Honolulu resident.
Since then, the SBX has recently seen significant budget cuts, putting it into a “limited test support” status. But it will be maintained so as to be able to return to active, operational status when needed. It was deployed in April as North Korea tried and failed to launch a long-range rocket.
Curious as I was when the Sea Launch Ocean Odyssey platform came through Hawaii, the SBX is a much more intriguing and looming presence. I’ve always wanted to get a closer look… and thanks to the Public Affairs Office of Navy Region Hawaii, the hospitality of the Missile Defense Agency and the SBX crew, and the persistence of my frequent partner in crime Burt Lum, a few local geeks got to get an up-close and inside look yesterday.
Globetrotting dancer Matt Harding has, at long last, posted his latest “Where the Hell is Matt?” video. And among the many clips making up the montage, we see him attempting a fire dance in Kihei on Maui. The two-second scene appears along with other dances in places ranging from Texas to Thailand to Pyongyang, North Korea.
In “Where the Hell is Matt 2012,” he against showcases his defiantly bad dancing skills in several locations around the world. Like his original video in 2005, and the follow-up entries from 2006 and 2008, he dances alongside locals numbering from a few to a hundred. This time, in addition to teaching a new dance routine, he also tries his hands at some of the dances from the places he visited.
The new video went up on June 20, the same day the 2006 and 2008 editions were posted, but Matt notes that it was “officially ridiculous” that the release was so late. Originally scheduled to come out last October, and then on May 1, delays with editing and music composition were compounded by life as a stay-at-home dad.
The closing clip was shot in Matt’s backyard in Seattle, Washington, wrapping two years, four months, and twelve days of traveling and dancing. But while 71 locations were crammed into the video, many more visits didn’t make the final cut. Matt promises a separate “outtakes” video to showcase the remaining places and people he danced with.
Among the engagements that didn’t make the 2012 edition was his visit to Waimea Bay here on Oahu last January. I was among the many fans who turned up that day to dance with Matt. In case you missed it, here’s my video from that fun day, and you can see just a taste of what goes into just one of the two-second ingredients that make up the “Where the Hell is Matt?” recipe.
Google today added over 200 popular Hawaii visitor attractions, historical sites, resorts, parks, schools, and golf courses to its Google Street View collection. And the expansion takes Google’s 360-degree imagery of the Aloha State beyond the open road. The announcement was made at a special media event at Hanauma Bay this morning (more photos here).
Just about a year ago, I wrote about how the Google team was in Hawaii, turning heads at it deployed the Google Trike, a specially outfitted threewheel pedicab, to collect island imagery in places a car or van couldn’t go.
At the time, the focus was on Hawaii’s college campuses, as the Google Trike had turned up at Kapiolani Community College. University of Hawaii CIO David Lassner told me that Google would be collecting imagery at all of its Oahu campuses, and hopefully a few on the neighbor islands.
But schools were just the tip of the iceberg. As expected, you can now take a walking tour of the KCC campus. But Google’s announcement covered a whole lot more.
While Google did expand its already extensive Google Street View coverage on all the main Hawaiian islands (Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Lanai, Molokai and the Big Island), the company today highlighted the many local partners — public and private — that allowed them to visit and create virtual tours.
So starting today, you can now zoom all the way in on Google Maps and use Google Street View to explore the Honolulu Zoo, Waikiki Aquarium, ‘Iolani Palace, Hanauma Bay and Kualoa Ranch, among other locations. (Imagery for the zoo and Wet N’ Wild water park actually went live a few weeks ago.) National parks like the U.S.S. Arizona and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island are also included, as are popular attractions like the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui.
But the special collections don’t just target Hawaii visitors. In addition to the aforementioned college campuses (on Oahu and the Big Island), you can get an immersive, up close look at dozens of neighborhood and beach parks. Four parks in my neighborhood of Mililani alone are represented, and you can check out Ka’ena Point, Waimanalo Beach Park, Liliuokalani Botanical Garden in Hilo, or Lydgate Park on Kauai.
For map nerds and Google fans in Hawaii, this is a huge update… and one that makes Apple’s ongoing shift to its own mapping solution a little less exciting.
Here are photos from today’s event:
And here is the list of new Google Maps locations in Hawaii below. It’s a long list, and I can’t wait to start exploring them. Any favorites?
Popular Destinations
Aloha Stadium
Diamond Head Crater Park
Dole Plantation
Foster Botanical Garden
Harold L Lyon Arboretum
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Honolulu Zoo
Iolani Palace
Kapiolani Park
Kualoa Ranch
National Tropical Botanical Garden
Nuuanu Pali Lookout
Old Lahaina Luau
Panaewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens
Polynesian Cultural Center
Sea Life Park Hawaii
USS Arizona Memorial Park
Volcanoes National Park
Waikiki Aquarium
Wet N Wild Hawaii
Resorts & Golf Courses
Aston At Papakea Resort
Aston Islander on the Beach
Aston Maui Banyan
Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas
Four Seasons Resort at Hualalai
Hilton Waikoloa Village
Honua Kai Resort
Kaanapali Beach Walk
Kapalua Golf Club Bay Course
Kapalua Golf Club Plantation Course
Kauai Beach Resort
Kiahuna Golf Club
Maui Country Club
Maui Lani Golf Course
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Mauna Kea & Hapuna Golf Course
Naniloa Volcanoes Resort
Sheraton Kauai Resort
Waiehu Golf Course
Wailea Emerald Golf Course
Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Village
Other Destinations
Kauai Coffee Museum And Visitor Center
Keanapou Fishpond
King Kamehameha Statue (Big Island)
Kukuiula Village Shopping Center
West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery
Universities
Chaminade University of Honolulu
Hawaii Community College Monono Campus
Honolulu Community College
Kapiolani Community College
Leeward Community College
University Of Hawaii At Hilo
University Of Hawaii At Manoa
Windward Community College
Local Parks & Recreation Areas
Aiea District Park
Aikahi Community Park
Aina Haina Community Park
Ainahau Triangle
Aina Koa Park
Ala Moana Regional Park
Ala Puumalu Community Park
Ala Wai Community Park
Alewa Neighborhood Park
Asing Community Park
Beretania Community Park
Booth District Park
Carl Smith Beach Park
Cartwright Neighborhood Park
Central Oahu Regional Park
Crane Playground
Decorte Neighborhood Park
Dole Park
Enchanted Lake Park
Ewa Beach Community Park
Ewa Beach Park
Hahalone Neighborhood Park
Halawa District Park
Haleiwa Ali’i Beach Park
Haleiwa Beach Park
Harold H. Higashihara Park
Heeia Neighborhood Park
Hoaeae Community Park
Hokuahiahi Park
Honokaa Park
Honolulu City Fern Park
Honolulu City Lanakila Park
Honolulu City Maunalani Park
Honolulu Stadium State Park
Hoolulu Park
Kaena Point State Park
Kahala Community Park
Kahaluu Regional Park
Kahi Kani Park
Kahuku District Park
Kaiaka Bay Beach Park
Kailua Beach Park
Kailua District Park
Kaimuki Community Park
Kalaheo Park
Kalakaua Recreation Center
Kalama Beach Park
Kalama Valley Park
Kalihi Waena Neighborhood Park
Kalopa Native Forest State Park
Kamaio Neighborhood Park
Kamananui Neighborhood Park
Kamehameha Park
KamiloIki Community Park
KamiloIki Neighborhood Park
Kaneohe Beach Park
Kaneohe Community Park
Kaneohe District Park
Kaomaaiku Neighborhood Park
Kapaolono Community Park
Kapiolani Regional Park
Kapolei Regional Park
Kapunahala Neighborhood Park
Kauai Multi-use Path
Kawaikui Beach Park
Kealohi Neighborhood Park
Keehi Lagoon Park
Kilauea District Park
Kipapa Park
Koko Head Park
Kuahelani Neighborhood Park
Kualoa Regional Park
Kuhio Beach & Sans Souci Park
Kuliouou Park
Kupuohi Neighborhood Park
Laenani Neighborhood Park
Laie Beach Park
Laie Point State Wayside
Lava Tree State Park
Lehua Community Park
Liliuokalani Botanical Garden
Lydgate State Park
Maili Community Park
Makaha Community Park
Makakilo Community Park
Makakilo Neighborhood Park
Makapuu Beach Park
Makaunulau Community Park
Makena State Park
Makiki District Park and Library
Malaekahana State Recreation Area
Manana Kai Neighborhood Park
Manana Playground
Manoa Valley District Park
Maukalani Neighborhood Park
Maunawili Park
Melemanu Neighborhood Park
Mililani District Park
Mililani Mauka District Park
Mililani Waena Park
Mililani Neighborhood Park
Moanalua Community Park
Mohouli Park
Mother Waldron Neighborhood Park
Nani Mau Gardens
Neal S. Blaisdell Park
Nehu Park
Niu Valley Park
Noholoa Neighborhood Park
Nuuanu Valley Park
Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area
Palailai Neighborhood Park
Palolo Valley District Park
Pearl City District Park
Petrie Playground
Pililaau Community Park
Placheco Playground
Pohakupu Mini Park
Punaluu County Beach Park
Puohala Neighborhood Park
Puuloa Neighborhood Park
Puunui Community Park
Puu Ualakaa State Wayside
Rainbow Falls State Park
Salt Lake District Park
Samuel M Spencer Beach Park
Sand Island State Recreation Area
South Of Punaluu County Beach Park
Sunset Beach Neighborhood Park
Sunset Beach Support Park
Vidinha Stadium
Waahila Ridge State Recreation Area
Wahiawa District Park
WaiaholeBeach Park
Waialae Beach Park
Waialae Iki Park
Waianae District Park
Waiaula District Park
Waiau Neighborhood Park
Wailea Ulua Mokapu Beach Parks
Wailoa Center and Park
Wailuku River State Park
Wailupe Beach Park
Wailupe Playground
Waimalu Neighborhood Park
Waimanalo Beach Park
Waimanalo District Park
Waimea Bay Beach Park
Waimea State Recreation Pier
Waipahu District Park
Waipahu Uka Neighborhood Park
Waipio Neighborhood Park
Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park
West Hawaii Civic Center
West Loch Shoreline Park
Whitemore Community Park
Whittington Park
Waimanalo Bay State Recreation Area
Waimea State Recreation Pier
Update: Here is the official announcement on the Google blog. Also, I noted that the Google Street View team missed most of Mililani Town during their last update. I’m happy to say my neighborhood is now fully mapped!
Declaring daily deal discounts an ‘old school’ fad, a local firm is betting that free stuff is the best way to connect businesses to new customers. Frii [iTunes link] is a new app from Hawaii-based mobile advertising firm Friistyle. And the app recently launched with several local merchants, including Wahoo’s Fish Taco, Zpizza, Kona Brewing Company, Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha, Auntie Pasto’s, The Box Jelly, and more.
Users sign up to claim a limited number of free items at each business. For example, as of this writing, there are 99 free stuffed mushrooms appetizers from Auntie Pasto’s still available, 49 free fish tacos from Wahoo’s, and 12 keiki shave ice from Uncle Clay’s. Under services, The Box Jelly is offering free three-day memberships (20 left).
Once you’ve nabbed an offer you can also share it with friends on Facebook, an action that can also include additional benefits. And to redeem it, the app checks your location via GPS to make sure you’re at the merchant’s location.
“It is also completely free for local merchants to send out offers for free stuff,” founding partner Michael Martone tells me. “Basically everyone wins.”
Of course, for Frii to win, too, the app needs more users to drive to merchants and service providers (and to see the in-app ads). But by featuring 100 percent discounts on popular stuff from popular places, hopefully they won’t have too much trouble finding fans.
Colbert’s comments were preceded by the news that there was so much money flowing into political advertising that some analysts are asking if we could run out of airtime. Here’s a transcript:
Luckily folks, there’s an innovation in free speech from former Hawaii governor and rejected Superman love interest Linda Lingle. She is running for the senate seat vacated by Dan Akaka. Lingle is hoping to follow Akaka in Hawaii’s long tradition of senators with hilarious names. She is currently trailing her likely democratic opponent by 20 points, but all that is about to change.
A U.S. senate candidate in Hawaii is giving the term ‘channel surfing’ a whole new meaning. Former Hawaii governor LL has launched her own cable channel. Beginning on or about June 21st, ‘Lingle 2012′ will be added to Oceanic Cable’s digital line up, which means you’ll be able to Watch her any time of the day.
That’s right. Linda Lingle is using campaign funds to start her own cable channel. So now you’ll be able to see her any time you turn on the TV, just like Senator Seacrest.
With ‘Lingle 2012,’ Lingle can reach voters who will watch 24 hours of political ads… key demographics like insomniacs, people in traction, people who can’t find the remote, people trapped under a book case, empty Best Buy stores, and cats left alone with the TV for comfort.
Personally, I can’t wait to see what kind of programing she’ll have, from her morning show, “Aloha Lingle,” to her late night sign-off, “Aloha, Lingle.”
I say this breakthrough in free speech is too important to keep isolated on Hawaii like Tom Selleck or leprosy. This is the most important election of our lifetime. If money is speech, speech that informs voters, and if an informed voter is the bedrock of democracy, then for the good of this divided nation I say Obama and Romney should each get their own cable channels dedicated solely to their own election.
Oh, that was quick.
You can watch the segment above or on the Colbert site.
They found that for every 1 percent increase in per capita income, demand for forest cover increased by 1.76 percent. But when income dropped by the same amount, demand decreased by 1.26 percent. That’s a pretty tight correlation.
He followed up his post by asking whether income inequality would be visible from space, and turned to Google Maps. He shares examples from wealthy and low-income neighborhoods in Oakland, Houston, Chicago, even Beijing and Rio de Janeiro.
There are a number of reasons why the images might not make for perfect comparisons, from regional topography and climate (I’d expect that wealthier people might naturally flock toward cooler, wetter areas in a region) to the time of year the satellite imagery was taken. Still, at first glance, they seemed to support the general theory.
He also asked for more examples, so I captured Google imagery from around Oahu. I knew I couldn’t try to compare obvious high-income, densely populated lush valleys like Manoa, or the dry but mostly empty fields of Kalaeloa. I focused on places where I could get similar, same-magnification views full of mostly residential lots: Ewa Beach, Kalihi, Mililani, and Hawaii Kai.
Again, these neighborhoods have many differences besides average household incomes. Mililani is a meticulously planned community anchored by greenways and parks at a high altitude, so a definite outliner (but a decent ‘middle income’ example). Lower-income Ewa Beach and wealthy Hawaii Kai are both at sea level, while Kalihi is inland and stretches into a green valley. Finally, the imagery is definitely from different photo sets, and thus likely several years apart let alone seasons.
Even so, at a glance, I bet someone who doesn’t even know anything about these neighborhoods can figure out where people with higher incomes live. While the difference between Ewa Beach and Hawaii Kai is more subtle, Kalihi versus Mililani is striking.
Ewa Beach:
Hawaii Kai:
Kalihi:
Mililani:
Definitely check out Tim de Chant’s blogposts for much more nuanced analysis, including a few unexpected reasons for the disparity, and the benefits of trees.
What do you think? Obvious? Misleading? Is Hawaii geography too diverse for this kind of broad conclusion to comfortably apply?
