Podcast
Civic Tech Chat
Hosted by Ryan Koch · EN
Civic Tech Chat is a podcast about the civic technology movement. We seek to harness the power technology has to improve the delivery of public services to people everywhere.
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Relevance Drives Rigor: Exploring Open Data with R
Apr 2900:40:53Tap to summarizeChristian Martinez shares his journey from cognitive neuroscience to civic tech, highlighting the importance of open data, reproducible research, and building accessible tools like R packages. Discover how relevance drives rigor in education and data projects, and learn practical tips for getting started with open data and open source development.Resources and ShoutoutsNYC Open Data Portal: https://opendata.cityofnewyork.us/NYS Open Data Portal (MTA data also lives here): https://data.ny.gov/NYC Open Data Student Gallery Book: https://martinezc1-nyc-open-data-student-gallery.share.connect.posit.cloud/Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
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Supply Chain Attacks
Apr 900:15:57Tap to summarizeRyan Koch discusses the importance of understanding supply chain attacks in cybersecurity, illustrating how they exploit trust in software components and build systems, and offering practical strategies to mitigate these risks.Resources and Shoutouts:- GRC Engineering Presentation by AJ Yawn: https://engage.isaca.org/events/event-description?CalendarEventKey=bd0c09c0-662f-4fe8-a0d2-019adaab6cc4&Home=%2fevents%2fcalendar
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The SpecOps Method
Mar 1800:54:30Tap to summarizeWe're joined by Mark Headd author The SpecOps Method: A New Approach to Modernizing Legacy Technology Systems. We talk about good modernization practices like the strangler fig pattern as well as ways teams can use artificial intelligence to develop specifications that can be understood and validated across both technical and programmatic teams. Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
Transcribe →Nava Strata: Open Source Government Technology
Feb 1900:31:23Tap to summarizeWe’re joined by Ed Mullen, Technical Solutions Director and Lauren Ciferri Director of Product, over at Nava PBC. We’ll have a conversation about open source government technology, using Nava’s Strata project as a key example. The chat will dive into importance of open source in the space, maintaining projects like this one, and how one can get involved.Resources and shoutouts:Email EdEmail LaurenNava’s StrataNava Strata GithubContributing to Nava StrataMusic Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
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Digital Accessibility
Jan 2800:44:49Tap to summarizeWe're joined by Mike Paciello (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-paciello-1231741/), Chief Accessibility Officer at AudioEye (https://audioeye.com) for a conversation about web accessibility standards. We'll talk about upcoming deadlines for local and state governments, foundational principles, and what goes into establishing and updating standards. Resources and shoutouts: - Civic Plus (www.civicplus.com) - US Access Board (https://www.access-board.gov/) - ADA Fact Sheet (https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/) ##### Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
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Nexperia Crises
Dec 300:09:18Tap to summarizeOur host Ryan Koch talks about the Dutch Government's invocation of the 1952 Good Availablity Act. This action recently led to what's been referred to as the 'Nexperia Crises' creating a scenario where technical hardware manufacturing, supply chains, and geopolitics collided. ##### Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/hECzBJh
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Evolution of Design and Research in Civic Tech
Oct 2000:45:18Tap to summarizeWe’re joined by Senongo Akpem (https://www.linkedin.com/in/senongoakpem/) Vice President of Design and Research at Nava PBC (https://navapbc.com/). Together we talk about shifts in the direction of the design and research practice, innovative practices to build capacity and leadership within it, and its future as new tools like artificial intelligence emerge and become part of it. Resources and shoutouts: Cross-Cultural Design (Book by Senongo) | https://bookshop.org/p/books/cross-cultural-design-senongo-akpem/7700a228f8e33947 Plain Language with Indiana DWD | https://www.in.gov/mph/files/DataDayPresentation-Plain-Language_v3-Comp.pdf Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
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99 FormFest
Sep 2900:23:25Tap to summarizeWe're joined by Amanda Renteria (https://codeforamerica.org/people/amanda-renteria/) CEO of Code for America (https://codeforamerica.org). We dive into a conversation about what's needed to make 'good' government forms and we let you know about a neat event coming up on 9/30/2025 called FormFest(https://formfest.org/). Register for the event here: https://formfest.org/register/ . Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
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98 Proactive Traffic Safety
Jul 2900:30:55Tap to summarizeWe're joined by Brett Ferrin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-ferrin-8504b8346/) VP of Sales at Traffic Logix. Together we have a conversation about how technology and data can be used to proactively improve traffic safety. If you're into data, urban planning, or transportation, this is an episode for you. Resources and Shoutouts: - Traffic Logix: https://trafficlogix.com/ - Vision Zero: https://www.cdc.gov/transportation-safety/vision-zero/index.html Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
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97 Pioneering Progress: Advocating for Experimentation in Government with Nava Labs
Jun 2500:53:13Tap to summarizeWe're talking about experimentation in government services with two experts from Nava Labs, a philanthropically funded part of Nava PBC: Genevieve Gaudet (Director) and Martelle Esposito (Partnerships and Evaluation Manager). Learn about their approach to experimentation, leveraging data, and how they advocate for adoption. Resources and shoutouts - Keep up with the Nava Labs team (make sure to select the "Nava Labs" checkbox): https://www.navapbc.com/nava-newsletter - Nava PBC website: https://www.navapbc.com - Nava Labs’ work, including the AI tools for Caseworkers project: https://www.navapbc.com/labs - AI appropriateness checklist: https://www.navapbc.com/toolkits/ai-public-sector-challenges - Feel free to reach out to the Nava Labs team any time at labs@navapbc.com
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