Hacking for change at Google

In June 2013, the first National Day of Civic Hacking brought together thousands of developers across the United States to create applications that address social challenges using newly released public data on issues such as crime, health, and the environment. At Googleplex in Mountain View, nearly 100 developers, statisticians, data scientists, and designers collaborated to develop prototypes using tools like Fusion Tables, Google App Engine, and BigQuery, while staying connected with other hackathons through Google+ Hangouts. Notable projects included "Eat Healthy for Less," a mobile web app that offers budget-friendly healthy recipes using the Consumer Pricing Index, "Data+," which simplifies public data exploration, and "Detoxic.org," an Android app highlighting nearby toxic sites for civic action. These projects demonstrate the potential for public data to inspire innovative solutions, and participants are encouraged to continue their work beyond the event.