10
Nov
Posted by cbriere in Apps Challenge, Ideas for apps, Links. 3 Comments
EPA’s Apps for the Environment Forum recognized the great contributions of developers and other important groups in the green apps community. The five winning app teams were honored, we heard some inspirational talks, and we had a chance to connect with people from diverse backgrounds.
Over 270 people attended this event, including federal agencies, universities, and the press. The inspiring speeches by Nancy Sutley (U.S. Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality), Aneesh Chopra (U.S. Chief Technology Officer), Malcolm Jackson (Chief Information Officer of EPA), and Lisa Schlosser (U.S. Deputy Chief Information Officer) confirmed that information has the power to address environmental issues at the national, state, and local level. We appreciated how Chris Dorobek kept things running smoothly and in good humor.
We heard some ideas for future directions in a panel led by Alex Howard (O’Reilly Media) and including Andy Rossmeissl (Brighter Planet), Erin Robinson (Earth Science Information Partners), Tom Lee (Sunlight Foundation), and Chris Thomas (Sierra Club). Eric Paulos (Carnegie Mellon University) and Peter Preuss provided ideas about innovation and personal sensors. Six breakout sessions allowed for discussions about environmental and information topics in more detail. And we could talk one on one with people at the 24 exhibits from Google to NASA to EPA programs to Esri. Keep an eye out for recordings of the plenary sessions in the near future.
The positive vibe in the air was contagious and the event lived up to its title, Building Innovation Through Partnerships. As Malcolm Jackson said “We will continue to build the green apps community that we are celebrating here and we look forward to your input.” Tell us how we can move green apps forward even more.
13
Sep
Posted by cbriere in Apps Challenge, Ideas for apps, Links. 1 Comment
The deadline for you to submit your Apps for the Environment is Friday, September 16, but EPA’s data specialists are available all week to help guide your app from idea to completion!
Throughout the competition, we’ve been watching people across the country share their ideas for mobile applications that use EPA environmental data to help communities; we’ve participated in code-a-thons to bring developers together to make these ideas a reality, and engaged each day online to help put the pieces together. Now, with the deadline rapidly approaching, we encourage you to reach out and let the community know what you need so you can go that final yard and join the challenge.
As @JamesGRobertson tweeted this weekend, “Ecstatic that I finally jumped a hurdle for my #greenapps submission. Still a lot of work to do, but so much closer now.” Keep it up James!
Just this weekend our own Bill Glenn, Chief of Environmental Information for EPA Region 9, joined the Cleanweb Hack-a-thon in San Francisco – where developers, designers, and business specialists completed 14 environmental and energy conservation apps. Please submit those apps to the challenge! We were happy to be on hand to help developers explore EPA data, and if online rumors are true that the event may become a monthly meet-up, then we’ll be glad to continue our support for this exciting new community.
On the other side of the country Monday night a DC Tech Meet-up in Washington, D.C. brought together almost 1000 techies, developers and innovators to discuss Mobile Technology. Our own Ethan McMahon was on hand to talk with attendees about green apps, and encourage developers to get their final submissions in for the challenge – even if it’s something they have already developed.
If you’re stuck on an obstacle, or just have a question on how to put the final touches on your idea, now is the time to leave a comment on this post or contact us at greenapps@epa.gov or 202-566-0359 so we can get you the answer you need, or tap into the diverse community of innovators you’ve helped us organize this summer. We’re in this together, and together we can help people around the country with a combination of your products and our data services. And remember, whether you submitted the app for another challenge or not, you can still submit it to Apps for the Environment as well –a free version of the app must be provided for the public for one year, but the app stays yours to build into a sustainable product.
Good luck, and as always you can reach out on Twitter as well using the #GreenApps hashtag!
17
Aug
Posted by cbriere in Apps Challenge, Ideas for apps, Links. 2 Comments
We are excited to announce that you have submitted 90 ideas for applications you’d like to see developed for Apps for the Environment – and the bigger the number, the better they seem to get!
For example, #62 asks for “An emergency response app for residents impacted by floods with specific practical information about dealing with flood water, cleaning up after floods, and dealing with private drinking-water wells after flooding. This information is online at http://www.epa.gov/naturalevents/flooding.html but people may have limited computer access and time after a disaster.”
Another idea, #26 asks you to “Develop a shopping app that would allow a user to compare the environmental impact of two products, especially groceries and household products.”
Ideas aren’t just coming in on our Apps for the Environment website, though. On the RSVP page for American University’s GreenApps hack-a-thon, Greg Wilson said, “Maybe one day soon, apps will be able to inform people about their exposure risks from TRI data, like its used in thehttp://ewg.org/ site.. hmm… to dream about data helping people!”
Is he right? What are your favorites? Let’s see how many great ideas we can come up with, so they can be explored more not just for Apps for the Environment, but any developer who wants to help shape your vision into a solution for the future!
3
Aug
Posted by Ethan McMahon in Apps Challenge, Ideas for apps. No Comments
At the Environmental Protection Agency, we’re not just reaching out to the public for ideas on how to help developers – we’re asking our own best and brightest. EPA’s Emerging Leaders Network (ELN) met today to brainstorm ideas for Apps for the Environment, our challenge to developers (including student developers!) to find innovative ways to use EPA data in applications that protect the environment or the public’s health.
It makes sense to pair developers and the ELN: EPA wants to develop long-term, sustainable relationships with developers, and the ELN are the innovators who will grow and maintain what we’re building today. And they use smart phones.
Here’s just a few of the apps ideas the group brainstormed on today:
• Impact and Safety Calculator: This app would let people scan a product and return information about its environmental impact. For example, if a person scanned a French wine, the app would return information about its impact in terms of harvesting, packaging and transportation. The app could return notes about whether the product performs as advertised and suggest alternative products.
• When to Fertilize the Lawn: This app could help people understand their impact on local rivers if they fertilize their lawns at a given time. The app could check the location and weather information and provide alerts when the people should not fertilize. It could be tied to EPA’s Adopt Your Watershed to link people to nearby environmental groups they can contact for additional involvement.
• Consolidated Map App: Many apps are based on maps. Consider consolidating the features of a few apps into a Google Map that has data layers for several environmental aspects. For example, people could access the app while biking and turn on layers for water quality and air quality. The map could track the location and update the data as the biker moves.
• Pollution Index: Using a Google map as a base, this app could provide an environmental index about pollutants near people and the industries involved. The app could offer people solutions, tips and ways they can help.
We’ll post these and other ideas on the Ideas for Apps page within a few days so developers can figure out how to make them.
What do you think, do you have what it takes to make one of these ideas a reality? Our EPA Emerging Leader Network would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
