Aug/100
Come Work With Me
MCIC is hiring and you should totally come work with me.
Web and Database Programmer
MCIC (Metro Chicago Information Center) is a non-profit corporation that provides research and information services(surveys, maps, data analysis, focus group) to those concerned with public policy issues, community needs, and quality of life. Our products include both specific deliverables for client-based projects, including visuals and text (maps, graphs, tables, charts, written text, slide presentations, etc.) and “free” data products disseminated primarily through the web.
DESCRIPTION: The Web and Database Programmer is responsible for providing technical services as a member of proposal and project development teams for internal and external projects. S/he takes lead responsibility for implementing website and web survey projects, and for programming in areas including database development and management, custom data entry programs, etc. Updates and maintains MCIC website. Performs data processing and data analysis in a project team environment.
Key Responsibilities Include:
- Participating in proposal development and project deliverable teams;
- Implementing website and web custom survey projects for non-profit and corporate clients
- Participating in project teams in areas of secondary research, database programming, statistical analysis(SPSS), and presentation graphics
- Maintaining MCIC GIS-based websites and Intranet
- Maintaining clients’ websites
- Assisting in web server administration
- Developing integrated databases from multiple sources
- Other duties as assigned
Specific Skills:
- Proficient in .NET programming (ASP.NET, C#, HTML, XML, JavaScript, VBA, and Visual Studio.NET) in Windows and web applications
- Experience with SQL Server programming
- Experience with PHP programming
- Working knowledge of other relational database programs (FoxPro and Access)
- Experience with statistical SPSS and spreadsheet software packages
- Experience with IIS web hosting
- Knowledge of GIS Software: ArcGIS 9.2 and Geocoder
- Knowledge of US Census geographic and demographic data
- Techniques for explaining technical concepts and procedures to non-technical users
Status:
This position is a half time position that will grow into a full time position. The position is salaried, and exempt from the overtime provisions of salary and wage administration. Reports to Director of Information Services.
Qualifications:
BA/BS or equivalent in geography or computer science or commensurate experience; excellent web, database, and desktop application programming skills; good communication skills; strong positive interpersonal and team skills; reliable follow-through habits to function in a deadline-driven team environment; GIS experience a big plus.
We know this is a big list of skills; while the ideal person will have all of them in their toolbox we’re also interested in hearing from people with some of them and an interest / excitement for learning the rest. MCIC is an awesome place to work; you’ll have a challenging and fast-paced workload and get to work with an amazing group of very, very smart people. To boot, in our office culture there’s a huge emphasis on learning new skills and innovating new approaches to data preparation and manipulation.
Send resumes and links to your work to jmassa@mcic.org.
Jan/104
PUMS areas? We got ‘em.
After some great brainstorming and the helpful feedback of folks at CityCamp, I’m happy to report that the core concept of MCIC‘s first web service is now emerging.
There are tons of APIs that will return the zip code, neighborhood, city, county, or state of a lat/long or address, but none that also offer police beats, police areas, wards, community areas, census tracts, census block group, and PUMS areas as well. These geographies are at the core of many MCIC data sets, and such a service would not only be useful in and of itself but at the heart of the still-in-the-works data service.
What has excited me the most about working with MCIC is the care and feeding provided to the data they work with. After they’re done, it’s not uncommon to see a 7-8% improvement in geocoding success. These are the folks who meticulously clean the boundaries of every arcane geography, ensuring that the each side of a street is in its proper place and overlaps/gaps are removed. And they’re excited to see what you will do with it.
Your thoughts and comments on the details are welcome:
-What formats to you want to see?
-What additional information should we provide?
-How can we design the API and write documentation to make your lives as developers easier?
-What kinds of data should we prioritize next? (vote here)
We’ll be testing this API soon; if you’re interested in early access please let us know in the comments.
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Jan/101
Supporting Public Purpose Applications
This month, I began working with the Metro Chicago Information Center (MCIC) to help them figure out how to share their treasure trove of data about the Chicago region with the rest of the world – more than 100 data sets covering more than a decade. They’ve seen the promised land on the horizon, a rich world of “public purpose applications” powered by data and empowering all sorts of folks to make better decisions in a wide variety of contexts.
But MCIC knows that without access to quality data and technical assistance to understand what the data can and can’t ‘say’, the dangers Lessig has pointed out will limit the impact of this emerging field. Developers should be free to focus on building rich, engaging, and useful applications rather than poring over non-standard metadata or trying to match seasonally with non-seasonally adjusted data sets.
MCIC is uniquely situated to provide both data and technical assistance for many of these applications; from their boilerplate description:
Metro Chicago Information Center (MCIC) is an independent, non-profit organization that provides the highest quality data collection, analysis and consultation to institutions dedicated to investing in communities and enriching lives. Though MCIC does not advocate specific public policies or policy choices, we strive to provide critical information and insight necessary to support human services, cultural programs and overall economic growth. MCIC was founded in 1990 by a consortium of regional business and philanthropic leaders at the Commercial Club of Chicago. MCIC works from a fundamental philosophy that better information produces better decisions.
As a self-described ‘legacy organization’, MCIC has a great deal of work to do in order to start sharing their data library. Figuring out the various licensing requirements based on their sources, standardizing all of the metadata, and building and creating documentation for an API will take a while. There’s also the matter of figuring out how to pay for this new and as of yet unfunded program (suggestions welcome).
MCIC is actively seeking your feedback on what to share, how to share it, and how to provide technical assistance. Below is a list of the data keywords from their catalog – please vote for which you think should be shared first.
Additionally, please leave a comment about how you think the mechanics of this sharing should work; as a developer of public purpose applications, what would make your life easier? How should we provide technical assistance on using this data? Finally, if you have a specific data set you’ve been searching for, drop us a line. If we have it and can, we’ll be happy to share.
justin is reading…
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- Chicago's Old Tech Guard Teams Up With New Talent
- Filmmaker focuses on Civil Rights leaders :: Entertainment :: PIONEER PRESS :: Oak Park Leaves
- Check (In) Yo’ Self Before You Wreck Yo’ Self: Why Foursquare Users Check In “Off The Grid”
- Antonio Margarito was licensed to box by Texas regulators
