Sprints
Learn about sprints and how we tackle national challenges.
Sprints are 12-week product development cycles that bring together tech teams and collaborators to build public-facing digital products using open data.
Earth
2020
Natural environment: As stewards of our planet, we must work to limit our negative impacts on earth. Unfortunately, the public is often unaware of how their own decisions and actions affect the planet. In this sprint, tech teams including SAP, Esri, Code for America, OpenAQ, and others developed digital products to address a variety of natural environment challenges. These included tools to help the public understand the air quality and health effects of transportation emissions, as well as products to reduce ocean plastic pollution, strengthen recycling markets, and help farmers make decisions using aerial imagery data.
Built environment: Our human-made environments require support and sustainment to ensure their longevity and inclusivity. Tech teams including Emsi, Center on Rural Innovation, Julius Education, and others developed digital products aimed at improving the country’s built environment. These included tools to connect low income families with resources to equip and empower them toward self-sufficiency; assistance for rural communities in implementing and evaluating solutions to economic, environmental, and human health challenges; products to connect recently resettled refugees with resources and services; and tools that track federal disaster response spending.
Tracking Impact of Disaster and Emergency Funding
Challenge:
Create digital tools and resources to track federal financial assistance award spending starting from Federal awards and flowing down to state and/or local spend in response to one or more emergencies and disasters (e.g., COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other disasters)
Agency
Office of Management and Budget
Target Audience
American public, researchers, engaged citizens, state/local communities, rural or tribal communities, grant/loan recipients, small businesses, managers of disaster funds, appropriators
Economic Self-Sufficiency for Low-Income Families
Challenge:
Create digital collaboration platforms that enable low income families to holistically assess their needs and connect with the best federal, state and local programs to equip and empower them toward self-sufficiency and economic mobility.
Agency
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Target Audience
Low to moderate income heads of households; case managers; guidance counselors; life coaches; community and ministry leaders; service providers; philanthropic organizations; federal, state and local government service program managers, policy makers, legislators.
Aiding Agricultural Decision-Making
Challenge:
Create digital tools that provide farmers, ranchers, and researchers with timely access to National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) data to help them make important agricultural and planning decisions.
Agency
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Target Audience
Farmers, ranchers, engaged citizens, rural or tribal communities, emergency managers, state and local government, federal agencies, university researchers.
Reducing Plastic Pollution in Oceans
Challenge:
Create open data sets and engaging digital tools that complement existing citizen science plastics data, to help the public understand the amount of plastic on local beaches and in the ocean, where such plastic comes from, and actions that can be taken to alleviate the problem.
Agency
U.S. Department of State, The Wilson Center
Target Audience
Engaged citizens passionate about reducing plastic pollution, rural or tribal communities, as well as policymakers, advocates, and researchers
Developing Markets for Recycled Materials
Challenge:
Develop innovative digital solutions that connect domestic recycling facilities with manufacturers to enhance recycling markets and increase the use of recycled materials.
Agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Target Audience
U.S. recycling facilities and manufacturers looking to produce, sell, and buy quality recycled materials; rural or tribal communities; organizations and state and local governments striving to improve their recycling facilities and infrastructure.
Assisting Recently Resettled Refugees
Challenge:
Create a tool that connects resettled refugees with resources and vital services, such as access to medical care and mental health treatment, English language learning, job training, education, etc. These resources might be available through government agencies, nonprofits, community based organizations, private sector actors and the like.
Agency
USA for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Target Audience
Resettled refugees in the United States, nonprofits that provide help to refugees
Facilitating Sustainable Rural Economic Development
Challenge:
Create digital tools that help rural communities access and use data to implement solutions to economic, environmental, and human health challenges, taking care to reach places that have limited professional capacity and small budgets.
Agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Target Audience
Local officials or other local decision makers; regional planning groups; rural or tribal communities; communities that have been impacted by recent pandemic outfall, loss of key industry, and/or extreme weather events are suggested.
Increasing Awareness of Emissions’ Effects on Air Quality
Challenge:
Create tools to help communities understand how motorized vehicle and equipment transportation contributes to emissions, local air quality, and health, as well as the actions available to lessen these impacts.
Agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Target Audience
Engaged citizens and the general public, especially those at higher risk for respiratory illnesses (e.g., individuals over 65, children, those with respiratory ailments), urban populations and communities (e.g., high transportation traffic areas), rural or tribal communities, and motorized vehicles users.