Leeds is fighting loneliness with an app and a map

Low-income people often miss out on court dates because they cannot afford to miss work or leave their children. Michigan and Ohio courts have incorporated the Matterhorn “online adjudication system” to handle simple cases so individuals can participate through the Internet. The system also offers the advantage of having “less bias” than in-person trials, because the race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status of the individual is protected online.

Police in New York already use algorithms to fight crime and now they have turned to a tech startup that uses algorithms to gauge trust levels towards citizens. The so-called “sentiment meter” is meant to address where police are falling short with the community and it has garnered the interest of police departments in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Grand Rapids, Mich., as well. But some are skeptical of the data methods and what they are actually measuring.

Governments around the world are exploring whether blockchain technologies can improve public administration. In theory, blockchain could improve accountability and trust in government. In practice, pilot projects are hitting roadblocks and may take more time to implement and scale than some might hope.

Illegal fishing is a grave concern that not only threatens to destroy the ocean's ecosystem but the livelihoods of billions of people around the world who depend on stable fish populations for food. Now, software developed in a partnership between Vulcan - a private Seattle-based tech firm - and Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization allows law enforcement to quickly analyze suspicious patterns from the transponders of thousands of ships at a time, using special algorithms that automatically detect is a ship is a high-risk for criminal activity.

New York City suffered from fires that erupted in overcrowded, run-down apartments. Then the city sleuthed through residential records and found that landlords who foreclosed let their properties fall apart and ignored safety-code violations. Greater Toronto wants to expand upon New York City’s method by using transportation surveys, census data and computer data to build transit lines.

Geospatial Information Systems technology (GIS) maps out locations in need of vaccines, as well as how many people are vaccinated in each area. This method has increased vaccination rates for conditions like polio and has also allowed vaccination teams to update their practices instead of continuing to use paper maps.

Across Georgia, a community-based mental health care approach has decreased both the duration and frequency of hospitalization for clients. This approach relies on mental health and other healthcare specialists delivering care to clients via mobile teams.

Feeling isolated often leads to increased feelings of loneliness, but is also a reason why new meet-ups such as Tea With Strangers are becoming widely used as a solution. Based on the idea that strangers can become more like neighbors, these gatherings promote conversation and connection with the goal of reducing isolation.

With hundreds of millions of dollars dedicated to making over Texas’ hospital system, designers are looking beyond simply upgrading the physical infrastructure. Instead, they’re reimagining what the entire system could look like. Considering physical space, the upstream causes of mental health issues, and how to attract and retain the best practitioners are just a few of the elements that are being considered in this redesign.

In Colorado, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing have partnered to help former incarcerated individuals obtain Medicaid upon re-entry. The partnership allows for data sharing between the two departments to make sure people are leaving correctional facilities with health care in hand, and trains parole officers to help them enroll and use the benefits.