Athens County Independent: Athens chatbot helps some users, frustrates others. “Athens residents used the city’s ‘Benny the Brick’ artificial intelligence chatbot in its first year to access varied local information, but the bot’s limitations left many users frustrated. The AI chatbot on the Athens city website uses information from the site, as well as a manually entered dataset, to […]

University of Washington: UW researchers launch ‘little free pantry’ mapping pilot, internet-connected pantries in Seattle. “Now, anyone who interacts with micropantries or community fridges in the Seattle area can try out an experimental app, made by University of Washington researchers, that brings a suite of new features to the micropantry network. The app, called PantryMap.org, maps […]

State of Colorado: Governor Polis Announces New Tool to Help Coloradans Navigate Life After Disaster. “Today, Governor Polis announced the new Colorado Disaster Recovery Navigation Tool to help Coloradans navigate recovery and rebuild after natural disasters. This new tool provides a step-by-step guide for what to do in the aftermath, immediate and long-term, of a natural disaster.”

Native News Online: New Tool Maps Native Serving Healthcare. “[Indigenous Healthcare Advancements] announced today the launch of WayFinder, a free, web-based locator that maps Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities, tribally operated 638 programs, urban Indian health organizations, and community health centers that provide care to Native patients.”

#Atlanta #CommunityServices #PublicSafety

'Since 2021, PAD has responded to calls that otherwise would have gone to the police, such as addressing someone experiencing a mental health crisis or someone in need of housing assistance.'

https://www.wabe.org/pad-launches-public-database-to-track-calls-outcomes-for-community-services/

WABE: PAD launches public database to track calls, outcomes for community services. “A new public dashboard from Atlanta’s Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative shows a growing number of Atlantans are calling 311 for non-emergency supportive services, but still rely on 911 for a majority of calls. Since 2021, PAD has responded to calls that otherwise would have gone to the police, […]

State of Michigan: MDHHS launches statewide map to expand access to free gun locks and promote safe firearm storage. “The interactive map identifies 150 locations across Michigan where individuals can obtain free cable-style gun locks and provides an opportunity for community organizations, health departments and other partners to request supplies to distribute locally.”

Maryland Matters: Maryland property search tool is back online, nearly two weeks after cyber attack. “Maryland’s property ownership database is back online as of Monday after a nearly two-week hiatus because of a cybersecurity incident. After state officials detected suspicious activity on their servers, they took down the state officials took the State Department of Assessments and Taxation […]

The Register: Stale gov.uk pages are feeding AI overviews old data and Brits are believing it. “AI overviews from the likes of Google are serving up false summaries of UK government information by drawing on stale GOV.UK pages, according to content designers at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The problem, senior content designer Giorgio Di Tunno and content operations lead Neil […]

Block Club Chicago: Illinois Launches Online Resources For Households On Federal Food Assistance. “Ahead of an estimated 150,000 Illinois households losing access to federal food assistance on May 1, Illinois launched two websites aimed at providing work, training and volunteer hours to those households. Job Ready IL collects training programs and employment opportunities, while Serve Illinois […]