A Home for Windsor's Tech Community
Today we officially launched C3Tech, in partnership with The City of Windsor Bicycle Committee, the County Wide Active Transportation Service, and Parallel 42 Systems!
Over the next eleven months we’ll be working with the community to create tools that will improve the cycling experience in our region, and we want you to be part of it! Submit ideas or code, test the app, or respond to our cyclist survey to contribute.
On Tuesday, February 8th at 12pm Windsor Hackforge is hosting a virtual event to announce the launch of a new initiative in partnership with The City of Windsor Bicycle Committee, The County Wide Active Transportation System (CWATS), and Parallel 42 Systems. Titled C3Tech (short for “City-County Cycling Technology”), this project aims to leverage open source software to create digital tools that will make navigating Windsor and Essex County by bike safer, easier, and more fulfilling.
Through community engagement, including townhall forums and hackathons, cyclists and developers will have the opportunity to contribute ideas, data and code to the initiative. Hackforge events are learning, networking, and community building opportunities for people of all ages and experience levels.
“The mandate of the Windsor Bicycling Committee is to enhance the safety and viability of bicycling in the City of Windsor. To that end, I was proud as Chair that we supported an initiative to make cycling more accessible to people in our community,” says Windsor Bicycling Committee Chair and Ward 9 Councillor Kieran McKenzie. “Working together with these partners and other stakeholders as well as the public will help us to create a tool that will put more riders on the streets and help us as a region to realize all of the social, environmental, economic and public health benefits that active transportation can create.”
“CWATS is excited to partner with the Windsor Bicycling Committee in creating a regional cycling app. We want to make it as easy as possible for cyclists to navigate the connections between the active transportation routes in Essex County, Windsor and Chatham-Kent,” said Diana Radulescu, active transportation coordinator for the County of Essex.
A strong proponent of the local tech ecosystem, “Parallel 42 Systems is glad to contribute resources and expertise to an initiative supporting active transportation in our region,” says Parallel 42 Systems lead consultant Doug Sartori. “Hackforge’s approach to the project will leverage the strength of the tech community and demonstrate the value of open data and open source software.”
Cyclists can contribute their thoughts and ideas through a short survey and anyone interested can join the Hackforge Discord to connect with organizers, mentors, and developers. Project information and event listings will be updated regularly on the Hackforge website.
Interested parties can use this link to join the launch event on Zoom without pre-registering.
About Parallel 42 Systems: Parallel 42 Systems is a partnership of software practitioners that provides consulting and software development services to companies large and small.
About CWATS: The County Wide Active Transportation System (CWATS) is a 400km+ network of active transportation facilities (including multi-use trails, paved shoulders, bike lanes, and more) connecting all seven municipalities within Essex County. Construction over the next 20 years will see the network expand to over 1000 km.
About The City of Windsor Bicycle Committee: The Windsor Bicycling Committee (WBC) is comprised of 10 members, including one City Councillor, who strive to enhance the safety and viability of bicycling in the City of Windsor.
Hackforge Virtual Watch Party: I Am Legend
Friday, February 4th @ 8PM Discord
In this month’s post-apocalyptic thriller, follow Will Smith as he plays scientist Robert Neville, the last surviving human in New York.
Join our discord server and download Teleparty to take part. Please note that all participants are required to have their own streaming subscription service.
Friday, February 11th @ 6pm Meetup | Facebook | Linkedin | Register
The digital twin project of Windsor & Detroit is an initiative to build an advanced urban planning tool that is accessible to the community. Spearheaded by Geopogo Cities, this project looks to create a powerful public tool that combines the 3D digital twin of the city, civic data layers, and SimCity-like features. Ultimately, the goal is to empower the public by providing a platform through which they can visualize their ideas for what Windsor can become.
The current iteration was created through partnerships with students from St. Clair College in Windsor and UCBerkeley in California. Now, the developers are inviting YOU to become part of this unique and ambitious project.
Tune in on Friday, February 11 at 6pm EST to learn more about the Digital Twin of Windsor and Detroit, and how you can get involved.
Join our free, one-hour event where Doug will show attendees how to source base layer data and combine it with spreadsheet data to create map-based data visualizations.
Repair the World
Monday, February 28th @ 6pm Meetup | Facebook | Linkedin | Register
Technology has a role to play in the climate crisis, and it’s up to creators to decide exactly what that role will be. Will tech contribute to the warming faced by our planet, or will we use it to hold corporations – and ourselves – accountable? Could tech reverse the damage that has already been done?
To get us thinking more about how tech and climate change intersect, we’ve invited Mark Bartlett from The Climate Reality Project Canada in to discuss climate science, including what we’re currently experiencing and where we’re headed.
Following Mark’s presentation we will have an open discussion on what we can do as a group to positively influence the climate crisis.
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