What is public interest technology? An expert on data and policy explains how it helps people in need

Public interest technology combines data, design and policy to close gaps between what government programs promise and what people actually receive — citing examples like lead-poisoning prevention in Chicago, eviction-risk targeting in Allegheny County, and crisis-cycle tracking in Johnson County, Kansas. Allegheny County uses a machine learning system to direct limited outreach dollars toward the roughly 10,000-15,000 residents who receive eviction notices annually.

New York recently launched a Public Interest Technology Crew embedding specialists in city agencies, starting with a portal for reporting subscription-cancellation law violations. Organizations like the U.S. Digital Corps and Data Science for Social Good are building similar partnerships, with universities increasingly folding the field into coursework.

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