Can a city combat homelessness with improved data? San Jose’s new shelter dashboard aims to find out

Can a city combat homelessness with improved data? San Jose’s new shelter dashboard aims to find out

Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose, California, discusses the city’s new shelter system dashboard and how better data infrastructure could improve its response to homelessness. The new tool will track shelter use, length of stay, demographics, people housed, program exits and destinations, exits without notice and participant deaths. But even with the new dashboard, some city officials worry they cannot reliably determine whether people remain housed or sheltered 18 months after leaving its programs since post-exit information is split between city and Santa Clara county data systems.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two pieces of legislation aimed at increasing government oversight of artificial intelligence tools. The first, creates a framework for independent verification organizations that can assess AI systems and models. The second, establishes a state registry for AI auditors and sets standards for their independence, transparency and integrity.

A joint report from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers and General Dynamics Information Technology found that state governments are taking on a larger role in protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks, often without sustainable resources. The report highlights unreliable funding sources and the increased risks in connecting critical infrastructure systems to the internet as major concerns for state chief information officers.

Indiana tapped John Stark, who has served as the state’s director of digital governance since August, to also serve as chief privacy officer. As the chief privacy officer, Stark will partner with state agencies to enable innovation and the adoption of emerging technologies while maintaining privacy as a core value — balancing the efficient and ethical use of data with the protection of Indiana residents’ privacy.

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