In January 2018, I lectured and served as a mentor at Code for Shiga’s “Workshop to Build Useful Web Services with Data: Services for International Residents,” held at the Ima Plus coworking space in Konan, Shiga Prefecture.
The workshop focused on challenges such as language and cultural barriers faced by approximately 25,000 international residents in Shiga. Participants used open data and other materials to develop web services intended to make daily life more accessible.
Main Contributions
- Development instruction: I provided technical instruction on building simple web services from data so that people without prior service-development experience could participate, and helped participants turn ideas into working concepts.
- Supporting locally focused service development: After participants learned about the realities international residents face in Shiga, I guided them from ideation through development so they could create more practical services grounded in data and design thinking.
The workshop was a concrete example of civic tech: residents, developers, and designers collaborating on locally rooted challenges using open data as shared infrastructure.
- Event: Workshop to Build Useful Web Services with Data (Services for International Residents)
- Date: Saturday, January 27, 2018
- Venue: Ima Plus coworking space, Konan, Shiga
- Co-host: Ima Plus coworking space
- Theme: Developing services that make life in Shiga easier for international residents