1

Digital Inclusion

1. Develop a City-wide digital

inclusion policy aimed at bridging
Kansas Citys digital divide.
2. Develop City-wide digital strategies
to increase public access to free
Wi-Fi, and to manage public
infrastructure.
3. Improve approaches to technology
procurement with a focus on digital
literacy, professional skills,
communications, operations and
delivery of services.

101 101

COmmunity center
KC PARKS AND REC

WIFI ACCESS FOUND

Open Government

1. Make data more accessible to

residents.
2. Develop strategies and supporting
policies to identify and provide
data that is most valuable to the
community.
3. Enhance operations by ensuring
timely delivery of data and internal
collaboration.

Engagement

Industry

data.kcmo.org

1. Build on the initial success of 311

and other digital engagement
platforms.
2. Enhance mobile accessibility of
digital services and information.
3. Focus on implementing best
practices and support feedback
from the community.

1. Support technology startup

infrastructure.
2. Foster sustainable partnerships with
regional academic institutions.
3. Create a smart city living lab to
enable entrepreneurs to test ideas
in Kansas City.

Smart City

1. Establish a Smart City advisory

structure to benchmark and
measure the success of Kansas
Citys Smart City infrastructure
investment.
2. Leverage data and analytics to
drive performance management,
and explore the potential of
predictive modeling in order to
work smarter.
3. Embrace a paperless City Hall by
developing a priority list of
digitizing processes.

Overview
Kansas City
Kansas Citys spirit is growing by the gigabit. Known for both our Midwest hospitality and
gritty Show Me determination, our essence embodies a rich heritage of entrepreneurship
and a vibrant creative culture.
We are nationally recognized as a hub for civic innovation and a top destination for
tourists, families, businesses, and millennials. Undeniably, Kansas City is a thought leader.
Kansas City is paving the way on many fronts, and we are poised to accelerate our
progress by laying the foundation for future achievements. Our leadership is demonstrated
by Downtowns ongoing renaissance, the construction of a modern streetcar system,
a rapidly evolving arts scene, precedent-setting green infrastructure investments, and
ground-breaking smart city technologies which are igniting a passion and a purpose in
our City.

You are here.

Kansas Citys technology initiatives are a catalyst for connecting communities and
fostering economic development. In 2011, Google Fiber named Kansas City as the first
metropolitan area to build its gigabit network. By 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor
had recognized Kansas City as a growing technology base by funding training to help
residents compete in the workforce of the future. This same year, Kansas City was lauded
as a promising tech hub by Tech.com.
These achievements illustrate Kansas Citys promising digital future. Our economic
engine is fueled by high-touch and high-tech employers, a growing IT workforce,
prominent investors, and advanced digital resources. Kansas Citys digital journey is
underway, and the path ahead is boundless.

Kansas Citys Digital Inventory

Kansas Citys digital landscape is vibrant and
expansive. In 2014, Kansas City was recognized
by The Republics Center for Digital Government
(The Center) as a top-ranked digital city. In the
Centers Digital City Survey, Kansas City placed
second to the City of Los Angeles in the 250,000+
population category.
This national recognition mirrors the sentiment
of Kansas Citys residents who have responded
positively to the Citys digital communications.
Since 2005, residents have reported an 8.3 percent
increase in satisfaction with the City Website,
which recently earned the 2014 Pinnacle Award
from the National Association of Government

Webmasters. Additionally, as a result of improved

digital communications, residents have reported
a 21.4 percent increase in satisfaction with City
programs and services.
Kansas Citys digital inventory is expansive, and
incorporates a variety of resources which have
stemmed from innovative ideas across our City
Departments. The following initiatives comprise
our digital inventory, and provide a quick-reference
to some of the many tools and resources available.
The Digital Inventory will continue to be updated
as additional resources are available or expanded.
continued on page 9

KC DIGITAL ROADMAP

Friends,
Welcome to Kansas Citys Digital Roadmap! The in-depth
blueprint before you contains a years worth of big ideas, crossdepartment collaboration, and very, very hard work.
As you pore over these pages, youll uncover Kansas Citys bold
plan for our digital future, including ways to collect and analyze
data, leverage resources across all City departments, and share
information - all for the advancement of our fine City. These
tactics will allow for our City government to become leaner and
more efficient.
Externally, this plan will enhance our ability to work towards
closing the digital divide in our City, as well as strengthen and
promote our Citys digital industry. This plan positions Kansas
City as a leader in creating better opportunity for citizens
through both access and support of a vibrant tech sector.
This living document, intended to bend and grow as we reach
our goals and implement new strategies, is the first of its kind in
Kansas City and truly sets us apart as a catalyst for innovation.
I hope youll take the time to become familiar with what
weve mapped out to achieve. I thank you for your interest in
building out our Citys potential as a center for technological
advancement.
Sincerely,

Sylvester Sly James, Jr.

Mayor

Kansas Citys Digital Roadmap

The Digital Roadmap is a blueprint for technology in Kansas City. The

Roadmap provides a snapshot of current City efforts, and outlines bold
plans for our digital future. The Roadmap will drive innovation and growth
while serving as a means for connecting people and leveraging resources
throughout Kansas City.

Our Approach

The Digital Roadmap is the culmination of a multi-department City

collaboration convened by the Office of Innovation, bringing together civic
leaders to draft a vision for our digital future. With the additional support
of the Mayors Challenge Cabinet and Bloomberg Associates, the Digital
Roadmap aligns with the City-wide business plan to employ innovative
strategies for the advancement of business, education, community, and
culture in Kansas City.
The following highlights the preliminary goals of the Digital Roadmap to be
measured and reported throughout the year. As a living document, this is
intended to be updated and expanded as we continue to evolve and progress
as a leading digital city.

KC DIGITAL ROADMAP

Digital Inclusion
Kansas City recognizes that digital inclusion is an issue of social equity and maximizing access to
technology is a moral imperative in an increasingly digital age. The City is committed to increasing
public access to the Internet, providing new resources and opportunities to all residents, and supports
strategic investments in the critical infrastructure necessary for universal public Wi-Fi coverage. The
City will:
1. Develop a Citywide digital inclusion policy aimed at bridging Kansas Citys digital divide.
2. Develop a comprehensive strategy to increase public access to free Wi-Fi and/or broadband.
3. Improve technology procurement processes and workforce development training with a focus on
digital literacy, professional skills, communications, operations and delivery of services.

Residential Fixed High Speed Connections per

1,000 Households (BTOP/BIP Definition) by Census Tract
Kansas City MSA

DEARBORN

There are free public Wi-Fi locations across the metropolitan

area, including City buildings, community centers, and libraries.
Partnerships with Internet Service Providers such as Google
Fiber are helping to bridge the digital divide through high speed
broadband community connections, funding for digital literacy
programs and access to equipment. The City must continue to
leverage public investment and private development in order to
optimize access to the internet.

IATAN

ELMIRA
RIDGELY

HOLT

LAWSON

SMITHVILLE

FORT LEAVENWORTH

KEARNEY
WOOD HEIGHTS
FERRELVIEW

LEAVENWORTH

KANSAS CITY, MO

LANSING

LIBERTY
ORRICK

PARKVILLE
BASEHOR

SUGAR CREEK
KANSAS CITY, KS

BONNER SPRINGS

INDEPENDENCE

SHAWNEE
DE SOTO

BUCKNER

LENEXA

MERRIAM

BLUE SPRINGS

LEAWOOD
LEE'S SUMMIT

OLATHE

LAKE LOTAWANA

OVERLAND PARK

BELTON

GARDNER

RAYMORE

PLEASANT HILL

Tract Broadband

EDGERTON, KS

SPRING HILL

PECULIAR
CLEVELAND

Connections Per 1,000 Hhlds

Zero
200 or Less

GUNN CITY
HARRISONVILLE 201-400

401-600
601-800
Source: Broadbandmap.gov

Greater than 800

Kansas Citys technology industry is poised for growth. The City is

fostering this growth by expanding the number of City services and
resources provided digitally. Improving the Citys procurement processes
for technology will leverage existing resources across City Departments,
which will in turn foster a competitive market for local tech companies to
provide support services.

2015

Open Government
Kansas City is committed to ensuring equal access to City services, enabling
innovation, and increasing transparency and efficiency to improve the quality
of life for all residents. The City will:
1. Make critical data more accessible to residents.
2. Develop strategies and supportive policies to identify and provide data that
is most valuable to the community.
3. Enhance operations by implementing best practice standards for data
collection, sharing, analysis, and inter-epartmental collaboration.

data.kcmo.org
The City launched its Open Data Catalog in January 2013 at
data.kcmo.org. The catalog provides residents with raw City data
such as annual budgets, crime stats, traffic counts and 311 service
requests. This data has been used to develop smart phone apps that
assist neighborhoods, to analyze major challenges facing our city
infrastructure, and to illustrate some of the great grassroots work
underway in Kansas City.

aid residents in finding and understanding the information contained

In 2015, the Mayors Challenge Cabinet aims to further leverage this

resource by creating a data dictionary and visualization standards to

community to navigate our annual budget and provides check-

in the Open Data Catalog.

The open data catalog is powered by Socrata, a data analysis
and visualization company. The City is currently partnering with
Socrata to launch two additional applications: Open Budget and
Open Expenditure. These two tools will make it easier for the
level detail for all government expenditures, respectively.

KC DIGITAL ROADMAP

Engagement
Kansas City will improve existing digital tools such as kcmo.gov and 311 to
streamline services and enable citizen-centric, collaborative, and participatory
government. Additionally, the City will expand social media engagement,
implement new internal coordination measures, and continue to identify and
create new and exciting ways to solicit community input. The City will:
1. Build on the initial success of 311 and other digital engagement platforms
to better integrate and streamline service delivery and citizen inputs.
2. Enhance mobile accessibility of digital services and information.
3. Focus on implementing best practices and support community engagement.

kcmo.gov
Kansas City is now more digitally engaged than ever thanks to the
use of multiple platforms to communicate and collaborate with
residents. In 2015 Kansas City will improve upon existing resources
by cross-training employees to leverage online engagement and by
launching a user experience program to improve digital resources
for community members. For the digitally illiterate, the City will
expand training opportunities both internally and externally, and

SMART

develop new and innovative techniques to translate and showcase

digital information for analog and interpersonal use.
Beginning in 2015 Kansas City will engage SMART, a team of social
media leaders, to serve as a hub for the internal collaboration and
management of social media services and communications. We
will also overhaul our 311 app to improve the user experience and
more accurately record service requests.

2015

Industry
Kansas City is committed to supporting a vibrant digital media and
technology sector. These efforts, led by the Kansas City Economic
Development Corporation and Office of Innovation, will continue to
support a growing technology industry in Kansas City. The City will:
1. Support technology startup infrastructure.
2. Foster sustainable partnerships with regional academic institutions.
3. Create a smart city living lab to enable entrepreneurs to test new ideas,
services and businesses with, by, and for the benefit of Kansas City.

Kansas City will accelerate a growing digital media and technology

sector through a variety of partnerships and programs to provide a
platform for start-ups, entrepreneurs, and other tech companies to
test ideas and implement innovative technology within Kansas City.
The programs supporting this initiative include the Innovation
Partnership Program and the proposed smart city living lab,
anticipated to launch in 2015. Kansas City is also home to LaunchKC,
a nonprofit organization aimed at enhancing Kansas Citys tech
scene. In 2015, LaunchKC will award ten grants to entrepreneurs to
support their tech ventures within Kansas City.

KC DIGITAL ROADMAP

Smart City
Kansas City is committed to evolving into a smart city through the use
of technology to optimize operational efficiencies, manage City services,
and improve citizen engagement. The City will:
1. Establish an advisory structure to benchmark and measure the
success of Kansas Citys smart city infrastructure investment.
2. Leverage data and analytics to drive performance management, and
explore the potential of predictive modeling in order to work smarter.
3. Create a paperless City Hall by developing a priority list of digitizing
processes.

A smart city uses technology such as WiFi and sensors to improve the
efficiency and maintenance of the City by capturing real-time data
on how our infrastructure is performing. Kansas City is leveraging
existing data and advanced technologies to better align limited
resources to the needs of our community. Smart city infrastructure
is being proposed along the Citys new streetcar line as a pilot for
both the expansion and management of the concept.

2015

#1

Kansas Citys innovation and entrepreneurship

efforts are in the spotlight with outstanding
mentions in many recent national lists and articles.
In 2015, Kansas City was ranked in the top five
best cities globally for entrepreneurship, according
to the Global Entrepreneurship Congress Cities
Challenge. The congress examined more than
fifty up-and-coming metropolitan areas that
are rapidly boosting entrepreneurship, attracting
talent, and leveraging public assets.
A New York Times report on Millennials Going to
Kansas City, to Live and Work cites the influence
of the streetcar starter line in attracting hundreds
of millions of dollars of new residential and retail
projects downtown. Over the last decade, Kansas
Citys urban core has become known as a cool
place to live, the article says.
According to a Delta Sky magazine article, Power
in the Heartland, Kansas City is entering a new era,
bolstered by growth across a range of industries
and an urban revitalization that blends innovation
and Midwestern can-do character.
The City of Kansas City, Missouris website won
an award from the National Association of
Government Webmasters as the best mid-sized
City website in the country. It is also the nations
largest open source municipal website.

kc m o r e s i d e n t s

467,007

390 3K
H I G H E S T VO L U M E
I N A S I N G L E D AY

JULY 7, 2014

THOUSAND
311 CALLS PER YEAR

Y E A R LY V I S I TO R S TO KC M O . G OV

5,000,000+

35.8k
F O L L OW E R S @ KC M O

KC DIGITAL ROADMAP

Kansas Citys Digital Inventory

311

Kansas Citys 311 service acts on a variety of City-wide

needs and concerns. Residents can report issues in
person, or by using electronic tablets at local libraries.
Residents may also reach 311 representatives by
phone, email, website, Twitter, or smart phone app.
311 is currently utilizing HootSuite software to manage
requests and to coordinate internal completion of tasks.

City Apps, Online and

Self-Service City Services

KCGGChannel 2

Kansas Citys government access channel transitioned

to High-Definition (HD) content in October of 2013.
The transition to HD also brought fresh changes to
programming, which included enhanced graphics, new
segments and original content provided by residents. The
station has also enhanced remote video capabilities to
provide more on-site event coverage and to strengthen
the Citys response from the Emergency Operations
Center during crisis situations.

Kansas City is committed to making services more

accessible by engaging with residents online. As a
result, the City has implemented a number of online
resources to make it easier for residents to reach City
officials, obtain information, and do business.

KCMO.gov

Kansas Citys online resources include: airport parking

facilities, Municipal Court ticketing services, Parks &
Recreation resources, Water Services payment and
service options, Snow Plow GPS tracking, and Financial
and Business services through QuickTax, KCBizCare and
LandBank.

Open Government &

Municipal Integrity

In addition to these services, Kansas City has utilized

technology to attain a greater level of sustainability.
These efforts include monitoring systems that operate
solar panels and wind turbines, strategically map
infrastructure improvements, and regulate electronic
usage to conserve energy resources.

Crowdsourcing

Kansas City is actively engaging with residents to shape

the future of our City. Kansas City solicits feedback from
residents through resources such as KCMOmentum, the
Dead Letter Office for ordinance clean up, multiple
Mayoral Task Forces, social media and the Citys
Website. Collaboration with residents has helped make
Kansas City more business-friendly, improved Kansas
Citys culture of art, and provided Kansas City with
important feedback that has helped shape the decisions
driving Kansas City.

Digital Access

Kansas City has expanded digital access by offering free

Wi-Fi services in libraries, civic buildings, and recreation
centers. These efforts are further promoted through
engagement with partners such as Code for America,
KC Digital Drive, Next Century Cities, and the National
League of Cities.

2015

The newly redesigned website represents the nations

largest municipal open source WordPress site and
is integrated with Open Data and Google search
capabilities.

In 2014 the City enacted an Open Data Ordinance

and hired an Open Data Coordinator. Performance
management functions have been implemented to
enhance resident engagement, accountability and
transparency of City operations. These functions
include internal audits, citizen satisfaction surveys, and
KCStat reports on council priorities and public-facing
dashboards. Performance management functions are
open and available to residents via online tools and
social media.

KCMOre Magazine

KCMOre is published twice each year. The magazine is

available in print and online editions. Content is being
expanded to include additional online features, such as
video and sound clips.

Social Media

Kansas City employs a full-time social media manager

to engage with residents online. This effort, in
collaboration with other departmental efforts, has more
than doubled the Citys social media audience in the
last year. In addition to utilizing traditional social media
platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, Kansas City is
also engaging citizens through Nixle, a text notification
system, and Nextdoor, a neighborhood social media
network, at no cost to citizens.

Supporting Entrepreneurs

Kansas City is supporting entrepreneurialism in the

technology industry through programs such as the Big
Data Summit, Launch KC, and the Innovation Partnership
Program. These programs provide developers and tech
entrepreneurs the means and the forum for testing and
promoting innovative ideas in Kansas City.