City of Mesa Open Data > In The Hands of A Leadership Board

Back on 05 Nov 2015 , three months after the announcement that Mesa is now a WhatWorksCities, there's been little information or data forthcoming out of the inner workings inside City Hall, except for this tweet from City Manager Chris Brady who recently celebrated ten years on the job:
Open Data Leadership Board appointed to lead open data in Mesa!
https://twitter.com/mesacitymanager

Readers will note the repeated words and phrases "open data", "leadership", "lead" and "open data'. 

The image to the right is an upload of the Twitter announcement - can anyone read it ?

What and where is this this open data portal that the City of Mesa will be creating ?

Time has moved ahead - it's now almost three months more on anybody's clock - any open data portal that we can open to find data?
What have appointed members of "The Open Data Leadership Board" been doing for the last six months? Mebbe looking for data . . .

Quite fortunately there are other available on-demand sources for open data about the City of Mesa. For example : http://www.city-data.com/income/income-Mesa-Arizona.html 
Mesa, Arizona (AZ) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, ... with income maps of neighborhoods, earnings and wage data from 2000-2013.





Here's an infographic for race distribution if you are interested in finding out:

 

Or open data about home sales

Or crime rates

Top 20 Cities by Total Venture Capital Investment (in $USD) ::)

Just a list from a friend in Toronto:

The Martin Prosperity Institute here in Toronto recently published a new report that looks at worldwide venture capital investment by city. The report is called Rise of the Global Startup City.
The data is from 2012, because that’s what was available from Thomson Reuters, so keep in mind that there might be some variation in the rankings if we were to look at more recent data. Nonetheless, here are a few of the broader takeaways (from the report page). Phoenix ranks at #19. San Francisco is #1
The United States accounts for nearly 70 percent (68.6 percent) of total global venture capital, followed by Asia (14.4 percent) and Europe (13.5 percent).”

Encore On First West : Another Vertical Rise for Housing Options in The New Urban DTMesa









Building up/construction in-progress

New construction [see image at left] is moving forward on the second parcel of land on First Avenue near Macdonald Street on what were once vacant city-owned lots that are filling in and building up the housing base downtown.
This ongoing 44-unit construction project is a good example of form-based zoning, an urban infill project on long-vacant City-owned property, transit-oriented development and public-private partnerships creating new urban downtown areas in Arizona.
It will soon join Encore On First, the recipient of a 2014 Real Estate Design Award, in the new urban landscape half-a-block close to the Mesa Arts Center, one city block from the Valley Metro Central Mesa Extension Light Rail station at Center/Main Street and the central business, retail and arts-and-entertainment district in The New urban DTMesa. 

Developers Charles Huellmantel and Todd Marshall are in the forefront of the increasing momentum for building up urban regeneration here by providing attractive housing options in urban in-fill that have set a new standard by their success in these two buildings that can lead to future development in the surrounding area propelled by public-private partnerships
The First Avenue Improvement Project from Country Club Drive past Mesa Drive has been underway by the City of Mesa for more than two years.
The lot you see in the foreground at the SE intersection with Macdonald Street may be the next site for  further development since the option with the City of Mesa for the proposed Goldwater Library expired in December.        
Leasing applications in the new building are now being accepted for occupancy beginning in April-May.
Qualifications and other criteria may apply.
For information please call the property management office @ Encore On First 480.834.4547.
[You can tell them you got that information here]

According to an AZBigMedia report, "Encore on First is one of downtown Mesa’s first private sector investments in nearly three decades. It is an 81-unit, transit-oriented apartment community for independent seniors who desire a walkable lifestyle.
The site is all about location, which is benefited by several civic amenities ...
The building mixes the urban landscape setting with metal wall panels, colored glass landscape panels and white steel elements with a more tranquil rural look with extensive plantings of trees and landscaping, a pocket park and reflecting pool with fountains. The building is built to attract residents and to catalyze future developments on the building and the surrounding area . . . sustainable resources include a 60 KW solar plant located on the roof that provides more than 50% of the renewable energy for public areas in the building that is tied into the City of Mesa’s downtown power grid, electric vehicle charging stations, LED lighting and high-performance windows and appliances."

Todd Marshall, the president of Urban Development Partners, says the company was founded with a passion for infill development and the belief that urban redevelopment is both an opportunity and a responsibility to create a diverse and sustainable community.

[Image credit: architectmagazine.com]



Last Call for EDC-4 Innovation Ideas!

Send Us Your Innovation Ideas Today!

January 31 is the deadline to respond to the Federal Highway Administration request for information with your ideas on technologies and practices to deploy in the fourth round of Every Day Counts

 

The Federal Register 

Every Day Counts Initiative; Request for Information

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/12/10/2015-31112/every-day-counts-initiative-request-for-information 

is your opportunity to help identify proven, market-ready innovations to accelerate project delivery, enhance highway safety, cut traffic congestion and improve environmental sustainability. Your ideas could be included in the roster of EDC-4 innovations that transportation stakeholders will collaborate to implement in 2017 and 2018. 

In addition to offering suggestions, you can provide feedback on your experience using 15 “innovations of interest” listed in the request for information.

“Our partnership with state, local and tribal governments as well as the private sector is producing impressive results,” said FHWA Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “Today, our goal is a simple one: to find practices and technologies that complement the innovations that have been supported through EDC and are now being implemented across the country.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

ViaSat Gets a Big Boost from Boeing Apache AH-64E Helos

Image from ViaSat

Apache AH-64E Guardian Helicopters to Include the ViaSat Link 16 Small Tactical Terminal in Production Aircraft
Headline news story from Aerospace & Defense News
The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) has awarded ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq: VSAT), a global broadband services and technology company, a contract for the production of approximately 90 Link 16 Small Tactical Terminals (STT) for the Lots 5 and 6 of the AH-64E Apache Guardian Attack Helicopter production line.  That news lifted ViaSat's stock by 2.5% in this morning's market activities.

The AH-64 Apache is the world's most advanced multi-role combat helicopter and is used by the U.S. Army and a growing number of international defense forces. Specifically, this STT full-rate production contract will cover Apache helicopters for the next two years.
In addition, the STT has been selected by the U.S. Government as the long-term radio solution for Link 16 and Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) capability for AH-64E Apache helicopters. The commitment to the STT was made in recognition of the terminal's capability to meet the ongoing needs of today's warfighter while saving the U.S. government nearly $250M over the life of the program.

ViaSat has 14 locations in the U.S. and 6 worldwide - 2 in Australia, and one in China, India, Switzerland and the UK

Gilbert, AZ (Advanced Microwave Products)

This location includes development of custom RF systems, advanced microwave products (formerly US Monolithics), and information assurance technologies. Also known as the "high tech oasis of the silicon desert," Gilbert is located southeast of Phoenix in close proximity to the lively, upbeat town of Tempe and the world-famous upscale resort area of Scottsdale. With a solid workforce and an ever-expanding family-based community, the Phoenix metro area has arts, entertainment, all major league sports, and a growing electronics industry that continues to flourish.

- See more at: https://www.viasat.com/ 
Other divisions include:

Veterans in Rural Areas Get Connected to VA Services with New Tele Mental Health Service - See more at: https://www.viasat.com/news/veterans-rural-areas-get-connected-va-services-new-tele-mental-health-service#sthash.AMApQsK0.dpuf

Data in Transit Encryption for Enterprises Efficient Protection for High-Volume Content Distribution Encryption is an essential step in keeping your sensitive data safe, especially as it traverses the world from building-to-building and data center-to-data center. With ViaSat’s line of high-speed encryption appliances and virtual network functions (VNF), you get trusted high-performing protection with near-zero latency, ensuring your important voice, video, and data is securely and quickly delivered wherever it needs to go. ViaSat is the 1st to introduce true 100 Gbps Ethernet encryption! Available today, our SEC-1170 single-port high-speed appliance also delivers the industry’s lowest latency, 3x less than competing Layer 2 or 3 encryption. ViaSat encryption is accredited and used by enterprises, educational institutes, governments, and militaries worldwide. Our SEC family of products are part of a controlled supply chain and manufactured in the United States. - See more at: https://www.viasat.com/products/data-in-transit-encryption-for-enterprises#sthash.tvDg6tsz.dpuf

One Generation's Take > Downtown is Your Playground Music Video [paid for by _______ ]

Adding to the attraction of the new urban DTMesa for that targeted sector > took over a month to get it filmed here but the 3:00+ minute result is well worth the time and expense >>>> da da da downtown!
BTW in spending a lot of time in the pedestrian walkways at Mesa Arts Center, bicycle riding is not exactly permitted with security guards keeping a close watch on infractions - maybe they gave permission for the purposes of this filming but that's not the usual policy.

Back on Nov 6, 2015 yours truly had the pleasure to see a small film crew-in action here in Mesa [they were all over the streets of Manhattan] getting some production work done for this video filming on the outdoor front stage at Mesa Arts Center with the two featured actors in this video.
Just goes to show that there are usually more people behind-the-scenes - sound, digital and video technicians, stylists and coordinators - than what you see in the final editing before release to the public. In the image to the right you can see part of both on-air talent and an off-air video crew holding a light reflector panel.

In this close-up enlarged image to the left you can see the cool moves and smooth energy and the enjoyment that the two actors project for what can be repeated takes to the get things right for the producer.

It was a pleasure to meet and talk with Laree Johnson, the media development coordinator for Owens Harkey Advertising: A traditional agency -"that kills it" in the digital space".

Nice to see the finished product and results getting released!

Economic Momentum ?? = Sputtering > Data Tells The Story Re/ U.S. GDP Growth

The U.S. economy barely grew Q4 2015 finishing the year like it had started and stoking concern about its momentum in 2016 . . . Little more than a month ago, some cheer-leading economists thought growth was running at more than twice that pace, but data shows it's hardly above zero at 0.7%. . . expectations for the coming quarters have been drifting lower as weaker data for the fourth quarter of 2015 has accumulated.

That's the report from the Commerce Department today. The Wall Street Journal said it is  "a sign of flagging momentum amid global weakness and financial market turmoil."

The latest reading concludes another year of steady [?], but unspectacular, growth.
For all of 2015, GDP expanded 2.4%, the same as 2014 and roughly in line with the 2.1% average since 2010, the first full year after the recession.
 

What is less clear [the image to the left of DJIA from FRED might help you see the dip in a possible deep dive]  is whether the fourth quarter was another dip that will be followed by a rebound—as has happened several times since the recession ended in mid-2009—or whether it signals a more persistent sputtering.
It is "unusually uncertain" to borrow a phrase from former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke. Get your life-jackets ready!.

National Income and Product Accounts
Gross Domestic Product: Fourth Quarter and Annual 2015 (Advance Estimate)

EMBARGOED UNTIL RELEASE AT 8:30 A.M. EST, Friday, January 29, 2016 BEA 16—04

The Bureau emphasized that the fourth-quarter advance estimate released today is based on source data that are incomplete or subject to further revision --- readers will note by looking at the image to the left that 2nd revisions of quarterly GDP estimates [next one due Feb 26, 2016] are lower . . . how much lower than 0.7% can you go?

Here's what the regular "slices of the pie" look likeThe deceleration in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected a deceleration in PCE and downturns in nonresidential fixed investment, in exports, and in state and local government spending that were partly offset by a smaller decrease in private inventory investment, a deceleration in imports, and an acceleration in federal government spending.

There's a navigation bar at the right side of the news release text for links to data tables,
contact personnel and their telephone numbers, and supplementary materials.

http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm

Take a look at the image to the right from 2014 to gauge the relative performance of metropolitan areas with overall data.
 

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