Looking back on how the money awarded to Go Code Colorado was used as the 2018 competition comes to an end

DENVER, COLORADO, USA, June 7, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- For nearly every excellent idea submitted to the Statewide Internet Portal Authority’s (SIPA) Micro-Grant program there is enough money to award each its top ask. And while, year after year, the ideas keep getting more innovative, SIPA likes to look back on the projects that serve it’s succinct mission: to put more information and services online for Colorado’s residents. A recipient of the 2015 Micro-Grant Award comes to mind, Go Code Colorado, which happens to be wrapping up its 2018 competition season in just days.

Go Code Colorado is a yearly competition that challenges teams to turn public data into business insights. Having applied for a $5,000 SIPA grant to fund a survey campaign asking the business people of Colorado: what they needed most from public data, what information would help them run their business and provide for Coloradans more effectively, ideas for competitors, and concepts for helpful formats for the data; Go Code Colorado was awarded the complete ask.

“Go Code Colorado represents the best of Colorado- collaboration across government and between government citizens and the innovative, pioneering spirit of the West" says Andrew Cole, Go Code Colorado’s Program Manager, “It fits right in with our Western heritage to try new things and work together to build something great.” Perhaps, Go Code Colorado attracts multidisciplinary teams from across the state for this reason and, if lacking in ideas for their project, the Micro-Grant funded survey platform gave contestants a push in a needed direction. Cole remarked that the tool acted as a “translator and connector” between local businesses and the competitors – as it brought in responses to questions like: how could public data be formatted to be helpful, in what ways would you like to use public data, and more.

The reason that the SIPA Micro-Grants are so successfully used for a variety of projects is because each grant is carefully and thoughtfully applied for: project, purpose, and impact in mind. Jack Arrowsmith, Executive Director of SIPA, thought that Go Code Colorado’s idea for the Micro-Grant was out of the ordinary, “I love when the SIPA Micro-Grant is used uniquely and with the sole purpose of putting information and services online and, in this case, at the fingertips of business owning Coloradans.”

The Go Code Colorado website (gocode.colorado.gov) hosts an impressive collection of information about the competition and this year’s Final Event where the 2018 winners are announced. If you are passionate about making data more available, useful, and effective in the same way that SIPA and Go Code Colorado are, consider participating in the Go Code Colorado competition next year or visit SIPA’s website to see how you can put more information and services online.

About SIPA
Established in 2004 by the Colorado General Assembly, the Statewide Internet Portal Authority (SIPA) is a self-funded government organization created to be Colorado's single most comprehensive delivery channel for electronic government (eGovernment) services. SIPA strives to accelerate the adoption of efficient and effective electronic government services by placing more government information and services online to benefit the residents of Colorado. In addition to no-cost websites, payment processing, and event registration setup, SIPA provides SaaS technology solutions, consulting, and cyber security assessments. For more information about SIPA, please visit www.colorado.gov/sipa.

Beth Justice
Colorado Statewide Internet Portal Authority
720-409-5636
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