DataMade is a civic technology company in Chicago owned by Derek Eder and Forest Gregg. They do consulting, strategy and web development work for non-profits, news organizations, academic institutions and governments. They are based out of 1871, a co-working space in the Merchandise Mart.
DataMade was born out of Chicago's Open Government community. In 2011, Derek and Forest started working on civic technology as volunteers of Open City. At nights and over weekends, they helped make civic apps like Chicago Lobbyists, Clear Streets, and Second City Zoning.
In 2012, Derek started DataMade to deepen and sustain the impact of civic technology, with the Smart Chicago Collaborative as their first client.
DataMade's projects adhere to what is known as the Three Os.
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Open data - The project uses data that is entirely open and free to use by anyone.
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Open source - All apps and tools developed are open source and released under an unrestrictive license.
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Open government - The project is civic-minded. It engages and informs citizens about their society, city, or government.
Some notable projects include:
- LargeLots.org - A website built to make the process of purchasing City-owned land for $1 through the Green Healthy Neighborhoods program easier for Chicago residents.
- Plenar.io - An open source platform, API and interface for exploring and filtering open data through space and time. Give us the where and when, and we'll give you the data.
- ElectionMoney.org - Interested in money in Illinois politics? This site documents and makes available 20 years of campaign contributions and expenditures from the Illinois State Board of Elections.
