How Azavea is helping the Wilma Theater uncover new markets with GIS

A feature on Azavea building tools for the Wilma Theater, and other art organizations, to find trends in their subscriber base, from Directions Magazine. It is not unlike this project from MPIP and the Cultural Alliance.

The Wilma faces many of the challenges common to nonprofit arts organizations nationwide, including the need to attract and retain stakeholders, whether they are patrons, subscribers, volunteers or donors. To that end, the Wilma embarked on a focused analysis of its core audiences in 2005 that would enable it to describe and understand expectations of existing audiences, identify “gaps” in the marketplace where new potential audiences and donors might be found, and apply this knowledge to enhance the experience for all.

via A Geographic Gap Analysis Uncovers New Markets for Nonprofits – Directions Magazine.

Planning Commission sees opportunity in short-term broadband goals for comprehensive plan

Illustration based on Philadelphia: Metropolis in Transition's archive

Philadelphia’s 1960 comprehensive plan was an effort to usher the city’s infrastructure into the future.

Back then, the plan called for build-out that Philadelphians today utilize daily, like the creation of a new tunnel for commuter rail that would cut through Center City to meet peak-hour demands and an expressway that would help connect the city to the suburbs.

For the first time since that plan was drafted more than 60 years ago, the city planning commission is undertaking a new long-term vision for the city’s built environment.

The Philadelphia 2035 Comprehensive Plan will eventually modify zoning around commercial corridors and industrial centers, and lay out new infrastructure and transit lines says Alan Urek, Director of Strategic Planning and Policy at the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. And the commission hopes it will result in improving the city’s economy, health and environmental impact.

On the ground, the plan looks at ways to improve center city’s stature as a metropolitan center, and increase investment in the city’s neighborhoods and former industrial zones. Specific projects include transit on Roosevelt Boulevard connecting the Far Northeast to the Broad Street Line, transit-oriented development at SEPTA’s North Philadelphia station, near Temple University, and greening of city schoolyards for use as neighborhood parks.

Broadband advocates argue that creation of new fiber networks have become just as important as other forms of infrastructure, like the water system and public utilities that traverse the earth beneath the city. And recent broadband stimulus projects awarded to Philadelphia support the role that government can play in funding long-term broadband projects.

But in Philadelphia’s new comprehensive plan [PDF], there’s little direction on how the city can increase high-speed connectivity, improve adoption, and ultimately, help bridge the digital divide.

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Comcast asks FCC to keep Hulu info secret: Roundup

Every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup. Get an e-mail subscri ption for our Comcast news updates.

• Comcast to FCC: Keep Hulu info secret [Politico] — “According to a letter placed in the commission’s public file on Wednesday, the company contends that a document it will soon file with the FCC detailing its deal with the Internet site that shows NBC and other network programming is too sensitive for the public to see.”
• Comcast Has Been To My House 12 Times, Still No Cable [Consumerist]
• Comcast tops in adding broadband subs [Fierce Cable] — “…Comcast more than doubled its nearest competitor, AT&T, by adding one million net broadband customers over the course of the last year.”
• Comcast Begins Effort to Launch 10 Independent Networks [Comcast blog] — A call to support 10 ethnic and racially diverse  stations
• 5 Ways GE Plays the Tax Game [ProPublica] — How the deal with Comcast for NBC affects

SEPTA announces plans for a new electronic fare system

We’ve heard this before, but here’s to hoping.

One arm of that plan is the new electronic fare system project, which will replace SEPTA’s legacy system of tokens, tickets and paper transfers with a streamlined system that will be more convenient, secure and eco-friendly. Plus, the new technology will permit seamless travel across all SEPTA services and enable the organization to reduce operating and maintenance costs.

via Uwishunu.

Async Recruiting: job interviews for the TiVo generation

A screenshot of an Async Interview user

While getting his undergraduate degree, Christopher Young was in need of a time machine.

While searching for a co-op position (Drexel’s paid internship program) Young had to somehow squeeze 23 interviews in a window of four weeks during finals.

“It was a nightmare. So I was trying to think of a way where I didn’t have to skip classes or miss part of my Christmas break,” says Young.

To improve the process Young turned his co-op fiasco into his first company, Async Recruiting and its first product: Async Interview.

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KeyPulp: Phillyist crew launches national arts and culture blog

KeyPulp, a national-in-focus arts and culture blog from the Phillyist crew, launched this week.

As Technically Philly told you in January, Gothamist put its Philly outpost on ‘extended hiatus’ and many of its contributors were busy at work creating a more broad place for their hobbyist postings on pop culture, music and the like.

One of the group’s leaders, Jill Ivey, says though KeyPulp has fewer geographical content limitations than Phillyist, the local scene will certainly make an appearance.

“We’ll still be covering plenty of events in Philly,” she writes Technically Philly. “It’s just that we’ll be covering stories in New York, D.C., L.A. etc., as well.  We even have a writer from Israel.”

The other editors of KeyPulp are Ross Currie, Andrew Johnston, Allison Krumm, and Joe Ross.

[keypulp.com]

Federal open gov sites to go dark in May – Forbes

Forbes on the budget slashing of federal open gov sites:

Many of the Obama administration’s top open government initiatives are set to be turned off by May 31. Government sources confirm that the Office of Management and Budget is planning to take seven websites dark in two months because of a lack of funding.

via OMB prepares for open gov sites to go dark in May – Kevin L. Jackson – Cloud Musings on Forbes – Forbes.

Here’s another take and some traffic digesting from the Guardian.

Startup Roundup: Nutter visits Entrepreneur Expo

Technically Philly’s Startup Roundup parses out the small pieces that make our greater Startup ecosystem thrive. We want to keep you in touch with the innovations that we can’t quite get to covering, but that deserve highlight. Follow along with the Startup Roundup’s dedicated newsletter or RSS feed. If you’ve got news to share, get in touch.

Updated, 4/6/11, 9:54 a.m.: XIPWIRE is not shutting down, but it is closing its donation service, according to the company. Details below.

MUST READS

Philly Startup Leaders‘ Entrepreneur Expo took place last week, featuring more than 40 technology companies in the region. Mayor Nutter spoke at the event, the video of which you can see below. He even dished a bit on Blake Jennelle, Philly Startup Leaders founder, about his recent move to New York. Nutter told the 200 in attendance that the City of Philadelphia hopes to help and support the startup community by continuing to reform tax structure, and encouraging entrepreneurs to utilize the city’s Office of Business Services.

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Philly Tech Week update: FREE lunchtime speaker series, event details, reservations and More

On Tuesday, March 22, Technically Philly convened a diverse group of Philadelphia Technology Leaders, highlighting and calling for more collaboration, which is a theme of Philly Tech Week. Back Row, From L to R: Breadboard Curator David Clayton, Azavea Founder Robert Cheetham, City of Philadelphia Division of Technology Chief of Staff Jeff Friedman, Morgan Lewis Partner Steve Goodman, SEER Interactive Wil Reynolds Middle Row, From L to R: Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce President Rob Wonderling, Morgan Lewis Partner Jeff Bodle, Phrequency.com Editor Leah Kaufman, NuPathe CEO Jane Hollingsworth, Geekadelphia Co-founder Eric Smith, Ben Franklin Technology Partners Investment Group Vice President Terrance Hicks, William Way LGBTQ Commuity Center Executive Director Chris Bartlett Front Row, from L to R: BrainRewards CEO Jane Hoffer, Philly Startup Leaders Board Member Tracey Welson-Rossman, Indy Hall Co-Founder Alex Hillman, two.one.five magazine Publisher Tayyib Smith, Temple University Center for Design and Innovation Director Youngjin Yoo, P'unk Ave Co-founder Geoff DiMasi, University City Science Center CEO Steve Tang

Philly Tech Week, to be held the last week of April, the 25-30, is getting a new round of details.

• Our free lunchtime speaker series has been announced and space is limited, see details at right.
• You can now get greater details about the more than 45 events, including blurbs on the PTW website
• As we announced this morning, Thursday morning City Council will officially name April 25-30 as Philly Tech Week with the passage of a resolution. Come out and support!
• Reservation links are starting to appear on the PTW website calendar, so if you’re itching to get a spot, better do so quickly.
• We’re still firming up details on our speakers, but tickets for the Friday night Signature Event cocktail reception at WHYY to close out the week are now available for sale ($20).
• We also have shared more about Saturday April 30′s Open Gov Hackathon presented by Tropo, which will use city data cataloged by OpenDataPhilly.org, which will be unveiled that Monday.
• With Red Flag Media, we’re putting together the Philly Tech Week print supplement, which was kicked off by a photo shoot with an industry-diverse Philadelphia Technology Leaders Breakfast held March 22, as suggested in the above photo.
• After seeing a demo, we’re waiting on the more finalized version of the Philly Tech Week mobile app from Alkali Media

Phillies new HD video board gets video tech junkie review

Click to enlarge the Motrin advertisement.

You’ve seen news of the new $10 million, 7,372 square foot HD video screen at Citizens Bank Park but, ahead of tonight’s series kickoff with the Mets, read the video tech junkie’s guide to the upgrade:

Going into the 2011 MLB season, an absurdly deep starting rotation isn’t the only asset the Philadelphia Phillies can gloat over. The team are also stacked with weapons in the video department, having upgraded Citizens Bank Park’s control room to HD and installed the largest HD display in the National League: a 76-ft.-high x 97-ft.-wide Daktronics video board in left field.

H/T Colin Weir