A collaborative project between the University of Notre Dame and the City of South Bend was recently awarded $1 million to support improvements to the city’s 311 Call Center through the Bloomberg Mayors Challenge.
Partnering with the University’s Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, the City of South Bend will use the award to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to identify emerging service needs and develop innovative human‑centered technologies to proactively deliver essential services.
By developing and testing a predictive model—a tool that uses past data to identify patterns and forecast future needs—the City of South Bend hopes to be able to reach out to residents with targeted support, transforming 311 from a reactive system into a data-driven proactive service that anticipates and addresses community needs before a request is made.
“The University of Notre Dame is committed to advancing data and AI for the social good,” said Nitesh Chawla, Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Notre Dame and Lucy Family Director for Data & AI Academic Strategy, who leads the University’s Data, AI and Computing Initiative. “Through Notre Dame’s Lucy Family Institute, and in partnership with the City of South Bend, we are developing responsible, human-centered technologies that help anticipate community needs, strengthen how essential services are delivered, and empower communities, organizations and individuals.”
South Bend was among 24 city halls from 20 countries to receive the award. Over 600 ideas were submitted to the Mayor’s Challenge to address public service challenges, including housing, waste management, clean water, infrastructure and social inclusion.
In the city’s press release to announce the award, Mayor James Mueller emphasized how partnerships are transforming the local community. “In partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and community partners, we are changing the way we deliver city services in South Bend,” he said. “By integrating new technologies with our frontline teams, we can spot problems earlier, act sooner and achieve better outcomes that will build greater trust with our residents.”
In 2018, South Bend received its first Bloomberg Mayors Challenge award to support the creation of Commuters Trust, a transportation-as-a-benefit program designed to expand access to reliable commuting options.
To learn more about the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge, please visit mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org.
Contact:
Christine Grashorn, Program Director, Engagement and Strategic Storytelling
Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society / University of Notre Dame
cgrashor@nd.edu / 574.631.4856
lucyinstitute.nd.edu / @lucy_institute
About the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society
Guided by Notre Dame’s Mission, the Lucy Family Institute adventurously collaborates on advancing data-driven and artificial intelligence (AI) convergence research, translational solutions, and education to ethically address society’s vexing problems. As an innovative nexus of academia, industry, and the public, the Institute also fosters data science and AI access to strengthen diverse and inclusive capacity building within communities.