I’ve heard from quite a few of you interested in my work 3D printing masks and face shields for healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic, so I wanted to write this blog post to cover some of the most frequently asked questions I am getting. Also, I am very grateful to Governor Phil Murphy for his recognition of my work during his April 13th, 2020 press briefing. I have heard from many of you across the state and out of state since then and am truly humbled at the outpouring of support I have received!

I am open-sourcing the codebase for 911maps, the web app I have been building since early last year. 911maps is my vision for creating a framework that allows the public to map and analyze emergency incidents and responses, using data obtained from public safety authorities. The inspiration In 2018 I saw a few tweets posted by a local police chief from Ocean County that included a heatmap generated by his department’s computer aided dispatch (CAD) system about trends in his jurisdiction’s calls for service - and whether the data supported conventional wisdoms held by certain residents within the community.

When Hurricane Sandy struck in 2012, power, internet and cell phone service were knocked out for many across the Jersey Shore. I first obtained by amateur radio license from the FCC after passing the technician exam the summer prior to Sandy hitting, earning the callsign KD2CXZ. It proved to be a worthwhile endeavor, as during and after the storm my home was without power and cell phones lost connectivity. For me, the only way to obtain and relay information or hear what was going on in the community was via the single handheld radio I owned at the time.

Indego operates a bike sharing network in Philadelphia. They also publish anonymized data detailing usage of the service. As a part of my coursework for the Data Science & Strategic Analytics masters program at Stockton University, last semester I was tasked with creating a visualization that told a data story regarding the bike sharing program using the Python library matplotlib. Here’s how I solved this project and produced the following animated visualization.

I was interviewed by the Asbury Park Press regarding my work creating the OPRAmachine freedom of information portal