AUG. 25, 2022 — Each year, the U.S. Census Bureau brings together cross-sector collaborators to solve some of the nation’s biggest challenges with data and technology through The Opportunity Project (TOP) product development sprints.

TOP is an innovation program led by the Census Open Innovation Labs at the Census Bureau. TOP engages government, technologists and communities to co-create digital products that serve the public using federal open data. To date, more than 1,700 people, 33 federal agencies, and hundreds of organizations have participated in TOP sprints — resulting in nearly 175 new open data tools including apps, websites, mapping tools, data visualizations, games and more. 

This year, TOP technology development sprints will continue to expand to new federal agencies and focus on pressing national issues, as well as issues specific to Puerto Rico through the recently launched “TOP PR” initiative. 

The following problem statements are being addressed in summer 2022 sprints:

• Transforming Local Addressing Systems in Puerto Rico (U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development).
• Developing Community-Informed National-Level Indicators of Well-Being (U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of the Treasury and New America). 
• Helping Communities Access Infrastructure Grant Funding (White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and U.S. Department of Commerce). 
• Supporting Island Communities’ Transition to Renewable Energy (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). 
• Enhancing Children’s Resilience to Adversity in Puerto Rico (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Instituto del Desarrollo de la Juventud). 
• Building Community and Individual Climate Resilience (Federal Emergency Management Agency). 

View full problem statements 

Anyone interested in co-creating technological or other solutions using federal open data is invited to participate; contact the Census Open Innovation Labs to learn more, schedule a briefing, or express interest in participating. TOP seeks collaborators and sprint participants for each of the problem statements:

• Tech/Product Teams — Companies, universities, nonprofits, and students who build digital products throughout the sprints.
• User Advocates — Community leaders, local or national advocates, and people with direct lived experience in the target challenge who guide tech teams in designing solutions.
• Product Advisors — Product experts from outside of government who advise teams in developing products sustainable after the sprints.
• Data Stewards — Experts on federal open datasets who advise teams on accessing and using data.

TOP 2022 summer sprints will run from July/August-October/November.

For background information on The Opportunity Project, visit https://opportunity.census.gov.

For inquiries, reach out to Haley Ashcom Miller, deputy director, The Opportunity Project, at haley.m.ashcom@census.gov.