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Today the John S. and James L. Knight foundation announced the winners of the Civic Data Challenge: a contest that turns the raw data of "civic health" into beautiful, useful applications and visualizations -- helping communities understand themselves better and thrive...

The first place winners:

• UC Berkeley Politify lets users can view how Presidential candidates' proposed economic policies would affect their personal income, including local and national information so they can see the impact the policies may have on their communities.
• Open Block Oakland. Nick Doiron, a coder from San Francisco, created an open-source model for how cities can use citizens' social media posts to provide a new image of downtown. This website provides an interactive view of Oakland, Calif. local business districts -- pairing economic data with user photos to attract more business and economic development.
• WhyGDP Will DeKrey (a nonprofit consultant from Washington, DC) and Sean McDonald (a data visualization specialist from Los Angeles) examine in detail whether GDP or civic health is a better measure and predictor of community well-being and several kinds of outcomes.
• The Art of Community Wellness video by Philadelphia's Razorfish office demonstrates the value of the arts to community well-being -- including health, education, and satisfaction. Builds research findings that civic participation is key indicator of community well-being.