Tech
Interview: Chris Belasco, chief data officer, City of Pittsburgh | Computer Weekly
Chris Belasco, chief data officer (CDO) at the City of Pittsburgh, is focused on his team’s triumphs. While some data leaders might like to bask in the glory of their personal achievements, Belasco says success in the fast-moving digital age is very much about taking a collegiate approach: “The complaints should come to me, and the credit should go to the team.”
Belasco reached the CDO position by transferring his evaluation and analytics skills from academia to the public sector. He completed a PhD in public affairs and ran a unit at the University of Pittsburgh that conducted large impact evaluations on democracy and foreign assistance for the US Agency for International Development.
With a young family, he was keen to establish roots locally and joined the City of Pittsburgh in 2018 as enterprise project manager. He moved into the CDO role in 2022 and has relished the opportunity to help his organisation build data pipelines and refine its operational processes.
“I was fortunate enough to have good team members, some of whom are still here,” he said. “I’ve built the rest of the team, which has some incredibly sharp data engineering skills that I feel are a nice way to emphasise the capabilities of what the city has to offer.”
As a reflection of those capabilities, Pittsburgh achieved a higher level of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities Certification earlier this year. The certification recognised how the city has established data capabilities to inform policy, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate programmes, and engage residents. Belasco is proud of the achievement.
“Thirty-eight cities are either gold or platinum in the western hemisphere, and we are punching well above our weight class with the capabilities and practices that we’re able to demonstrate,” he says. “What we’re able to achieve through the work we’re doing, such as partnering with Astronomer, is pretty spectacular.”
Creating a fresh approach
As Pittsburgh CDO, Belasco manages analytic, data engineering, and software development efforts to improve the city’s operations. His team builds the connective tissue for city departments to focus on helping residents, rather than managing data infrastructure.
“My job is mainly about making sure the team has the resources they need to succeed,” he says. “I enjoy helping people make better decisions, giving them the resources they need to be able to do that, and helping to achieve transparency.”
Belasco says the other key element of his job is about ensuring data helps the city achieve its objectives, which are centred on citizen requirements: “My role is about connecting people across silos and departments in our organisation, but also the public and our partners, to make sure that they know the data assets that we have.
“I need to ensure we’re using those assets strategically and that we’re achieving the goals set out by the leadership in the city. We need to give the public some of the things they’ve come to expect from cities in this digital age. That’s about being able to advance our practices by listening to the people who say these are the things you should be working on.”
Belasco says the general direction in terms of digital transformation is towards helping Pittsburgh become a data hub. He says the city made strong progress before he arrived at the organisation, referring to a series of dynamic leaders who were eager to help the city progress in the data space.
Since becoming CDO, Belasco has continued this work. He points to the organisation’s transition to the cloud, suggesting his role in Pittsburgh’s continued digital transformation has involved connecting to best practices in other places and ensuring his team has the runway to land its work effectively.
“We’re about to launch our first open data report since 2017. We’ve been able to release open data sets and partner with our data intermediary partners to do community-driven and community-facing data projects that help equity and justice. We’ve also achieved some safety measures that feel a little unheard of in our domain,” he says.
“We partnered with human resources, the Department of Public Works, which was the pilot leader, and the Mayor’s Office, and we built both the ability to report on safety incidents and the outcome metrics. That work has reduced safety incidents and ensures that employees can go home from work safely, and that’s clearly tremendously important.”
Opening data access
Belasco and his team have also been focused on building real-time citizen dashboards that provide open access to government data. At the heart of this programme of work sits the organisation’s implementation of Astronomer technology.
The Astro platform helps Belasco’s team manage the city’s Apache Airflow data pipelines. Before implementing the platform, the team maintained its Airflow environments on Google Cloud Composer. However, the team struggled with Composer outages and spent valuable time firefighting issues when they wanted to focus on developing innovative citizen services.
Belasco and his colleagues assessed their options and believed Astro could support a digital transformation. The data team began the migration to Astro in early 2024 once they’d demonstrated the case for change to the city’s senior executives.
“I enjoy helping people make better decisions, giving them the resources they need to be able to do that, and helping to achieve transparency”
Chris Belasco, City of Pittsburgh
“We tried to come up with an estimate of how much time we would spend servicing Composer images,” he says. “We were trying to be entrepreneurial about ways that we could help free up time for our people who knew engineering but were spending time on data management. So, Astro was a force multiplier for us to take their time and move it off into something else. The executives understood that we were trying to make our processes more efficient.”
One of the most important initiatives being supported by Astro is the City’s recently launched OneStopPGH Insights tool, a web-based application that allows residents to track neighbourhood permits, code violations and zoning applications online in real-time. Belasco says the pioneering initiative is a great example of how his organisation is working to create data-enabled services for Pittsburgh citizens.
“The site will tell you all the different pieces of information related to the area you’re exploring,” he says, adding that more than 30 permit types are already tracked. “Soon, the platform will also include everything from our Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, such as information related to transportation, rights of way and street segments.”
About 99% of the city’s data activities run in Astro, which has become the city’s unified orchestration platform. The shift to Astro has involved more than four million rows of transformed data across 13 pipelines. The platform also supports the city’s open data efforts, enabling data scientists and the public to use information freely and easily.
“These technologies are the foundations for creating useful visualisations,” says Belasco.
Proving the value of information
Belasco says the work around Astro is a good example of the data-led change that his organisation is attempting to pursue. Across all stages of this initiative and other transformation projects, there’s a continual attempt to build strong bonds with line-of-business professionals.
He gives the example of how this joined-up approach has helped prove the benefits of the OneStopPGH Insights tool to the broader Pittsburgh community: “There’s a project manager in another department who is overseeing the implementation of the software that is used for this programme of work.
“They’re also the person who’s gone out to the community groups to talk to them about using and transitioning to this new software. And the people in the community have had nothing but good things to say. So, this initiative is a triumph of a handful of different teams working together to get the work done.”
When it comes to lessons for other business and digital leaders, Belasco says that modern data chiefs must ensure people across the organisation understand the value of projects that produce insights for line-of-business professionals and external clients. His team stands on the shoulders of earlier work and the recognition of the benefits of transformation in Pittsburgh.
“I feel like everything started with culture changes in technology leadership at the city, which we were able to glom onto and grow. I want to credit the CIOs and past leaders of our organisation who have helped to grow that culture across departments, so that data people in the various departments could get interesting projects moving along,” he says.
“You grow trust out at the department-to-department level and get everybody moving along in one direction as closely as you can. We’ve acted like a subcommittee to help ensure that everyone believes in our work and has a say in what we’re doing. That institutionalisation is a way that we’ve been able to achieve our targets as we’ve moved forward, and then those conversations translate over into products we create.”
Building long-term trust
The data team continues to seek new ways to exploit information. When it comes to artificial intelligence, Belasco says the aim is to explore emerging technology carefully. “We’re working on adapting our activities to ensure that our workforce has the tools to be able to do higher-order work,” he adds. “That’s our pathway.”
Belasco says successful data projects are all about communication and collaboration: “When you say, ‘OK, here’s what we need to do’, and you have someone from a line-of-business department who has a leadership role in the work you’re doing, and they’re telling you, ‘Here’s what I need to see from the project’, then you begin to work together with other people closely to achieve your targets.”
The key to data success is getting the right people from other lines of business across the organisation involved early and quickly.
“It’s all about getting visibility from teams and subject matter experts to help make sure that they have a voice and can contribute,” Belasco says. “You must build trust between your team and the line-of-business professionals and senior executives in the organisation.”
Shopping for a Dyson vacuum is an experience. There are many models to navigate and serious price tags on most of them. As someone who tests vacuums for a living, I have to admit that a Dyson blows most other vacuums away. There are a few cheaper models I’ll still grab (check out my full guide to cordless and robot vacuums for more recommendations), but if you’re dreaming of a Dyson, this weekend is a great time to buy.
Several Dyson models I love are on sale for the long weekend. This weekend’s sale includes Dyson’s newest robot vacuum and the PencilVac that I can’t stop using, and my overall favorites like the V15 Detect and Gen5Detect, and more models our team has loved using. Read on to find out every on-sale Dyson I’d buy this weekend.
Best Dyson Vacuums on Sale for Memorial Day
The Best Dyson for the Price
If you’re looking for the best features for the best price, I already recommend the Dyson V15 Detect when it’s not on sale, making this an even better time to buy. You’ll get both a Fluffy Optic cleaner head and a Digital Motorbar cleaner head to use for hard floors, carpet, or rugs, trigger control, and details about the particles you suck up while you vacuum. It’s lightweight and easy to use anywhere in the house, and the hour-long battery life should be plenty for a whole-home clean.
A More Powerful Dyson
Dyson’s more powerful stick vacuum is the Gen5Detect, which is a great option if you have pets since it has a faster motor with more suction power than the V15 Detect to suck up more pet hair (it’s our top vacuum for pet hair for a reason) and has a HEPA filter to keep allergens contained inside of the vacuum instead of being released back into the air. It also comes with a true power button, so you don’t have to hold onto the trigger button the entire time to use it. Similar to the V15 Detect, it comes with both a Digital Motorbar cleaner head and a Fluffy Optic cleaner head to use on carpet and hard floors, respectively. You’ll also get two more attachments, plus a built-in dusting and crevice tool (it’s nice not to have to wonder where this attachment is!) It’s an expensive vacuum, but well worth the investment when it’s on sale.
If You Only Have Hard Floors
I shouldn’t like the PencilVac so much, but I find myself reaching for it often, and I think it’s plenty worth its abilities when it’s on sale. Part of what makes it so easy to grab compared to my other stick vacuums is how easy it is to store and keep charged with the freestanding charging base, letting it stand wherever I like in my home as long as there’s an outlet nearby. The PencilVac has two versions, the Fluffy and Fluffycones, with the latter having a design that has fluffy cone-shaped rollers to best collect debris. It is limited to only hard floors and has a short battery life, but I love how maneuverable and lightweight this vacuum is. It’s usually a high price tag for its abilities, and even on sale, it’s not what I would call cheap, but it’s a great, quick daily vacuum.
Dyson’s Latest Robot Vac
Dyson’s newest robot vacuum, the Spot+Scrub Ai, is its first that doubles as both a vacuum and a mop. It has a large base station that reminds me of Dyson’s vacuums, since the dry debris canister is clear and rounded like the ones you’d see attached to a Dyson stick vacuum or one of its upright models. It does a good job mopping and vacuuming, and can learn multiple floors, and the navigation has improved since the older Dyson 306 Vis Nav. Still, it’s not perfect navigation, since the camera sits below the top of the vacuum and doesn’t always see low-profile furniture that it’ll bump into. If you don’t have a ton of low furniture (or tons of IKEA pieces, as I do), this vacuum could be just perfect for you.
A Stick Vac and Mop
Dyson
V15s Detect Submarine
If you want a vacuum that doubles as a mop, look no further than this variation of the V15 Detect that’s also on sale for the holiday weekend. The V15s Detect Submarine comes with the Submarine wet roller head that transforms it from a regular Dyson vacuum (that still comes with both the Fluffy optic cleaner head and Digital motorbar cleaner head for you to use on hard floors and carpet) into a wet roller mop. You can’t buy a regular V15 Detect and add this attachment on; this V15s is made to work with this Submarine head. You’ll fill the small reservoir on the roller head with water and can start mopping away, but you will have to rinse the mop head afterwards by hand, which is a little gross.
A Handheld-Only Dyson
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Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
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If you’re not looking to spend a ton but want a Dyson that’s super portable and great for stairs, cars, and even boats, the Dyson Car+Boat is made for that. It’s in the name, after all. This handheld-only vacuum packs solid power and has a great battery life for a handheld vacuum. It uses a trigger-style control like the V15 Detect, which I actually find ideal for cleaning compact spaces like stairs and cars so that you’re not fumbling to switch it off as you move around the car or to the next set of stairs. It’s an affordable way to get into the Dyson ecosystem, especially since it’s on sale.
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Photograph: Michael Calore
The walls of the bag are tough enough, made from 1,200-denier polyester, which is heavy-duty and water-resistant, not to mention so rugged that it’s nearly indestructible. I’ve checked it as luggage on a dozen or so flights, and it doesn’t show any scuffs or tears. The zipper at the top isn’t sealed, but it’s heavier than it needs to be and works just fine in the rain. What truly sets the bag apart, though, is its lining. The whole interior of the tote is coated with a thin layer of thermoplastic, further increasing its imperviousness to moisture.
Photograph: Michael Calore
Photograph: Michael Calore
Now, of course, the purpose of this kind of lining is to keep the contents dry when you use the bag in a wet environment, like on a canoe trip, on a rainy bike ride, or on a duck hunt in the Maine wilderness. And surely, I have used the bag in a canoe and on many a rainy bike ride (I’ve never been on a duck hunt), and the goods inside have indeed always remained intact. I even trust the bag enough to carry electronics and musical equipment to the office or studio on drizzly mornings. But for me, the utility the bag provides is more so the opposite: it’s an excellent place to cleanly transport items that are, themselves, muddy, wet, or slimy.
For example, I’ve taken the bag car camping several times. Once, I used it to pack my tent, ground cloth, boots, and rain shell. On the last day of the trip, it poured outside, and upon it being time to head home, my rain jacket and tent were soaked, the ground cloth was dotted with wet pine needles and flecks of bark, and my boots had a thick layer of Mendocino, California, muck in the tread. I crammed all of those items in the Hunter’s Tote, zipped it up, and tossed it into the back seat of my rental car. The interior lining kept the mess inside, saving the rental car’s tuck-and-roll upholstery. Back home, I emptied the tote, flipped it inside out, and blasted out all the forest flooring with a hose.
There are two heavy plastic tabs on the edges of the tote, one at each end of the zipper. This is where the shoulder strap clips in. I’ve never really used the strap (honestly, it just gets in the way), but those tabs are great for hanging the tote to dry after rinsing it out.
The Hunter’s Tote comes in three sizes. I have the largest, the XL, which has a capacity of 53 liters. (That’s huge for a tote bag.) I prefer the larger size because when you set the reinforced bottom on a flat surface and prop the mouth of the bag open, you have a generous flat bottom inside of 10 by 19 inches. All that room really makes the bag more versatile, so my recommendation is to go large.
Also, just know there are no frills here: no exterior pockets, no padding, no laptop sleeve. Just a rugged carrier that’s ready for your dirtiest work. Whether you’re carrying twelvers of La Croix or bagging Buffleheads, it’s indispensable.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.
As of July 1, all vehicles sold within the European Union must include a standard, preinstalled interface that allows a breathalyzer lock to be added to the ignition system. This measure is part of a larger strategy promoted by the EU to reduce drunk-driving-related deaths and injuries by at least 50 percent by 2030.
The requirement falls under the Vision Zero program, launched by European authorities more than five years ago, which aims to eliminate alcohol-related traffic fatalities entirely—or get as close to zero as possible—by 2050. The measure also aligns with the timetable established in the EU’s General Safety Regulation, which sets specific deadlines for manufacturers to incorporate various safety features into vehicle designs, starting at the factory.
The regulation that will become mandatory in July obliges automakers to provide an electrical connection and reserve a space inside the vehicle to allow the installation of an “alcolock” device. This device must comply with European standard EN 50436 for Alcohol Ignition Interlocks and have a certificate issued by an authorized accrediting entity.
The operation of an alcolock is simple. Before starting the vehicle, the driver must blow into the device, which measures the level of alcohol present in the breath. If the result exceeds the legal limit, the system, which connected to the vehicle’s ignition or starting mechanism, automatically blocks the ignition cycle and prevents the car from starting.
This type of technology already operates in several European countries, mainly as part of programs aimed at repeat offenders of alcohol-related offenses or in certain sectors of professional transport. Official figures estimate that its implementation can reduce fatal accidents associated with alcohol consumption by up to 65 percent.
Since 2018, the European Union’s road safety program has incorporated different technologies to reinforce safe driving. As of 2024, new vehicles integrate an intelligent speed assistant, a system that detects the permitted speed limit using cameras or GPS and alerts the driver when they are exceeded the limit.
In addition, there is the emergency lane keeping assistant, capable of correcting the trajectory when the vehicle deviates without prior signaling. Also noteworthy is the event data recorder, popularly known as the “black box,” which stores key information during the seconds prior to an accident to facilitate law enforcement and traffic safety agency investigations.
Recently, a requirement was added to incorporate the adaptive brake light, a mechanism that, in the event of sudden braking, automatically and intensely activates the rear lights to warn other drivers of the need to slow down and avoid a collision.
The obligation to install an interface for an on-board breathalyzer is the final step in this set of safety measures. As of the first day of July, no car will be allowed to leave a dealership within the EU without full compliance with all these requirements.
This story was originally published by WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
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