The civic internet: connecting communities to solve global problems

From isolated decisions to global collaboration—what happens when communities connect through data.

Introduction: The Power of Connection

The world already knows the power of networks. Highways connected towns and enabled commerce. Power grids connected homes and fueled industry. The internet connected people and transformed society. Now we need the next layer: a civic internet that connects communities through the decisions of their local governments.

What Is a Civic Internet?

A civic internet is a network of structured local government data—captured, organized, and shared across communities. Instead of each town operating in isolation, every decision becomes part of a living map of governance.

This matters because many of the biggest problems we face are shared: education, public health, and infrastructure. Yet today, the lessons learned in one community rarely reach another.

📊 What a Civic Internet Makes Possible

• 🌍 Cross-town learning: Local programs spread nationally in weeks, not years
• Source: Education Week, 2022
• 🏥 Public health resilience: Best practices shared instantly across counties
• Source: National Association of Counties, 2022
• 🚧 Smarter infrastructure: Regions coordinate investments in real time
• Source: BroadbandUSA (NTIA), 2021
• 🗳️ Stronger democracy: Residents engage with plain-language summaries
• Source: Knight Foundation, 2020

From Isolation to Collaboration

Imagine a literacy program in Indiana spreading nationwide within months; a county's smart approach to opioid recovery replicated instantly; regional infrastructure projects coordinated to avoid duplication. This isn't wishful thinking—it's what happens when communities are connected through data.

Aware as the Civic Internet

By capturing, summarizing, and connecting local government decisions, Aware is building the civic internet:

• Residents become informed participants.
• Governments learn from peers instead of starting from scratch.
• Researchers and innovators gain the raw material to solve shared problems.

This civic internet isn't just about information. It's about collaboration—towns learning from towns, citizens learning from citizens, and democracy learning from itself.