Civic Hack DC 2027 – Part 2: From Prototype to Production

At Civic Hack DC 2025, technologists, policy experts, designers, data practitioners, and civic-minded volunteers explored what could be built with federal regulatory comment data. Now we’re taking the next step: from prototype to production. Part 2 will build on SpicyRegs and the original Civic Hack DC 2025 problem statements to create production-level open-source MVP tools for making public comments easier to search, analyze, understand, and act on. This time, we’re focused on tools that can continue beyond demo day. What Makes Part 2 Different Part 1 was about exploring what is possible. Part 2 is about building what can actually be used. We are organizing teams around real work groups, judges, advisors, and product-owner partners who can help define needs, validate assumptions, and guide teams toward practical tools. Together, teams will ask: Who is this tool for? What workflow does it support? What would make it trustworthy enough to use? What is the smallest useful version we can ship? What should continue after the hackathon? Judging and feedback will focus on usefulness, feasibility, accessibility, trust, documentation, and potential for real-world impact. What We’ll Build Participants may work on tools for: public comment search and summarization; theme, trend, and pattern detection across large dockets; dashboards for policy analysts, advocates, journalists, researchers, and public servants; data pipelines, APIs, and regulatory data infrastructure; AI-assisted workflows designed with transparency, trust, and human review in mind; improvements to the SpicyRegs technical foundation. The goal is not just to make a clever demo. The goal is to create open-source MVPs with clear users, thoughtful design, documented code, and a realistic path to continued development through Civic Tech DC. Who Should Attend We welcome: software developers; data scientists and data engineers; AI/ML practitioners; UX/UI designers and researchers; policy professionals; legal researchers; journalists; advocates; public servants; product managers; students and curious collaborators. You do not need to have attended the first Civic Hack DC. We’ll provide context, project briefs, starter materials, and clear ways to plug in. Product Owners, Judges, Advisors, and Sponsors We are especially looking for people and organizations who can serve as product-owner work groups, judges, advisors, sponsors, or implementation partners. This role is ideal for people who understand federal rulemaking, public comments, regulatory analysis, civic participation, public-interest technology, journalism, research, or advocacy. Product-owner partners can help teams: explain real-world workflows; define users and use cases; pressure-test assumptions; prioritize MVP features; evaluate usability and trust; provide feedback during demos; identify which projects should continue after the event. Interested in getting involved?Email [email protected] Why It Matters Every year, people, organizations, and communities submit public comments on federal rules that shape health, housing, labor, transportation, technology, climate, consumer protection, and more. But those comments are often hard to search, compare, summarize, or analyze. That makes it harder to understand who is participating, what they are saying, and how public input may shape final policy. SpicyRegs is Civic Tech DC’s effort to make that information more accessible and actionable. Civic Hack DC Part 2 is about building the next layer: practical tools that help people make sense of public comments and participate more meaningfully in public decision-making. Bring Bring your laptop, curiosity, and willingness to collaborate. Civic Tech DC is a nonpartisan volunteer community. All backgrounds and skill levels are welcome.