Guest blog by Russ Slifer, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO

The fourth annual National Day of Civic Hacking will take place on June 4th as communities throughout the world host civic tech events. Led by CODE For AMERICA, the National Day of Civic Hacking brings together developers, government employees, designers, journalists, data scientists, non-profit employees, UX designers, and the public to leverage their skills and help their communities. This is our fourth year participating in the National Day of Civic Hacking and we are pleased to be hosting the Northern Virginia Day of Civic Hacking here at the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, VA on June 4 from 8am until 8pm.

You don’t have to be an expert in technology, you just have to care about your community. A core part of the USPTO’s mission is to promote STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and support the next generation of innovators. Come join technology enthusiasts from all sectors -- industry, non-profit, government and education -- as we create exciting new applications and further develop existing civic-based applications. I urge all those looking for a unique way to join your neighbors at a local event near you. To learn more, follow National Day of Civic Hacking on Facebook or Twitter, and join the discussion with #hackforchange.

As Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Michelle K. Lee recently discussed in her opinion editorial in The Huffington Post, the USPTO’s Open Data and Mobility Program is using a new platform to enable the public to discover and explore our wealth of internal data. This includes our Developer Hub, which provides vast data sets and interactive visualizations, as well as our community platform for sharing and discussing data.

At our Northern Virginia Day of Civic Hacking event at the USPTO this year, we will be asking local citizens to develop innovative ways to improve the discoverability, accessibility, and usability of our USPTO data. For example, you could develop a “flip-book” of recent patents or trademarks, create a new visualization about patent and trademark data, or code an Amazon Alexa™ skill that allows you to ask about what happened in patents and trademarks that week. We want you to use our new DeveloperHub to share and showcase the innovations you create to inspire the next generation of innovators.

The USPTO welcomes everyone to participate and hack for change. We look forward to seeing all of your great ideas as you #hackforchange!