Johns Creek Launches Amazon Alexa Skill

JOHNS CREEK, GA — The city of Johns Creek has rolled out its own Amazon Alexa skill in an effort to make its DataHub more accessible to residents. The skill will use open data to answer city-related questions through the virtual assistant.

Johns Creek said that it is the first city in the world to use open data with Amazon Alexa, which pulls information from the Johns Creek website and DataHub to answer users’ questions. The DataHub portal holds large amounts of city-generated data like code compliance information, building permits, fire and police data, and more.

Amazon Alexa users can download the city of Johns Creek “skill” through the Alexa app. The skill will be able to answer questions about available jobs, the city event and meeting calendar, in addition to data-related questions.

For example, Alexa users can request, “Alexa, ask the city of Johns Creek when the next City Council meeting is scheduled,” and the virtual assistant will reply with the meeting date, time and location

The new Johns Creek Alexa skill, which only provides information and does not collect any, is one additional tool among many that residents can use to access information regarding the city.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here)

Photo: Johns Creek Chief Data Officer Nick O'Day, left, and GIS Analyst Julie Kutz. Credit: city of Johns Creek