Sourabh R. Rodagi moved to Chicago two years ago. What he learned about Chicago neighborhoods when apartment searching was all word of mouth, but he knew there was data collected that could help people make informed decisions when choosing a place to live. 

When choosing a place to live, the true cost of that neighborhood can be overlooked prior to signing a 12-month lease. Rodagi wanted to help solve this by providing a tool to make Chicago residents more informed. 

This led him to the creation of Chicago.Intel, a database that combines data from sources including local, state, federal, civic and census to help people navigate affordable housing. 

Using the knowledge he gained during his time as a graduate student studying business analytics at DePaul he knew he wanted to solve a real problem. 

“Chicago residents who are staying … in the city, want to switch to different neighborhood and someone who is newcoming, can make decisions on where to live based on their monthly salary and targets using all the numbers which are publicly available,” Rodagi said. 

Chicago.Intel shows a neighborhood’s true price. The neighborhoods are broken into sectors showing finance, safety, vibe and walkability for that area. The “vibe” is based on the nightlife scene, transit access, number of restaurants, walkability and what the area is known for. It also includes factors such as utilities, groceries, dining and transportation.

Rodagi spent a month putting Chicago.Intel together. He finished the current version in March. 

However, Rodagi has plans to continue improving the database. His current focus is making it “street level.” 

This would give a user the ability to search their current address or any specific address to see on the basis of apartment opposed to neighborhood. 

He currently works as a full-time analytics engineer at DataCEVA and dedicates ten hours a week to working on Chicago.Intel.

While creating the database, Rodagi met with Adam Hecktman, an adjunct faculty member at DePaul’s College of Computing and Digital Media. Rodagi and Hecktman discussed ways to improve the tool and get more eyes on it. 

When Hecktman first looked at Chicago.Intel he was confused, he said, because it looked like a project that more than one person had put together. He said it took someone who understood data, user experience and geographic information systems.

“All of those people were one terrific DePaul grad student,” Hecktman said. 

Hecktman was excited by this project because he said Rodagi “picked up on a nuance around social impact that not a lot of people think about.”

He added that although people think the cost of rent is simply how much a place costs, it does not reflect the cost of amenities, and the database gives renters a more accurate view of the real cost of a neighborhood. 

“He’s showing you other neighborhoods that you might otherwise have overlooked, for one reason or another, that have the amenities that you want, and maybe, just maybe, this could chip away ever so slightly at the segregation and housing problem that we have here in Chicago,” Hecktman said. 

Maddie Underwood, a senior at St. Louis University, is from Chicago and moving back after graduation. Despite being an Austin neighborhood native, she has still struggled finding an apartment.

Underwood said she has friends who have never lived in a city moving to Chicago and are completely overwhelmed. She said Chicago.Intel accounts for basically everything. 

“I think a lot of people don’t think about this stuff, especially if you’re a new renter …  this is most definitely very helpful,” Underwood said. “Especially the transportation section, if you’ve never lived in Chicago and relied on public transit.” 

Hecktman is on the board of Chi Hack Night, which led to Rodagi presenting Chicago.Intel at one of their events. One of the recommendations he received at Chi Hack Night was to add a feature where people living in a neighborhood can give a review on their living experience for others to see on Chicago.Intel.

Hecktman thinks Chicago.Intel is useful not just to students but to anyone looking to get an idea of where they want to live. 

“This will give you some visibility into neighborhoods that you may not have otherwise thought about or even knew about that you could be living in and affording it and contributing to that community,” Hecktman said.

Rodagi started Chicago.Intel as a project to showcase his skills and solve a problem so he could help people make more informed decisions. 

He said this project “feels well heard and appreciated and give(s) you a hope that if you build something that can solve a problem, there are people to help.”

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