Canadian Open Data Experience app contest to begin February 28

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      Treasury Board president Tony Clement is set to make an announcement on Tuesday (January 21) at UBC's Vancouver campus. The federal cabinet minister will be promoting the Canadian Open Data Experience, which is being billed as the "first nationwide open data hackathon" in the country.

      CODE will take place from February 28 to March 2. Participating developers (in teams of up to four people) will be given a theme just before the start of the free contest, and will then spend 48 hours creating apps using open data released by the federal government.

      Eventually, judges will pick the top 15 and then top three apps. The grand prize is $25,000, second place is worth $5,000, and third place comes with $1,000. The public will also get the chance to vote for a fan favourite, which will win $1,000.

      Clement, who is CODE's facilitator, will be one of the judges. In a November open letter, Clement wrote:

      The rise of digital technology has lead to a growing appreciation for the data locked up in the government vault. CODE will allow entrepreneurs and tech developers alike to explore the value of government datasets. Like other appathons, CODE will present itself as an educational tool that will help to spur innovation in the tech industry.

      From air and water quality monitoring, to border wait times, to information on permanent residency applications, crime statistics and vehicle recalls, Open Data has the potential to drive social, political, and economic change. This data is a treasure trove of information that offers endless possibilities for researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs.

      The federal government, which launched its open data portal in 2011, is putting on the contest in partnership with Toronto game developer XMG Studio. In 2010, the B.C. government ran a similar contest called Apps for Climate Action.

      Comments

      2 Comments

      edge

      Jan 21, 2014 at 5:07pm

      I suggest apps to help the public access Environment Canada studies, follow campaign spending (as well as who the donors are), one that show GHG emissions per province by sector, one that shows every oil spill, as well as one that follows all current and past investigations of all MPs.

      Barbarian at the Gate

      Feb 15, 2014 at 12:50pm

      Snowden already won this prize. He's done more to free the data and information locked up in government hands than anyone at any of these government sponsered and censored "hackathons" ever will.