Open Government – Westminster Council and Microsoft Competition to Transform Data into Apps
All local authorities hold significant volumes of data, from information about population to the location of parking spaces for example. The challenge is knowing how best to use the data that is available in useful ways to improve citizen satisfaction with public services . Westminster City Council and Microsoft have teamed up to run a competition for anyone who works, lives or studies in Westminster to come up with ideas for smartphone apps or websites that use publicly available data from Westminster Council, and other sources, to innovate and contribute to improving life for residents, businesses and visitors.
Check if you are eligible to enter, then all you have to do is simply tell us:
- What your idea is
- How your idea will improve life in Westminster
- How it’s different from anything else available
- What data your idea needs
- Whether it would be a website, smartphone app or something else entirely?
The closing date for entries is Monday 18th July. All applications will be considered by a judging panel from Westminster City Council and Microsoft.
In addition to the kudos of potentially seeing your idea put into development, the winner will receive an Xbox 360 and Kinect and the Runner-up will receive an Arc keyboard and mouse.
All entries will be winners in the respect that your contributions will help us to understand the types of data that you would find useful if it were published. The competition is part of our transparency agenda to publish information on council spending and other data that is of interest to residents, businesses and visitors.
Full details of the Westminster City Council and Microsoft ‘Smart Data’ challenge can be found here.
We encourage you to get your creative heads on and come up with your ideas before the competition closing date of July 18th.
Posted by Leighton