Qld opens government data for app prize

Australian app developers short of funds but long on the business of extracting useful information out of government data have the chance to top-up their finances to the tune of $AU5,000 courtesy of a Queensland government competition.

Alternatively, given your point of view: having ditched most of its IT staff in a budgetary purge that's plunged the state into computer chaos, the Queensland government has decided to get a bunch of hopefuls to brainstorm open-government apps for the chance that four of them will score $AU5,000.

Whichever way you spin it, here's the outline of the competition: there are four prizes up for grabs for in the Premier's Awards for Open Data. There are three fixed categories – public transport, improved service delivery, and “growing and developing Queensland's future” – and one “wildcard” category. They're outlined here.

The wildcard category allows developers to submit entries based on any of the Queensland government open datasets listed here. The public transport category is seeking apps that “improve the customer experience” (for example, real-time presentation of public transport data); the other two are pretty broadly defined:

• Improved Service Delivery – refers to apps that produce better social services;
• Growing and Developing Queensland's Future – to quote assistant minister for e-Government Ray Stevens, apps “which will produce real economic benefits for Queenslanders”.

Entrants will be invited to a showcase of datasets in August, with winners to be decided in November. ®