The U.K. government’s Power of Information taskforce has launched a UK$20,000 competition for innovative ways to mash up public information.
The taskforce, led by cabinet office minister Tom Watson has opened up mapping data from the Ordnance Survey, medical data from the NHS, neighbourhood statistics from the Office for National Statistics and a carbon calculator from Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).
None of the data will be personal information, the government is keen to stress.
The best ideas will be put to a judging panel that has yet to be selected. The organizers stress that “highly technical and highly un-technical entries are welcome – the strongest ideas will win.”
The prize of up to UK$20,000 will pay for developers to turn the idea into a practical proposition. The competition will close at the end of September and winners will be announced by the end of the second week in October.
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