Hackers wanted: Mashup events target Govt data

James Riley
Tuesday, 13 October 2009 12:24

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

Lindsay Tanner's Gov 2.0 Taskforce has spawned three hacker events in support of its Mashup Australia competition – including two hosted by Google Australia – as it seeks creative ways to use dormant public sector data.

Set up by the Finance Minister in June, the Taskforce is now running at full tilt, with the Mashup Australia competition central to its program. The competition wants hackers to conceive and build new applications using public sector data sets released by Federal and state governments.

The catalogue of data sets available for the Mashup can be found here, with newly-released data including NSW crime statistics and Australian Federal Police crime data.

ACT senator Kate Lundy, a long-time advocate of Web 2.0 technology and a driving force behind Government 2.0 style initiatives, says the three events so far announced in support of the competition is just a start.

Senator Lundy is encouraging other communities and users groups to look the available data, and to host their own Mashup sessions.

"This is a first, but very important step. It will hopefully get people thinking about how we use public sector information for new, interesting and innovative purposes," Senator Lundy said.

"It can also be quite empowering for communities. When those sorts of numbers (like crime statistics) are released, it’s left up to the Bureau of Statistics or the police to interpret those statistics with the hope that the community will listen to their message," Senator Lundy said.

"By putting the data out there, it is offered up to the community to interpret for themselves using mashup technology. So it's very empowering for communities to have these data sets."

Google will host two hacking sessions – from 6pm tomorrow night and again on October 28 – at its Sydney Googleplex, starting with a brief introduction to mashups and tips for building them and ending with the promise of "hardcore hacking." And Google promises to provide the energy (by way of dinner.)

The OpenAustralia.org initiative – a volunteer brigade of Gov2.0 advocates – will also host all-day Mashup Australia sessions at Google premises on November 7 and 8.

And Web Directions will host a GovHack event in Canberra on October 30 and 31.

Taskforce member Mia Garlick – an assistant secretary with the department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy – said the competition would generate new ideas about how public data can be made useful.

But it would also serve as a signpost for Government departments, encouraging them to make more data available.