Ivonne Jansen, ivonne@waag.orgWaag Society

Apps Challenges

How many apps does a challenge produce

How much effort does a challenge cost

Is it worth it?

• Ivonne Jansen DingsProject manager, Waag Society

• Apps for Amsterdam, Apps for Noord-Holland, Apps voor Nederland, Open Cities, Commons4EU

• http://www.linkedin.com/in/ivonnejansendings

Waag Society

Apps for Democracy

• 47 apps in 30 days

• cost 50.000,-, created value estimated: 2.300.000,-

• 20.000,- prize money divided over 60 prizes

• 6 days launching time with social media

• Make as much raw data as possible available

• Set as few rules as possible

• Define registration, submission and judging

• Give lots and lots of prizes

• Don’t let the contest run to long

Apps contest

Quality of Apps=

Quality of Data

WorldBankApps for Development

Nationale DatabankWegverkeersgegevens

Developers

< 18 jaar

Students

Agencies

Start-ups

Developers about Apps4

• A need for services in their own lives, like information for people with a disability.

• Expanding professional network by participation in events

• Talking to policymakers gave inspiration to make Apps

• Many Apps (or app ideas) were born during the ‘hackathon’ coding event

• Getting experience with open datasets

• Creative outlet (hobby)

• Curiosity about the datasets

• The contest puts the developer in the spotlight

• Opportunity to expand existing app with new data

• Being a part of the global “Apps” movement •

• Closing the gap between government and ICT entrepreneurs

Apps for Amsterdam• Amsterdam has ca. 780,000 residents • Of these, ca. 45,000 work in the IT

sector and ca. 48,000 in the creative industries

• Total out of pocket costs for kickoff event, hackathon event and award ceremony: Euro 16,000.-

• Total hours spent on preparation and execution of the contest: ca. 900 (between the three partners)

• Total cost of the price money: Euro 14,500.-, divided over 21 prizes

• Funding throught Open Cities (project co-funded by European Union) plus Economic Affairs Amsterdam

• 22 data sets made available by city of Amsterdam

• Total of 48 Apps submitted

City of Amsterdam 2011

• ACAM Accountancy en Advies

• Afval en Energie Bedrijf

• Bestuursdienst

• Brandweer Amsterdam-Amstelland

• Bureau Monumenten & Archeologie

• Coordinatiestelsel Werken aan de weg

• Dienst Advies en Onderzoek

• Dienst Basisinformatie

• Dienst Belastingen

• Dienst ICT

• Dienst Infrastructuur Verkeer en Vervoer

• Dienst Maatschappelijke Ontwikkeling

• Dienst Milieu en Bouwtoezicht

• Dienst Noord/Zuidlijn

• Dienstverlening en Facilitair Management

• Dienst Ruimtelijke Ordening

• Dienst Stadstoezicht

• Dienst Werk en Inkomen

• Dienst Wonen, Zorg en Samenleven

• Dienst Zuidas

• Economische Zaken

• GGD Amsterdam

• Haven Amsterdam

• Ingenieursbureau Amsterdam

• Ontwikkelingsbedrijf

• Projectbureau Noordwaarts

• Projectmanagement Bureau

• Servicehuis Personeel

• Stadsarchief Amsterdam

• Stadsbank van Lening

• VGA Verzekeringen

• Waternet

• 22 data sets

• Open Data Council initiative accepted Centre District

City of Amsterdam 2012

• ACAM Accountancy en Advies

• Afval en Energie Bedrijf

• Bestuursdienst

• Brandweer Amsterdam-Amstelland

• Bureau Monumenten & Archeologie

• Coordinatiestelsel Werken aan de weg

• Dienst Advies en Onderzoek

• Dienst Basisinformatie

• Dienst Belastingen

• Dienst ICT

• Dienst Infrastructuur Verkeer en Vervoer

• Dienst Maatschappelijke Ontwikkeling

• Dienst Milieu en Bouwtoezicht

• Dienst Noord/Zuidlijn

• Dienstverlening en Facilitair Management

• Dienst Ruimtelijke Ordening

• Dienst Stadstoezicht

• Dienst Werk en Inkomen

• Dienst Wonen, Zorg en Samenleven

• Dienst Zuidas

• Economische Zaken

• GGD Amsterdam

• Haven Amsterdam

• Ingenieursbureau Amsterdam

• Ontwikkelingsbedrijf

• Projectbureau Noordwaarts

• Projectmanagement Bureau

• Servicehuis Personeel

• Stadsarchief Amsterdam

• Stadsbank van Lening

• VGA Verzekeringen

• Waternet

• Contest together with AIM, Amsterdam Innovation Motor

• Goal is 50+ sustainable data sets

Applications as a source of information

Amsterdam AnalyticsCity: Amsterdamwww.amsterdamanalytics.nl

Amsterdam Analytics shows on a map view the dynamic of traffic flow in the city of Amsterdam. Camera's in the city monitor the traffic , where it comes from, where it is going. The routes most active 'drivers' in the city (probably busses and taxis) can be viewed, giving insight in the mobility of Amsterdam.

Open SpendingCurrently data on 25 countries throughout the worldwww.openspending.org

Open Spending is about Mapping the Money. The aim is to track every (public) government and corporate financial transaction across the world and present it in useful and engaging forms for everyone. We're exploring, structuring and mapping out different kinds of public finance from all around the world - state budgets, spending reports, grants and subsidy data. The goal is to create an interactive platform similar to OpenStreetMap: it's your local government spend.

OCO ScholenzoekerCity: Amsterdamwww.onderwijsconsument.nl/ocoscholen

The OCO-scholenzoeker is a useful app for anybody trying to find a school in Amsterdam. It gives the user different search criteria, like type of school, level, educational principles, distance, size of school etc. Using a map interface the information is displayed in a clear manner. Also parents (and children) can give their evaluations about the school using a rating system.

SolaAvailable for the Netherlandswww.solidlinks.nl/ios/sola

Solar energy from your own roof is a hot topic. Durable energy for the future is important. But not cheap. Does it pay off to put solar panels on your roof? Which roof is the best? How much energy would they produce? Are any subsidies available? Sola shows the consumer how much he can save in energy costs by installing solar cells. Simply place your phone on your roof and Sola calculates the incline, angle and sun hours and possible subsidies you can receive.

BikesharemapAvailable for over 30 cities worldwidewww.bikes.oobrien.com

Showing the current state of bike share systems in over 30 cities around the world - from London to Barcelona, from Bordeaux to Vienna from and Washington DC to Melbourne. This application will make the difference between arriving late and stressed or calm and composed after cycling into work by the river.

LinkBarcodeCity: Londonwww.traintimes.org.uk/map/tube/

LinkBarcode is an Android application that allows you to check by scanning a barcode if a product contains ingredients you do not want to eat. If you are allergic, vegetarian, environmentalist or just a concerned citizen, LinkBarcode will check whether a product contains ingredients that do not suit you, and if a scanned product isn't in the database the user will be able to add it on the fly directly from his phone.

Nomen est OmenAvailable in Finlandwww.nomenestomen.info

Nomen est Omen allows the user to analyse the commonness, origin and social status of Finnish surnames. This application utilizes a wide range of public data sources, and using it is easy.

E11Available in Germanywww.e11map.de

Different sources of energy throughout Germany are shown in the E11 map. With the discussion on nuclear energy being an ongoing issue, this map shows citizens where their power comes from and gives them the knowledge to make an informed decision.

Live London UndergroundCity: Londonwww.traintimes.org.uk/map/tube/

The app plots the current positions of all London Underground trains on a map, and updates the map in real time. It provides a stunning visualisation of the sheer amount going on in the Underground network, the constant movement, and a great overview of one of the most famous transport networks in the world. It also provides great interest when compared to Harry Beck's iconic Tube Map, by showing the network's geographic nature.

BuurtkaartAvailable in the Netherlandwww.buurtkaart.nl

Buurkaart combines geografic, democrafic, political and economic data, showing citizens how their neighborhood compares to others and which municipalities are much like your own.

Berliner WahlkarteCity: Berlinwww.morgenpost.de/berlinwahlkarte

When in september 2011 there were elections for city council, the details voting habbits were made public in the Berlin Wahlkarte the same night of the elections. Being able to link the data to unemployment en immigration data the map gave great insight in the voting in different areas.

Visualizing information

In The AirCity: Madridwww.intheair.es

The project proposes a platform for individual and collective awareness and decision making, where the interpretation of results can be used for real time navigation through the city, opportunistic selection of locations according to their air conditions and a base for political action. In the Air is a visualization project which aims to make visible the microscopic and invisible agents of Madrid´s air (gases, particles, pollen, diseases, etc), to see how they perform, react and interact with the rest of the city.

Where does mymoney goAvailable in the UKwww.wheredoesmymoneygo.uk

Where Does My Money Go? is an independent non-partisan project run by the Open Knowledge Foundation. The website tries to make government finances much easier to explore and understand - so you can see where every pound of your taxes gets spent. A beautiful and intuitive interface shows the citizens exactly what they are getting for their pounds.

Cursa De La MerceCity: Barcelonawww.bcn.es/cursamerce/ca/resultats.html

Visualizing data in the ""cursa de la Mercè"" 2009 on the map of Barcelona. The municipality of Barcelona gives access to any person to the data of all participants. The visualization shows the path of all participants (approximately 8500) with accelerated time, doing rollover on any of them shows their name, gender, final position in the race, and travel time. Upon reaching the goal (marked as A) it shows up the Gaussian distribution (typical) based on the number of arrivals per minute.

Game Of LifeAvailable worldwidewww.appsfordevelopment.elimak.com

The developers wanted to see if it was possible to translate the information from the World Bank datasets into a playable game to create awareness of different countries while also keeping it accessible for children, encouraging them to play and learn at the same time. The game generates a virtual random life based on all World Bank data and challenges the user to make it through.

Applications that engage citizens

Open Elm ProjectAvailable in the UKwww.openelm.org.im

The Open Elm Project is an Isle of Man based public crowdsourcing project to enable the public to contribute valuable data on the location an health of the Island's elm trees. Between 1968 and 1988 England lost 75% of its elms, and even though Dutch Elm Disease has reached the Isle of Man, effective control has meant that we have lost less than 1% of our elms. However, we need your help to ensure it stays under control.

Adopt a HydrantCity: Boston, USAwww.adoptahydrant.org

During the winter, storms often hide fire hydrants under piles of snow making them impossible to find quickly. Once they are found, fire fighters must spend precious minutes shoveling out hydrants before they can starting putting out the fire. The Adopt a Hydrant application was designed to coordinate the effort of citizens to help, to ensure that every hydrant in the city has a “parent” to care for it.

Fix My StreetAvailable in the Netherlandwww.fixmystreet.com

FixMyStreet is a site to help people report, view, or discuss local problems they’ve found to their local council by simply locating them on a map. It launched in early February 2007. After entering a postcode or location, you are presented with a map of that area. You can view problems already reported in that area, or report ones of your own simply by clicking on the map at the location of the problem

MuralappAvailable worldwidewww.muralap.mobi

Public art can define the spirit of a city. It connects people with a sense of history and place. A mobile app can give people access to information that helps them better understand the world around them. MuralApp helps you to not only find art, but to get to know it. Who was the artist? What was their thinking behind the piece? Was there a different mural beneath the one you see today and what did it look like? The mural app is a way for city dwellers and visitors to explore the art in their towns – and discover the history of the art around them.

Applications that empower citizens

Citizen ConnectCity: Bostonwww.cityofboston.gov/doit/apps/citizensconnect.asp

Citizens Connect is the City of Boston's award-winning effort to empower Boston residents to be the City's "eyes and ears" throughout our neighborhoods. Through this program, you can now use your mobile phone in five different ways to alert the City of Boston to neighborhood issues such as potholes and graffiti.

BuitenBeterCity: Eindhoven, Tilburg, Haarlem, Zeewolde, Huizen, Schiedamwww.buitenbeter.nl

There are many problems in streets and neighborhoods that can be spotted by citizens. Like a broken streetlight, a dirty bus stop, or garbage that has been dumped. BuitenBeter gives them the opportunity to report the problem using their smartphone. And helps the city to create a clean, safe and healthy living environment.

MapyHazarduAvailable in Czech Republicwww.mapyhazardu.cz

MapyHazardu is a crowdsourcing platform showing open data on the location of public buildings and asking citizens to map the location of gambling slot machines. Within the Czech Republic these slot machines are not allowed within 100 meters from public buildings. The application uses the helpful information of citizens to help law officials to enforce the law.

BomenkapCity: Amsterdamwww.bomenkap.nl

The simple principle of the site is to show information on trees in the city that are in the permit process of being cut. Many people care a great deal about keeping their city green. It gives them the opportunity to see what is happening in their neighborhood.

Illegal Dump SiteAvailable in Sloveniawww.register.ocistimo.si

Application recording of illegal dump site locations, managing the logistics for their field data collection and cleanup. By exposing the locations of illegal dump sites, people can force responsible institutions to clean the data Government - it can use these data to manage the process of illegal dump sites cleanups, to educate the public and to penalize the violations of the law.

Makkie KlauweCity: Amsterdamwww.bramfritz.nl/makkieklauwe

This demo app confronts citizens with the safety of their own property. The apps shows thieves where in the city they can best steal specific items. Combining data on income numbers and charges being pressed per area

Applications that make government more

transparant

Politiek InzichtAvailable in the Netherlandwww.ZNasichDani.sk

The app Political Insight shows what the politicians of the dutch parliament are saying by showing word clouds of the most important words said (per period) per politician. Politicians talk a lot. It is often hard to keep track of opinions and discussions in the parliament. Our visualization makes it crystal clear what the politician's most important topics are. Also, it gives a good representation of how the seats of the current politicians are distributed in the parliament (who sits where).

Real Time CongressAvailable for the USAwww.realtimecongress.org

Real Time Congress puts the U.S. legislative process at your fingertips. Have key updates, schedules, and key policy documents delivered to your iPhone the moment they are released by Congress and the White House.

PolitwoopsAvailable in the Netherlandswww.politwoops.nl

Politwoops saves deleted twitter messages from politicians. This tools follows about 2200 politicians in the Netherlands and not only promotes transparency, but also shows that the memory of internet is extremely strong. Even after you remove something, it often can still be found. Politwoops has received much interest from the international community which has resulted in similar initiatives being started throughout the world.

ZNasichDaniAvailable in Slovakiawww.ZNasichDani.sk

ZNasichDani uncovers who are influential persons (owners, managers, statutories) standing behind companies successful in securing contracts with the state, thus helping uncover conflicts of interest; it also shows how large are the sums of contracts obtained in this way.

Agent 34Available in the Netherlandswww.agent34.nl

Agent 34 gives citizens a tool to find out if they have been part of any secret investigations by the Dutch Secret Service. The site is currently a demo, but promises to provide this information in a safe way, according to the the article 34 of the law on notification, so citizens can see if they have been bugged or otherwise investigated.

Open Cities Challenge

• Pan European Open Data Challenge

• http://opencities.net/app_challenge

• Datasets from 7 European cities

• 30th of June submission deadline

Parallel track A2

• 15.00 - 15.30

• In depth about Apps for AmsterdamLessons learned and plans for 2012

Thank Youivonne@waag.org