U.K. government launches public data mashup competition

By Computerworld U.K. staff

July 7, 2008 (Computerworld UK) The U.K. government's Power of Information task force has launched a £20,000 ($40,000 U.S.) competition for innovative ways to mash up public information.

The task force, led by cabinet office minister Tom Watson, has opened up mapping data from the Ordnance Survey, medical data from the National Health Service, neighborhood statistics from the Office for National Statistics, and a carbon calculator from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

None of the data will be personal information, the government stressed.

The best ideas will be put to a judging panel that has yet to be selected. The organizers said that "highly technical and highly untechnical entries are welcome -- the strongest ideas will win."

The prize of up to £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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