Cabinet Office launches mashup competition
Kablenet.com
Published: 03 Jul 2008 14:02 BST
The Cabinet Office has set up a competition for people to develop their own mashups using public-sector information.
The competition, the idea for which emerged from early discussions of the Power of Information Task Force, has involved the release of government information not previously available.
Entrants can combine the data with their own material to create information tailored to specific groups or needs. Details are available on the taskforce's 'Show Us a Better Way' website.
"The idea behind it is asking people, for the first time, to co-design public services," a spokesperson for the Cabinet Office told GC News. "We're putting data out there, some of which has not been publicly available before, and asking people to do their own mashups."
He said the taskforce would pick the best entry at the end of the summer and present its originator with a prize of £20,000 to further develop the service.
Among the data made available is a list of all schools from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, neighbourhood statistics from the Office for National Statistics, and notices from The London Gazette on issues ranging from corporate insolvencies to ecclesiastical appointments.
The spokesperson added that Cabinet Office minister Tom Watson supports the competition. Watson, who has spoken enthusiastically about the potential for mashups in public services, hopes that entries will come from a wide range of people and groups.
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