GovHack 2015 entrants find novel uses for NationalMap

Participants in the GovHack 2015 competition developed some innovative uses for the government’s NationalMap geospatial data visualisation tool.

The GovHack 2015 hackathon took place from Thursday to Saturday last week. Teams participating in the event developed novel uses for the map as well as other government datasets.

Notable apps developed based on the NationalMap include Use Your Words, which tracks the tone and subject matter of news stories over the time, visualising them on the map by location, and Get Ready, an app to improve data response and emergency prevention by visualising disaster spots.

Also showcased at the GovHack award ceremony was HomeShare, an app focused on helping homeless young people find a home to share with other Australians.

The NationalMap was developed by the Department of Communications, NICTA and Geoscience Australia. It includes public access to more than 3000 government datasets from sources including the Australian Bureau of Statistics and data.gov.au.

Since its launch last year it has enabled the development of new applications for government data including the Australian Renewable Energy Mapping Infrastructure project and the Northern Australia Map, which will form part of the government’s plan to develop the north of the country.