Outstanding uses of the Australian Government’s NationalMap were on show at the GovHack 2015 awards.
The NationalMap is a powerful browser-based visualisation tool that provides easy access to a wealth of government geospatial data. This includes thousands of datasets from sources like the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Bureau of Meteorology and data.gov.au.
GovHack 2015 is an annual national data mashup event that gives teams of developers the chance to compete and create new ways of using government open data. The awards on 5 September showcased some innovative uses of the map, including:
- Award-winning app Use Your Words, which tracks the tone and subject matter of news stories over time and displays them on the map by location.
- Get Ready, an app to improve disaster response and emergency prevention by helping people visualise disaster prone areas in their region.
- HomeShare, an app focussed on tackling homelessness and the generational divide by helping homeless young people find a home share with older Australians.
Since its launch last year, the map has enabled developers to create new and innovative applications using government open data, including:
- Propeller Aeronautics’ expansion of the NationalMap to give businesses an easy way to use drone data.
- The Australian Renewable Energy Mapping Infrastructure project, an online platform sharing mapping data with the renewable energy industry.
- The Northern Australia Map, part of the Government’s commitment to developing northern Australia.
New open datasets will continue to be added regularly as part of the Government’s commitment to open data, with more than 3,000 datasets already publically available.
The map was developed by the Department of Communications, with NICTA and Geoscience Australia.
The NationalMap is available at: www.nationalmap.gov.au
A video showing the NationalMap at GovHack is available
Media contact: media@communications.gov.au