February 20, 2015 – Toronto
The Canadian Open Data Experience (CODE) gets under way tonight, with over 1100 participants from across Canada. CODE 2015—a 48-hour open data appathon supported by the Government of Canada—challenges developers, students, and open data enthusiasts to race against the clock to transform federal government datasets into useful, consumer-friendly applications.
Minister Tony Clement started the countdown at the main competition Hub in Toronto this evening by announcing the specific themes, Healthy Living, Youth Employment, and Business Opportunities, to help teams focus their energy on how best to apply the vast array of datasets on Canada’s Open Government Portal, open.canada.ca. This coding weekend, which coincides with International Open Data Day (February 21), is an example of how the Government of Canada is supporting open data and demonstrating leadership in a world-wide movement toward open government.
Events like CODE 2015 bring together bright minds with the skills required to create fresh apps. New applications benefit Canadians, and can also lead to new start-ups or exciting opportunities with IT companies. In 2015, CODE promises to once again demonstrate the great potential to extract value from Government of Canada datasets.
Heather Domereckyj
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