BigApps NYC, the community-oriented open data competition now in its fifth year, has announced 20 finalists selected from among 100 projects developed by 3,000 event attendees. Included in the press release is a message I’d like to relay to anyone considering what open data can mean in their company, in their community, or in their lives.
“It was inspiring to see regular folks using our technology combined with open data to create meaningful solutions for others in their communities,” said John Paul Farmer, Director of Technology and Civic Innovation at Microsoft. “The secret to BigApps’ success is that it unleashes New York’s most powerful force for good – its people. Microsoft supports BigApps and other initiatives like it because we understand that some of our community’s most-needed solutions will be created by regular people leveraging technology in new and innovative ways to change lives for the better. That’s the promise of open data.”
Put simply, open data is fuel for innovation. And we’re fortunate that barriers to entry to innovation are lower than ever – technologies like cloud computing, embedded sensors, and mobile devices enable any one of us to develop new solutions to the problems and challenges we encounter in our daily lives. Open data is a foundational component of this wave of change that is putting in each of our hands the tools and building blocks to craft a better tomorrow. At Microsoft, one of our priorities is ensuring that as we realize the promise of data, we do so responsibly – protecting privacy while empowering individuals with control over their own personal information.
President Obama recently challenged us to encourage young people “to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.” Let’s not only challenge our kids; let’s challenge ourselves.
BigApps NYC will culminate with the awarding of prizes on September 19th. You can learn more about these promising projects at: nycbigapps.com.