Public Service Announcement
HRM partners with Esri Canada to announce new Apps4Halifax challenges for post-secondary students and startups
(Friday, October 18, 2013) - There are more chances to win great prizes in Halifax Regional Municipality’s Apps4Halifax Open Data App Contest, brought to you by title sponsor IBM. Students and startup companies are now eligible to enter the Maps in Apps Student and Startup challenges. These two new challenges have resulted from a partnership between HRM and Esri Canada, the company which distributes ArcGIS, a geographic information system (GIS) platform which allows developers to build Web mapping apps. Participants will have to build an app using Esri Canada’s ArcGIS technology and include at least one dataset from the HRM Open Data Catalogue.
To be eligible for the Maps in Apps Student Challenge, individuals or teams must be registered at an accredited College or University in Nova Scotia. Students may be full or part time in the 2013/2014 academic year. An app can be submitted by an individual or team of up to or including four students. Participating students/teams will have the opportunity to win one of three prize packages that will include a cash prize of $2,000, access to ArcGIS software and training and an opportunity to speak at a GIS Conference.
To be eligible for the Maps in Apps Startup Challenge, businesses must be registered as a for-profit business in Nova Scotia, be in business for less than 3 years, have 10 or less employees and have less than 1 million dollars in annual revenue. Participating developers will have the opportunity to win a prize package which includes access to ArcGIS software and training and mentoring with senior Esri Canada management.
The Apps4Halifax contest was created to encourage public engagement and inspire the development of user-friendly applications for Nova Scotia citizens using HRM open data. The Open Data Pilot, launched earlier this year at data.halifax.ca, enables public viewing and use of a selection of HRM datasets free of charge for a 12-month period.
For more information on the contest, visit apps4halifax.ca, follow @hfxgov on twitter or become a member of the Apps4Halifax Developers Facebook Group at: www.facebook.com/groups/apps4halifax.dev/
The Halifax Regional Municipality wishes to acknowledge and extend sincere thanks to our sponsors of Apps4Halifax: IBM, Esri Canada, Telus, Global Halifax, Metro News, Live 105, Saint Mary’s University, McInnes Cooper, National Public Relations, Socrata, Open Text, The Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites and The Foggy Goggle.
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Media Contact:
Janet Bryson
HRM Communications
490-5057
