The world-wide Open Data Hackfest

An iPhone app for tracking bus schedules. A Google maps mash-up showing events by season. A budget tracking app that “finds the gravy.”

These are just a few of the applications that began development today all over the world using municipal data released under “open data” policies.

The past year has seen a trend of more and more city governments posting data online for anyone to use, encouraging groups of hackers to create applications making use of that information.

It could be said that the trend has reached critical mass with hackers in 73 cities gathering today to hack away at the data. Toronto, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Vancouver, Victoria and Guelph were just some of the cities taking part. Cities across the United Kingdom, India, France and Brazil among other countries also took part.

The event was put together in part by Vancouver open data advocate David Eaves and Ottawan Edward Ocampo-Gooding.

As the Hackfest opened, a long table was covered with a large sheet of white paper where participants were encouraged to write down ideas then move over two steps to the left and expand on other’s ideas.

Ideas like being able to find out where a bus is, tracking apartment vacancies, visualizing census data and many others.

According to Ocampo-Gooding, the plan is to show the ideas to city committees to demonstrate what data citizens are interested in accessing.

“Give us that data and we’ll make it happen,” he said.

Getting data from the City of Ottawa has been easier since the city adopted a formal open data policy in May, but much of it has been slow to make it online. Ocampo-Gooding said he is looking to have the Open Data Ottawa group set up their own data catalogue to help speed things along.

“We can help each other out,” he said.

One idea that came out of the Hackfest was a game to crowdsource the data from local residents.

Jesse Kaunisviita explained that he and others are working to create a site that hosts “quests” for data. For example, they could post “Find all water fountains in the city,” and assign points to users who identify water fountain locations.

There would be a leaderboard to show whose getting the most points, though people could simply tag a location they spot on the way to work.

“They don’t need to seek it out,” said Kaunisviita.

The Hackfests have provided a new wave of citizen engagement in the digital age.

“This makes people realize it’s not just about council, they can get involved too,” said Ocampo-Gooding.

TransGaming licenses 3D technology to Adobe Flash platform

TransGaming, founded in Ottawa and now headquarted in Toronto, has licensed the company's SwiftShader 3D technology to Adobe to improve 3D effects in Flash-based applications.

SwiftShader is a pure software 3D renderer that allows computers without high-end graphics cards to run 3D effects.

The software renderer has previously been used by casual gaming companies to add 3D effects that would run on computers not built for gaming.

"Working with Adobe on next generation 3D capabilities is a natural fit for TransGaming’s SwiftShader graphics technology and means that Adobe developers will be able to deliver 3D content on practically any hardware,” said TransGaming founder and chief technology officer Gavriel State in a press release. ”In addition to broader hardware compatibility, SwiftShader is portable, flexible and efficient - adding as little as 100kb to the size of the distributable content for Flash Player and Adobe AIR.”

“Future Adobe Flash Platform tools and technologies will drive 3D innovation on the web just as we powered the web video revolution,” added Anup Murarka, director of product marketing for the Flash Platform at Adobe.

 

100 Gigabit network connects researchers even faster

Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network (CANARIE) now has an ultra-fast lane on their network, thanks to a collaboration with Ciena to get a 100 gigabit network up and running some powerful applications.

CANARIE, which connects many research institutions including government, university, hospital and other labs, can now collaborate on even more complex undertakings thanks to the faster network.

With the ability to stream live, uncompressed high-definition video, doctors can better connect with medical students and patients while allowing better imagery for collaboration as well.

Meanwhile, the ability to transmit even larger amounts of data than before will assist the Canadian Brain Imaging Research Network (CBRAIN) to access, process and analyze brain imaging and mapping data.

“Our demonstration with Ciena showcases the value of our technology investments and 100G capabilities, as it proves CANARIE’s network to be a flexible platform supporting researchers, educators and innovators across Canada working to improve our health, our economy, our environment and our future,” said Jim Roche, president and CEO of CANARIE in a press release.

“More importantly, the actual applications demonstrated over the live network help move the industry conversation beyond simply building faster networks to how that bandwidth can be utilized – through applications in healthcare, as demonstrated today, but also in applications exploring everything from carbon-free computing to new energy sources, from easing traffic congestion to better managing our ocean resources.”

The technology behind the 100 gigabit network was developed by Ciena, who recently bought Nortel’s Metro Ethernet Network.

“Today’s demonstration not only underscores our continued market leadership in 100G technology, but also extends our long history of collaboration and deployments with research and education customers who are at the forefront of advanced technology adoption,” said Philippe Morin, senior vice president, global products group at Ciena in the press release.

“Beyond needing to push more traffic to smartphones or stream online videos, our work with CANARIE highlights the capabilities of its 100G-ready network and the real impact high-capacity networking can have on improving research collaboration to accelerate discoveries in science, medicine, education, renewable energy and other disciplines.”

GTEC 2010: Why aren't wireless routers secured by default?

Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddard wants to know why wireless routers are not secure by default.

Many people purchase a wireless router, plug it in then simply connect their computer to the one called Linksys with virtually no security. This leaves the router available for anyone to use, particularly those who might have malicious intentions.

Or users do secure their router but use an outdated and easily cracked security protocol like WEP.

Speaking at a GTEC keynote, Stoddard said manufacturers should include a setup process that “takes users through a series of steps to make sure their home network is secure.”

This is just one of many privacy concerns that have emerged in the digital age leading the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to start work on reports which will recommend updates to Canadian privacy laws.

Another issue affecting both the private and public sector: secure transactions.

Stoddard suggested that e-government and e-commerce transactions should be set up so that they only take place over secured devices.

“Every chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” she said, noting that the best security practices by public and private organizations fall apart when used by someone with no firewall or virus protection.

There are many other issues that suggest privacy laws need updating, including newer genetic and biometric technology and identity protection.

While Stoddard said the Government of Canada should create the model for privacy laws, it must work with the private sector in order to generate a shared vision of privacy.

“We can’t do it alone,” she said.

In the meantime, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner has been working to encourage tech companies like Google and Facebook to consider privacy first, rather than trying to clean up a mess after the fact – like Google’s much maligned launch of Buzz which inadvertently made Gmail users’ contacts public.

“Think of privacy before you launch a service,” she said.

Start-up lessons from serial entrepreneur Mark Ruddock

Years ago, entrepreneur Mark Ruddock was sitting in his start-up’s server room feeling depressed.

It was 5:30 a.m. and the start-up’s launch client had delayed the next phase.

Never mind that it wasn’t really a server room.

“It was a bunch of Ikea tables with desktops stacked on them,” said Ruddock, speaking at the Ontario Venture Summit.

However, things were about to change.

When Ruddock checked his voice mail, there was a message from a contact at a large firm requesting a meeting.

Ruddock met with the contact, presented his idea but stated that he’d need $1 million to get it going. The contact agreed and arranged for the initial payment.

“48 hours from despair to a million dollars,” said Ruddock.

The former CEO of Viigo (acquired by Research in Motion) and INEA (acquired by Cartesis Group) outlined for the audience what it takes to build a successful start-up.

“You need to take an idea that is not yet grounded in reality, convince someone to fund it, then convince the best and brightest to follow along,” he said.

Which moves to the point about the team: “Always surround yourself with a great team,” said Ruddock. “Never be the smartest person in the room.”

Ruddock also advises start-up founders to keep focus.

“Listen to the customers and data,” he said. “Make clear decisions about where you want to go.”

And while Ruddock said it’s important to be passionate about one’s product, it’s especially important to pay attention to those customers.

“They will guide you with product insight.”

If the end-game of the start is an exit, remember that you’re building something that needs to be irresistible to someone else.

“You need to be strategically important enough for someone to buy you.”

Venture capital can certainly be important in growing a start-up, Ruddock said that choosing VC’s is also important. Select partners for value, but don’t give up too much leverage, since you’ll want to have your own hand in negotiations in a possible exit.

“Get it, grow it, keep it,” said Ruddock.

GTEC 2010: A secure social network for the G20

When G20 leaders met in Toronto last June to discuss the global economy, they had a new made-in-Canada tool to track the gathering: a secure hosted "Facebook."

Fourty public and private sector organizations collaborated to create the application, joined under the Canadian Digital Media Network.

At past gatherings of international heads of state, individual leaders brought their notes back with them and were rarely re-used. This application was an attempt to gather all the information in one place, shared but secure and stored digitally.

The app was explained in a GTEC keynote by Tom Jenkins, Chief Strategy Officer for the Waterloo-based OpenText and partner with Canadian Digital Media Network.

"It seems obvious, but this isn't how international meetings work," he said.

The application was up and running six months prior to the summit, running on Blackberry, Android and iPad platforms.

This was just one of Jenkin's examples of the government getting information digitized to be more productive.

He points to the Library and Archives of Canada as one place that desperately needs to start digitizing records if they want "digital natives" (those born after 1980) to access them.

"If you don't make the info available to digital natives, you might as well throw it out," he said.

Jenkins also suggested other changes, like replacing 600 page manuals that need to be translated with short online videos demonstrating processes step-by-step.

He pointed to the G20 social network as a successful example of digitizing the old ways of working.

"[Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade] could have done it the same way as always, but instead they had the courage to make the change and saved an enormous amount of time," he said.

More Canadians shopping online, but spending less: StatsCan

Statistics Canada release a report today that shows an increase in online spending in Canada.

In 2009, Canadians spent $15.1 billion dollars purchasing goods and services online, up from $12.8 billion in 2007.

The agency attributes the increase to more online shoppers and more orders.

The report, commissioned by Industry Canada, also found that 51 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 16 and 24 purchased a product online in 2009.

However, the average value of orders placed online decreased to $158 from $183 in 2007.

The report also notes that more people shopping online is not necessarily bad news for traditional retailers. According to the numbers, 52 per cent of Canadians spent time researching products online or "window shopping," up from 43 per cent in 2007.

Among them, 69 per cent reported they later purchased the product they were researching from a store.

The most popular items for purchasing online remained travel services, concert tickets, books and magazine, as well as clothing, jewellery and accessories.

Arcade Fire and Google create interactive and personalized music video

Montreal band The Arcade Fire and Google have teamed to create a personalized and interactive music video experience using Google Chrome and HTML5.

Now, before continuing there's one thing I feel I should get out of the way: this project is best experienced, rather than read about in a blog post. 

So, I think you should fire up Chrome, head over The Wilderness Downtown and enjoy. Then come back.

At the outset, the site asks you to enter the name of the street you grew up on.

Set to the song, We Used To Wait off The Arcade Fire's latest album The Suburbs, several synchronized browser windows that each play a different part of the video, including animated birds that react to the mouse cursor.

The personalization aspect of the experience comes in courtesy of Google Maps and Street View, which are used to bring scenes from the street the user grew up on into the video.

Bit of animation are even added on top of these images.

Part of the movie brings up an HTML5-coded paint program and invites the viewer (is viewer even the right term for this kind of undertaking?) to write a postcard to their younger self living on that street.

At the end, you are given the option to submit the postcard you created, which may be used in visual for The Arcade Fire's upcoming tour or possibly put on an "analog postcard," and sent to someone else has submitted their postcard, who will then have the option to reply.

First off, this really shows off the power of HTML5 as serious competition to Adobe's Flash platform, which would normally have been used for this kind of undertaking.

But more importantly, everyone involved in the project including director Chris Milk have really taken the static music video to a whole new level.

I expect we'll be seeing more like it in the future, but sadly, many probably not as well-done as this particular experience.

Lots of telecom complaints in Canada, but who you gonna call?

It always seems to take longer for new wireless products to show up in Canada.

Rogers is lowering bandwidth caps. And Bell is throttling wholesale purchasers of their bandwidth.

There's plenty to complain about when it comes to telecommunication service in Canada, but what can you do?

As it turns out, there is someone to call: The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services.

University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist notes in a recent column that although there is someone to turn to, it seems few Canadians are aware of the commissioner's existence.

The column also looks at the future of the position, noting that Bell is against it while other telecom providers are skeptical.

NDP critisizes Google-Verizon deal

Earlier this week, Google shocked the tech community by signing a compromise deal with Verizon acknowledging that net neutrality rules should not apply to wireless networks.

Well, the issue has hit Parliament Hill in Canada where the New Democratic party has come out against this compromise. calling on the Canadian Radio-Television Communications Commission to "lay down clear rules to ensure equality of access to all information on the Internet for all Canadians," in a press release. 

“We don’t support any side deals to carve up the wired and wireless world. Historically, Google has been a big ally in the fight to protect net neutrality,” said NDP Digital Issues Critic Charlie Angus in the release. “But this deal is the wrong deal at the wrong time in the history of the internet. We are calling on the CRTC to ensure fair access for all content in the digital world.”

Angus went on to say that the deal opens up too many loopholes that would allow "wireless and emerging services to be fast-tracked and prioritised to suit corporate interests."