Federal Government says ‘open data’ can power apps to make life easier in major cities

APPS can help ease congestion in major cities by providing up to date info on traffic, parking spots and petrol prices, the Federal Government says.

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WANT to know the least congested road to take and the best place to park when you arrive?

There should be an app for that, says the new Assistant Minister for Cities Angus Taylor.

And he wants authorities to provide access to the “open data” to power apps which would make life easier in packed metropolitan areas.

Some of the data already is there to, for example, show houses near new bus stops or other public facilities.

“The possibilities are endless,” said Mr Taylor in a speech today to a Smart Cities and Infrastructure conference in Sydney.

“If we provide easier access to data, for example, on real time traffic flows, car parking spaces, comparative petrol prices, then some of the biggest transport challenges in our cities become a matter of public domain.

“The Federal Government is keen to provide greater access to ‘open data’ to allow business and the public to help solve problems facing our cities.”

Mr Taylor said “better use of technology and high-quality data — through platforms open to everyone — would support the development of smart cities”.

Already there were apps available identifying car spaces and within weeks the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would increase the petrol-buying choices of motorists by releasing real-time bowser prices and locations.

“Earlier this year, the Australian Government published for the first time more than 13 million coded addresses, the Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF),” said Mr Taylor.

“Companies are using the data to create heatmaps, for example, to identify numbers of properties within walking distance to new bus stops and public services.

“There is huge potential for big data and analytics to revolutionise strategic planning to make our cities more liveable and sustainable.”

Sharing data will make problems and solutions more contestable.

“Federal Government is the enabler; by opening access to the information, we unlock the opportunities for individuals to re-imagine our cities.”

Mr Taylor is an Assistant Minister to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull who urged greater access to open data for as part of his Innovation Statement.

“Government agencies will now be required to make appropriate data openly available by default in machine readable and anonymised form through data.gov.au,” said Mr Turnbull in December.

“Spatial data, in particular, is becoming increasingly important to the economy given the rapid take-up and use of mobile devices in Australia.”