Datactics Named Winners Of NI Open Data Challenge

Enterprise Minster Arlene Foster and Finance Minister Simon Hamilton have congratulated Datactics, the winners of the inaugural Northern Ireland Open Data challenge.

The competition, which was run jointly by DETI and DFP, in conjunction with the CultureTech festival in Londonderry, offered a £5,000 prize for the best idea for an app using open data from the public sector.

Minster for Enterprise, Trade and Investment Arlene Foster said: "I am pleased to congratulate Datactics on their success. This contest has showcased the depth of analytical capability in Northern Ireland’s digital community. The standard of the six finalists was extremely high and the wide variety of ideas gives us a clear idea of how our local digital talent can use open data for public good. The use of Open Data and challenge prizes are highlighted in the Executive’s Innovation Strategy as ways to drive innovation in the economy. Applications for the competition covered a wide range of topics with the winning pitch by Datactics showcasing an app which helps make tourism data more usable for tourists, tourism providers and policy makers."

Mr Hamilton added: "This open data challenge has demonstrated that we can use public sector data and utilise challenge prizes to harness the skills and creativity of our community. I am determined to use approaches such as this to create a more innovative public sector in Northern Ireland. I would like to thank all of those who submitted ideas through the competition and also like to thank InnovateUK, NESTA and the Open Data Institute for their role in making the competition such a success."

(CD/IT)