Metia CEP Nitobi Harnesses the Power of Open Government Data with Vanguide

Microsoft Customer Solution Customer Solution Case Study

Nitobi harnesses the power of open government data with VanGuide

Overview “VanGuide is just the first step to socializing open data, we Country or Region: Canada hope to start a revolution and that spreads across the Industry: Application Development country.” Customer Profile Nitobi Inc. is a developer of mobile and Jesse MacFadyen, senior software engineer, Nitobi Inc rich Internet applications for the enterprise. Nitobi Inc. is a developer of mobile and rich Internet applications Business Situation for the enterprise. The developer wanted to create an Nitobi wanted to create an application using open government data in a way application using open government data in a way that makes that makes data more compelling and data more compelling and personable for citizens. Nitobi used personable for citizens. Microsoft Open Government Data Initiative together with Solution Vancouver’s open data and the Microsoft Azure platform – to Nitobi used Microsoft Open Government Data Initiative together with Vancouver’s enable citizens to access government data easily and quickly via open data and Microsoft Azure platform the VanGuide mobile and web-based app. to create VanGuide. Citizens are now able to access government data easily and quickly.

Benefits Improved Collaboration Streamlined Development Process Power of Open Data Situation develop an app that would ensure that the Nitobi Inc. is a developer of mobile and rich public could add information about their Internet Applications for the enterprise. The personal experiences at specific locations. Vancouver-based company is well-known This would allow open government data to in the developer sphere and carries a stellar be used in a unique, personal way.” reputation when it comes to building sophisticated mobile and Web applications. Nitobi Inc. has developed mobile and Web- Solution based applications for top-tier clients such Nitobi worked with Microsoft Canada to as Bell Canada, H&R Block Canada Inc. and build VanGuide, an application based on AT&T for over a decade. Today the the city’s open data that local citizens and company, which is dedicated to creating tourists can use while visiting Vancouver. valuable end-user experiences, is changing VanGuide overlays the data from the City’s the way rich Internet applications are built. Open Data catalogue with Bing™ maps of Nitobi has used software and cloud services Vancouver and enables citizens to visually operating systems such as Microsoft® access information about various Silverlight and Windows Azure™, but also landmarks and services, including local uses Microsoft Open Government Data parks, schools, libraries and community Initiative (OGDI) to help enable rapid centres. Furthermore users can rate, tag application development for publicly and comment on these landmarks, or even available government data. add their own, thus adding unique value to the city’s open data catalogue and enable Creating rich and more visually appealing knowledge and information sharing a social applications is important to Nitobi, notes level. Jesse MacFadyen, senior software engineer, Nitobi Inc. To uphold its reputation as a The City of Vancouver is one of the first leader in cutting edge, highly usable municipalities in Canada to make its data applications, Nitobi wanted to build an available to developers. Nitobi realized the application that encouraged citizens to opportunity to further extend this data by personalize their open data catalogue leveraging a cloud-based Open Source experience. framework for open data catalogues recently released by Microsoft: Open In early 2010, Nitobi began its relationship Government Data Initiative (OGDI). with Microsoft Canada and Vancouver open government experts, which helped “Microsoft’s OGDI’s main purpose is simple: them to create a mobile social mapping to enable government data to be easily application to allow the data from the City accessible and publicly available for citizens of Vancouver’s Open Data catalogue to be as well as developers,” says Nik Garkusha, more accessible. Open Source Strategy Manager, Microsoft Canada. “The OGDI implementation using “We want to socialize map data in the hope Vancouver data enabled rapid that this will start a citizen-type revolution,” development of a number of web and says MacFadyen. “We were looking to mobile applications, including VanGuide.

24 This helps cities in Canada and across the OGDI imports all of their data in one place world to build vibrant application and renders uniformity,” says MacFadyen. ecosystems around their Open Data catalogues. Improved collaboration With the help of Visual Studio and ODGI leverages open standards and open Windows Azure, the creation of the applications programming interfaces to application was seamless because all of the allow developers and governments to Microsoft products used are so tightly create new innovative online applications integrated. using data that is open to the public, and VanGuide fulfills this goal by bringing “Working with several team members can citizens government data in a unique and create extra steps, but this technology compelling way. works off of the same tool. Now, when we are working on the same project, we are “VanGuide is unique in that both visitors able to see each other’s changes. In and local citizens can use the application to addition, we can now test the application in locate the particular restaurant they are 10 minutes where it would have needed to looking for or mark their favorite park in be completed once or twice a week,” says the city, and with Microsoft OGDI, users can MacFadyen. now get information quicker because it’s hosted in the cloud,” says MacFadyen. Power of open data Operating within the Windows Azure and OGDI platforms helps Nitobi get its Benefits applications to market faster, which will Nitobi is leveraging the City if Vancouver’s ultimately help it grow its revenue base. open data and Microsoft OGDI to help The openness of OGDI helps Nitobi boost make data more personable and productivity between its open source and compelling for citizens. Microsoft-based platforms – helping developers to speed development time. Streamlined development process Operating on one platform gives “Microsoft hosted a subset of Vancouver developers more uniformity, as they are in open data, and being in the cloud helped a better position to leverage data to build us get data more quickly because it was richer open data applications. The Windows hosted on ODGI and Windows Azure,” says Azure platform, Silverlight, .NET, BING MacFadyen. Maps, Visual Studio 2010 and Microsoft open source-based technologies helped Nitobi quickly develop VanGuide to meet their goals, which has ultimately improved collaboration and increased productivity. “Since some data is stored in different formats it can be difficult to have everything you need in one place, but