About

Edmonton’s part in the Beyond 2010 conference reflects the City’s growing reputation as a leader in use of digital technology. Through social media, open data and the internet, Edmonton has created a more open, transparent and inclusive community for all residents. In the process, the municipality has reached out to local software developers and used open-source applications to save the City costs.

The internet and social media offer new ways of connecting and communicating, and the City plans to be at the forefront of these opportunities to engage citizens, increase openness and create a platform for collaboration. Edmonton is one of four cities in Canada to make city-managed data available online in accessible formats for the benefit of all Edmontonians. Earlier this year, the City’s Open Data Catalogue was posted on the website and reaction so far indicates local IT developers are engaged and involved.

The City of Edmonton is opening its doors to local software developers to improve the way information is made available to residents, and banking on market competition to spur innovation, lower costs and provide greater sustainability for the way information is processed. In late June, the City announced an Apps4Edmonton competition contest, with $50,000 in prizes and winners showcased at GTEC2010 in Ottawa in October 2010. Earlier this year, the City launched Leveraging Technical Expertise Locally (LTEL) to encourage local IT developers to propose and develop applications that offer solutions for delivering better government services.

The City’s high tech capabilities reach beyond the City of Edmonton. It has gained a strong reputation in both the technology and biotech sectors. Edmonton is the home of the National Institute for Nanotechnology, the Alberta Research Council and cutting-edge companies engaged in microsystems and nanotechnology research and commercialization. Edmonton’s ten post-secondary institutions serve 150,000 students and include the University of Alberta, a world-leading research institution.

Following are some other digital projects the City is working on:

• The City of Edmonton is partnering with other municipalities, including the City of San Francisco, to agree on a common platform from which developers can create applications to send information to 311 call centres. The Open 311 effort means an application developed for one city anywhere in the world could be used in other cities adopting the same platform.
• The City of Edmonton is also pursuing the development of a Code for Canada organization, which builds on similar work currently underway in the U.S.A. Code for Canada will help city governments become more transparent, connected and efficient by connecting the talents of innovative web developers with city departments to enable the transformative power of the web to achieve more impact with less money. Code for Canada will work with city officials and leading web development talent to identify and develop web solutions which can be shared and implemented in multiple cities.
• The City of Edmonton is planning to launch an iPhone application called CityWatch, developed by local company Touchmetric. CityWatch will allow Edmontonians to report problems to 311 using an iPhone application. The message to 311 will include location information and pictures from the iPhone's GPS and camera.