NYCEDC

Apr
01

Winning Big at NYC BigApps 2.0

Last night, Mayor Bloomberg announced the winners of NYC BigApps 2.0 competition, the second annual contest that allows software developers and members of the public to create web and mobile applications using City data. Watch this NY1 video that captures the excitement in the room as the winning apps were revealed.

Fourteen winning apps were selected by a team of powerhouse judges from a pool of 58 submissions. But get this: After unveiling the winners, Mayor Bloomberg made a surprise announcement that BMW would double the cash prizes, originally to be $20,000, to $40,000. BMW also announced that it will launch a small-business incubator space in New York City, in addition to its new $100 million venture capital fund—BMW i Ventures, also based in the City.

Roadify iPhone App took home the grand prize, and it seems apropos, given BMW’s—the “ultimate driving machine”—involvement in the competition. Roadify alerts users to the latest driving and public transit conditions by adding real-time updates from commuters on top of official transit data. Watch their YouTube video that demonstrates how the app works—then download it yourself.

We caught up with Roadify right after their big win! Watch a video of their reaction.

Read the press release for more details about the winners, including Sportaneous, which took home second prize—an app that uses location-based technology to organize sports games at any time, and Parking Finder (BestParking), which takes the hassle out of finding parking in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.

Now in its second year, the NYC BigApps competition is one of the largest open government initiatives of its kind, providing more than 350 sets of New York City official data for the public to download and use to create digital applications. NYC BigApps promotes transparency across City government, increases public access to information, and spurs entrepreneurship and job growth in the technology sector. More than 40 New York City agencies and commissions released datasets for use in the competition.

Flip through our photo slideshow above for some of our favorites, but visit our full album on Flickr to view snapshots from the whole evening!