Have you ever caught a bus only because it has been able to track its route on your smartphone? Ever wondered if you could get an app to help you avoid traffic jams caused by new road construction, or make more accurate farming decisions by changing weather patterns over time?

Developers around the world are designing incredible apps on top of information created and collected by government sources, including information on transit, transportation and the environment. There are reams of data in areas ranging from public health to agriculture, but only recently have governments begun to grapple with the many ways it might be put to use by enterprising developers, businesses, NGOs and other organizations.

This Friday, March 1st at 11:00 AM EST, you can be a part of the conversation on how Canada can make the most of open data by joining a hangout on air with the Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board of Canada and Member of Parliament for Parry Sound-Muskoka, as he leads the redesign of the Government of Canada’s Open Data portal.

Hon. Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board of Canada

Joining Minister Clement will be a panel of experts, entrepreneurs and developers discussing global approaches to open data, how open government initiatives can support access to data, and how innovation through open data can be a major opportunity for Canada’s economy. Panellists include:

• Ashley Casovan, Strategic Coordinator for the Chief Information Officer, City of Edmonton
• David Eaves, public policy expert on open innovation and a member of the federal government’s Advisory Panel on Open Data 
• Albert Lai, co-founder and CEO of Big Viking Games 
• Kevin Merritt, an open data developer and founder & CEO of Seattle-based Socrata 
• Edward Ocampo-Gooding, co-founder of Open Data Ottawa and developer advocate for Ottawa-based Shopify 
• Ray Sharma, the founder and chair of Toronto’s XMG Studios, a leader in mobile gaming, 
• Stephen Walker, an open data specialist from the Chief Information Officer Branch of the Treasury Board Secretariat, and
• Drew Bradstock, senior product manager at Google, as moderator. 

We hope you join us for an in-depth discussion on how Canada can seize the opportunities of open data and here’s how you can participate this Friday:

• Watch the hangout live on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/TonyClementMP 
• Send us your questions for the panel on our Google+ page at plus.google.com/+GoogleCanada #opendata 
• Follow the conversation on Twitter @googlecanada #opendata 

Posted by Colin McKay, Google Canada