Montgomery wants you to help create phone apps

Screenshot from Engage Montgomery, recently  launched website in Montgomery County's new open data programMontgomery County is hoping its recently made public databases lead to phone apps for finding food trucks, reporting dangerous potholes or keeping up-to-date on public transportation schedules.

On the weekend of June 1 and 2, the county will host its own National Day of Civic Hacking event at the Universities of Shady Grove, a forum to encourage software engineers, entrepreneurs, activists or residents to come up with new ways to put its public information to good use.

County officials will pitch sample ideas to hackers at the event including: water quality protection apps, food recovery tools, student wellbeing analytics, food truck locator apps, adopt a fruit tree and transit data visualizations.

County Executive Isiah Leggett revealed the collection of Open Montgomery websites in December. On the Engage Montgomery site, the county has asked for ideas for apps to be developed during the National Day of Civic Hacking.

So far, people have suggested an app to submit 311 Service requests, an app to locate and encourage county parks and an app to let people know wait times and required documents at various Motor Vehicle Administration offices.

For more information on the event, visit the website.

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