Victoria’s Technology Minister, Gordon Rich-Phillips, has encouraged member of the community to get creative in the Data Vic Competition by using government data housed on data.vic.gov.au.

“Data.voc.gov.au presents a wealth of opportunities to access government data and turn it into innovation, which will benefit Victorians and the broader community,” said Rich-Phillips.

“The competition also provides opportunities for other datasets not currently available through the Data.Vic directory to be discovered. The possibilities are endless.”

The competition aims to encourage users to interact with and gain a better understanding of the untapped potential of the data. The winning entries will showcase how government data can be used to serve a market need or address industrial, environment or community issues.

The Data Vic Competition is now open for registration and will close on 28 February 2014. Winners will be announced on 14 March 2014.

Four prizes of AU$2500 are up for grabs, along with the opportunity to consult with the Victorian Government to further develop the winning projects. The competition is an initiative between the Victorian Government and Spatial Industries Business Association.