Peoples Choice

Brent has spent more than 25 years promoting open source in the GIS/spatial field. Currently leading the Environment Information Delivery function at NIWA, Brent’s contribution to open source GIS covers spatial databases, libraries, catalogues, web mapping and desktop GIS.

Launched in 2008, DigitalNZ seeks to help people find, share and use digital content from nearly 200 sources. It has relied on open source technologies since its inception and now provides an open data service via its public APIs.

Douglas has been a consistent and inventive contributor to open source. He has also figured as a finalist in each of the last three awards; in the Arts, Contributor, and Projects categories. Douglas’ field of interest, machine learning and the creative application of it in novel situations, is increasingly gaining currency in the research and business sectors.

Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) recently consulted the open source community on the development of the Software Edition extension to the NZGOAL. The consultation was conducted on the open source Loomio platform.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is a javascript application that allows businesses to quickly generate a privacy statement for their website; and thereby comply with the legal requirement to do so. A helpful tool that the OPC has open sourced so that others may adopt and modify.

An Internet of Things project out of Fab Lab Christchurch, Sensibel seeks to inform public policy around cycling infrastructure with data collected by cyclists. A clever use of open source hardware and software to build a community of interest for a public good.

Turning birdsong into data to help restore the diversity to New Zealand’s landscape. The Cacophony project uses open source to improve the efficiency of our pest eradication programs; Moore’s Law for New Zealand birdlife.