The Canadian government has a Proactive Disclosure policy which means you can find out things like how much money Oracle charged Parks Canada for database upkeep. The problem is this data is not easily accessible and is scattered across government websites. GOAT is a website that aggregates this data making it easier to keep track of where your tax money is going.

More accurately, the disclosure mandates: "publication on departmental Web sites of travel and hospitality expenses for selected government officials; contracts entered into by the Government of Canada for amounts over $10,000 (with only limited exceptions such as national security); and the reclassification of positions."

Government Open Accountability Tools is a focused search engine leveraging the wealth of historical data on how the government spends your hard earned money. Information such as government tenders and travel expenses.


DEMOCAMP TORONTO DEMO PITCH:

TITLE: The goat on the roof: Keeping track of government spending

IDEA: The Canadian government has a Proactive Disclosure policy which means you can find out things like how much money Oracle charged Parks Canada for database upkeep. The problem is this data is not easily accessible and is scattered across government websites. GOAT is a website that aggregates this data making it easier to keep track of where your tax money is going. GOAT is powered by Google App Engine. The audience will get a taste of GAE architecture.

WHY NOW: This is a product that has clear and immediate value

WHY DOES THE AUDIENCE CARE: GOAT has two main uses: educating citizens on government spending history, and enabling suppliers to undertake competitive analysis before bidding on a contract. That's two very different types of users. The challenge is designing a user interface that satisfies both. How is this challenge met?