Media Contact: Ayanna Smith, (202) 724-5178

Washington, DC—The District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) today announced the launch of a new Internet site that will showcase all of the open-source applications built by and for the DC government.

The new “App Store” site (http://appstore.dc.gov) will link to all applications built by the DC Government. It will also showcase all the applications built by private developers in the District’s “Apps for Democracy” contests, which invited the public to submit new open-source applications using District data. The Apps Store will be the home for additional Apps for Democracy contests in the future.

In addition to links to the actual applications, the App Store will provide information about the functions of each application, along with screenshots.

The App Store will not only serve as an open free emporium for a wide array of useful applications, it will also provide a forum for new applications and ideas. Developers can submit their applications for peer review, and those judged “ready for prime time” by a panel of District technology experts will be featured on the site. Citizens can also submit their ideas for new applications, and developers can choose to build them using open-source technology.

The site will identify and recognize the creators of each application. In addition, it will permit users of the applications to submit reviews, share them with others, and vote for their favorites.

At the time of its launch, the App Store will feature a total of nearly 100 applications. A few examples are:

• “DC Historic Tours” is a self-help tool for tourists. It combines custom walking tour creation using Google Maps with Flickr photo feeds and Wikipedia entries. Users can create a custom map, save it, and pull it out it when they're ready to tour the city.
• “DC Crime Finder,” for multiple technologies, helps citizens protect themselves with useful crime data. The user can call a phone number or input their phone number on a website. The software uses the phone number to determine the user’s location and identifies specific instances of various crimes in a 1-, 2- or 3-mile radius;
• "Fixmycitydc" is a web-based application that allows users to submit service requests by problem type, and check their status, via an interactive map. The app also offers the option of a phone call to the user when the problem has been resolved.

The App Store is the latest in a series of OCTO initiatives, including Apps for Democracy, that seek to democratize government data and harness the combined talents of government and private-sector technologists to improve services for District residents and the general public.

“Our new App Store is one more example of OCTO’s commitment to delivering cost-effective, innovative technology solutions for use by everyone,” said District Interim Chief Technology Officer Chris Willey. “We’re creating a virtual community and an open market of ideas and resources to enhance all areas of District operations and improve the life of the entire community.”

To learn more about DC Government technology initiatives and resources, visit www.octo.dc.gov.