I missed the New York Tech Meetup on Tuesday and didn’t get to hear a presentation from the New York State Senate’s information officers.
Perhaps not a tragic loss.
But still this blog has a soft spot for that state’s open government initiatives, especially its RESTful, web services API.
I have completed a .1 release of my first Android app, hammered together with Google’s App Inventor toolkit.
It’s a simple but trailblazing RSS displayer that pulls in bill status from the New York State Senate’s own open government platform, called unsurprisingly, Open Senate.
To be truthful there’s nothing unique or groundbreaking about another Android app that displays government information. In fact, half-way through my work I discovered Open Senate already has shrink-wrapped iPhone and Android apps.
The revolutionary part of my efforts has little do with me; they reside with Google. Thanks to its App Inventor, any somewhat technically evolved person can make and customize useful mobile apps that are just right for their purposes.
And it’s all free, minus your own perspiration equity. Continue reading
