App. Comp. Update #2
NSW and Vic really do seem to be in competition, for no sooner did the Victorian Government announce the winners of their App. my State Competition, the NSW Government went ahead and announced the winners of their Apps4NSW contest.
Without further chat here are the winners: and there are two main winners – first prize was shared between...DemographicDrapes by Brad Spencer at NuMaps – which is an OpenLayers application using Google Maps in which various community census datasets, pollution ratings and other indicators can be layered over the map in different combinations, allowing users to really get under the skin of a postcode or administrative area.This is a map of relative mortgage stress in different areas of Sydney for example.
Start with the base map of your choice, which you can divide by postcode, suburb, local council or state electoral boundaries, and over that layer the dataset of your choice, from the median mortgage repayment or house prices, to the average ages...
This map shows the dominant age groups in some of Melbourne's suburbs.
...and the average number of people living in each dwelling.
This map shows the density of people living in Adelaide's homes.
You can zoom quickly to an address, which means it's a fairly useful tool for people using Nestoria, and you can also add your own points or refine the way to drapes are reported.
Suburban Trends by Smartmashups – this mashup has already been mentioned on this blog because it won the MashupAustralia competition, but to recap it's another app. that provides users with information about different suburbs. In this instance there aren't as many comparisons you can make, but the interface is much easier to use. Suburbs are ranked by colour, comparing census results on Economic Index - both nationally and state by state, Education Levels, Socio-economic Advantage and perceived safety travelling on public transport and on foot.
Here's a comparison of the Socio-Economic Indexes of some Canberran suburbs:
And here's Subiaco Perth with the relative safety-o-meter included:
Both these apps would be useful to house hunters, depending on the level of detail they're looking for when researching a particular area. Second prize goes to the Bike Community Hub, which mashes up information relevant to bikers and allows you to add your own hazard spots and recommended routes – which may of may not be a relevant house hunting tool, and third prize went to The School Hall which allows you to put Australian High Schools head to head based on student to teacher ratios, socio-economic status and results.
