2 Great Political App Ideas

I often get ideas for great apps by following what’s going on in the news, and combining it with tech trends and buzzwords.

This week there has been so much talk about politics that it gave me two great ideas – both of which use mapping, news, use of the Italian TLD, and (eventually, of course) a mobile app.  One’s national, and the other is essentially a rip-off of other “hyper-local” apps, but with a much more modern and playful “twist”.

1. Mis.Spent.it – A Canadian Political Deficit Tracker

The Canadian government announced last week that instead of balancing the budget this year, they’re going to generate a $50B deficit ($50B = $50,000,000,000.00).  And the provinces are racing to catch up.  The Ontario government will create an $18B deficit ($18B = $18,000,000,000.00) this year.  Unlike startups who have no money, access to credit, or can defer their tax bills (unlike former prime ministers), our government is projecting massive deficits this year, and I have a feeling the number will continue to grow.

Below are some, albeit rudimentary, prototypes that I can send to anyone interested in developing this app:

2. Larry.dunn.it - A Larry O’Brien / “Where’s Waldo” / Google Maps / Crime Watch… Super Mashup

Now this one would be good!  Navigate to the different Tim Horton’s and lunch restaurants where Ottawa mayor Larry O’Brien is meeting with political opponents, federal ministers, and other public officials.  We could use both the Google Map and the streetview (if it ever comes to Ottawa) to follow in Larry’s footsteps, stream live twitter from the courthouse and build a discussion board to make it interactive.

Now, I have to admit, I’m not sure what the business model would look like for either of these apps, but whoever does want to develop them could probably get SRED money and even offer advertising spots for political campaigns… surely an election isn’t too far away!

By Scott Annan