Wednesday 1 February 2012

Flushed with success


Have you ever been out and wondered where the nearest toilet is? Well you might not have to wonder for much longer. A new Smartphone app which shows you where the closest lavatory is by using government information has won the top prize in a new competition. A group of students won an award for the app which made use of free government information.

Developed by three students from the University of Amsterdam “hoge nood” which means ' desperate need' is able to tell the difference between public and semi-public toilets.

A public toilet is a stand-alone facility that is available to everyone and a semi-public is a place that is generally open to the public such as a department store or a pub. The app is currently only available in the Netherlands but it is hoped it will soon be rolled out to other Western countries and will no doubt prove popular with tourists.

The new Smartphone app shows you exactly how far you need to go before you reach a public toilet

The competition was set up to design apps using free information provided by the government. Maxime Verhagen, Holland’s economic affairs minister, said he hoped this would encourage people in the country to make as much use of free government information as possible.[Ed comments - And public toilets presumably!]

Shelley Young, APA

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