Young developers to mash-up government data

50 young developers given the chance to build and create useful applications with government data

Data from Whitehall departments will be made available

Official government web portal Directgov is sponsoring an event this weekend that offers 50 young developers the chance to build and create useful applications with government data.

Organisers James Darling and Emma Mulqueeny set up the Young Rewired State event to encourage young people to engage with each other for peer-to-peer support and to highlight to government the need for good programming skills in many languages, as well as to showcase young talent.

Mulqueeny wrote on her blog: "We want to showcase the extraordinary talent in this country, make some awesome apps, give the young people the tools and information to engage each other in what interests them, and just maybe add some weight to the quest for more/better/varied programming languages on the curriculum."

In March a similar event saw 100 developers evaluate government data to see how they could best use information. 20 of those developers will be on hand this weekend to supervise.

At the end of the weekend there will be a presentation to government ministers, civil servants, entrepreneurs and sponsors.

The government has brought in web forefather Tim Berners-Lee to help it open information up to the public.