LANSING ? David Behen, Michigan government’s chief information officer, was told by his 21st Century Advisory Board more than a year ago that Michigan needed to develop a contest for developers to write mobile application code to spur the nascent industry in Michigan. This week the state’s first Code Michigan event was announced.
In October, 200 developers will be given free admission to a code extravaganza for an opportunity to build mobile applications and win cash prizes. Also on hand will be what Behen described as ?heavy hitters in the technology industry.?
Code Michigan is scheduled to begin on Friday, Oct. 4 at 5:30 p.m. and run through Sunday, Oct. 6, at 4:30 p.m. at the Madison Building, 1555 Broadway St. in Detroit.
?Code Michigan is an exciting opportunity for civic-minded developers and designers to get together and create mobile apps for the public good,? said Behen. ?This is the first chance for coders to use state data to design and build apps with real social value.?
The state is working on Code Michigan with several private partners, including Commercial Progression, Detroit Labs and Bedrock Real Estate, all of Detroit. Other sponsors include Windows Azure (Microsoft), GitHub, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
?Coders have a skillset that they use every day that they can now leverage to contribute to the betterment of society,? said Rick Mason, an entrepreneur who proposed the event. ?I call it ?Democracy 2.0??
Behen said he hopes the end result will be young entrepreneurs building good civic mobile apps that will help veteran affairs, tourism and human services.
?We want to let these kids develop mobile apps that change the way we supply public service to our citizens and also spawn some new Michigan companies,?
There are only 200 tickets available, so early registration is encouraged. Individuals interested in participating may register for the free, three-day event by visiting CodeMichigan.Com
