
I need help with an open source app to keep Canadians in touch with Parliament - quark_
Android Source (https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;sunnypurewal&#x2F;epac-android)<p>Android App (https:&#x2F;&#x2F;play.google.com&#x2F;store&#x2F;apps&#x2F;details?id=net.dinglebox.epac)<p>iOS Source (https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;sunnypurewal&#x2F;epac-ios&#x2F;)<p>iOS App (https:&#x2F;&#x2F;itunes.apple.com&#x2F;ca&#x2F;app&#x2F;epac&#x2F;id1224459142?mt=8)<p>I recently released both iOS and Android versions of an app that turns Hansard into a chat bot. I am interested in vastly extending the features in this app to include all of the data available on http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.parl.gc.ca&#x2F; A few immediate examples are creating a French version of the app and designing a new logo.<p>It is too easy these days to be uninformed about what&#x27;s happening in the federal government. Following Parliamentary proceedings is an important aspect of keeping tabs on government but it is too often reduced to short sound bites in the news, or presented in an almost unwatchable format such as on CPAC. I want to take the trove of data made available by Parliament and present it in a way that is engaging using modern technology. All data provided by the government are made available under the Speaker&#x27;s Permission (http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.parl.gc.ca&#x2F;SpeakerPermission.aspx?Language=E) and is prohibited from being used for financial gain, so the benefit of this project is purely a public service.<p>I originally planned to do this work individually but I realized I would not be able to deliver features quickly enough on my own. I believe this app is a valuable resource for staying informed and I am confident that people will use it given the feedback I have received already. I&#x27;m hoping that by making this app open source, that there will be others that share this belief and will want to contribute.<p>If you are interested, try out the app on your smartphone, and take a look at the data sources at http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.parl.gc.ca&#x2F;ParlBusiness.aspx?Language=E and the code linked at the top of the post. Send me a message if you want to help.
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brudgers
I am curious which aspects of the application depend on a smartphone versus
implementation as a website?

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quark_
The smartphone allows for the key feature of the current release which is a
chat bot. Presenting parliamentary debates in this format makes it easy to
consume in manageable chunks. There is currently no mobile friendly way to
access any of Canada's parliamentary data, while the website does host lots of
info in both html and xml format. The application depends on a smartphone in
that the smartphone is the best way to present this information

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brudgers
I asked because the request for help suggests that the workload for mobile
apps may be a problem for the development team.

Good luck.

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quark_
Yes, the development team is just me right now.

