A new app called Roadify took home the top prize in the second annual BigApps contest. Basically, the city opens 350 different kinds of data sets and developers try to build useful apps around it. Roadify relies on that data, Google Transit, and crowd-sourced uploads about subway delays or open parking spots or traffic conditions — incentivizing people to respond with points to use on deals. BMW, which launched a $100 million New York venture fund in February, volunteered to double the modest prize from $20,000 to $40,000 for last night’s winners. The car company is also establishing an incubator space in the city, with its first investment going to last year’s BigApps winner, MyCityWay. As with a lot of apps (ahem, Color), Roadify’s usefulness depends on the amount of people that sign up and how frequently they use it. But with the attention from the win, there’s a better chance that disgruntled straphangers emerging from the bowels of the subway might be more inclined to vent about delays or skipped stops on Roadify.
Roadify iPhone App [NYC BigApps]
