Alexa / Toronto Open Data - Civic Tech Toronto Presentation

Alexa /Toronto Open Data

David Janes@dpjanes

[email protected]://iotdb.org/social/imadeit/

February 2017

Introduction

Background

• hackster.io contest, do something useful with:

• Alexa / Amazon Echo

• Open Data

My Project

• Alexa Toronto Open Data

• https://www.hackster.io/dpjanes/alexa-open-data-toronto-dbc9fc

• Control a "Kiosk" through voice commands

• [demo]

Alexa, ask Hey Toronto…

• Show Skating Rinks

• Show Skating Rinks near Yonge & Eglinton

• Show the CN Tower

• Show Beaches

• Show Libraries near Woodbine Beach

Important Links

• Code, Alexa Skill, Datahttps://github.com/dpjanes/alexa-opendata

Normalizing Data

Data Sets• Bicycle Stations

• Cultural Hotspots

• Green P Parking

• Intersections

• Libraries

• Parks

• Places of Interest

• Places of Worship

Data Formats (in)

• Shapefiles

• XML

• KML

• JSON

• CSV

Data Format (out)

• schema.org

• standardized vocabulary for well-known frequently used terms

• YAML

Data Format (out)

Alexa Skills(Voice Control)

What• amphitheatre

• amphitheatres

• architecture

• architectures

• art

• art galleries

• art gallery

• arts

• attractions

• auditorium

• auditoriums

• …

Where• 48th Highlanders

Museum

• ALLEN RD and Eglinton

• Adelaide and Bathurst

• Adelaide and Bay

• Adelaide and Bayview

• Adelaide and Eastern

• Adelaide and Jarvis

• Adelaide and Spadina

• Adelaide and University

• Adelaide and Yonge

• Aga Khan Museum

• …

Utterances• where is the {Where}

• where is {Where}

• where are {What}

• where are {What} near {Where}

• where are {What} near the {Where}

• where are {What} near me

• where are {What} near us

• where are {What} nearby

• show me {What}

• …

Important Links

• Alexa Skills Console https://developer.amazon.com/edw/home.html#/skills/list

• Sample Code & Skill https://github.com/dpjanes/homestar-alexa

Final Notes

Services

• Amazon Alexa

• Firebase

• Digital Ocean (LAMP-ish)

Pit/Pratfalls

• Amazon Echo is rather awful at strange words, like Toronto street names (e.g. Bay & Adelaide)

Possible Uses

• 311 Assist

• Tourism Kiosks

• …

Get in touch! David Janes

@[email protected]

http://iotdb.org/social/imadeit/