Fostering innovation through app development in the Caribbean

DevelopingCaribbean.org

In recognition of the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) that has been the buzz all week, we look at the apps development in the Caribbean and the upcoming Caribbean Open Data Conference.

The Consumer Electronic Show (CES) is one of the largest consumer technology tradeshows in the world, and is frequently used to launch new products and to showcase those that are in the works. With all the attention being on Las Vegas this week, where CES is being held, we, here in the Caribbean, have an opportunity to examine how we might be becoming innovators and not just consumers of tech products and services developed overseas.

In the Caribbean, one of the tech areas in which we have been gaining some proficiency is in mobile applications (apps) development. Initially, apps were being developed in isolation by the odd individual or isolated teams for very specific clientele or purposes. However, over the last two or so years, increasing attention and support is being given to mobile apps development in the region due to, among other things:

• the wide proliferation of mobile/cellular in the region
• the apps market becoming more lucrative – to varying degrees, and
• the ability of apps to affect the lives of wide sections of the society, as discussed in Where is the Caribbean on the apps bandwagon?

Can you code?

It is interesting to note that the focus on mobile apps development is not limited to the Caribbean. Record numbers of people are learning how to programme. For example, on 4 January, it was widely reported that over 100,000 new users had registered with Codecademy, the computer programming education start-up, in three days (Source: Silicon Alley Insider).

In addition to online leaning resources, across the Caribbean region, there have been a number of initiatives to teach programming and to foster app creation. For example, last month, through the BrightPath Foundation, four-day mobile apps development workshops were held in Antigua & Barbuda and St. Kitts & Nevis for persons between the ages of 12 and 21 years. Although 2012 promises to be chock full of app development activities, one of the largest, but certainly the most ambitious event, will be occurring later this month.  More