The builder's path
For: Ferry riders in Newfoundland and Labrador can't see provincial ferry times in trip-planning apps because the schedules are only PDFs.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ
Routes to a solution
Each route is a different kind of journey, with real people and organisations to contact at each step, starting with those in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Step 1
Build in the open
Publish the code and invite contributors from the community.
Newfoundland and Labrador's startup incubator: programmes, mentors and community.
NL's tech industry association: events, programmes and connections.
Civic tech: technologists working with governments on public services.
Builds federal public services in the open; a route for problems with government services.
Step 2
Fund the maintainers
Sponsors, collectives and open source grants.
Federal funding and advice for Atlantic Canadian businesses.
Civic tech: technologists working with governments on public services.
Builds federal public services in the open; a route for problems with government services.
Advice and funding for technology innovation in Canada.
Step 3
Get it adopted
Civic tech groups and public bodies take it up.
Federal funding and advice for Atlantic Canadian businesses.
How the Newfoundland and Labrador government buys; open calls are posted here.
Newfoundland and Labrador's startup incubator: programmes, mentors and community.
NL's tech industry association: events, programmes and connections.
Ideas, sources and tools for this problem, from first interviews to funding.
the timetable format trip planners read
checks a feed for errors
live ferry terminal data; free key needed
publishes the schedules and runs the provincial ferries
Starter prompt
Built from this problem's brief. Paste it into Claude or any AI assistant.
Help me design and build a first working prototype for this problem in Newfoundland and Labrador. Problem: Ferry riders in Newfoundland and Labrador can't see provincial ferry times in trip-planning apps because the schedules are only PDFs. Who it hurts: Island residents, workers and visitors who plan trips around provincial ferry crossings. The moment it hurts: When planning a trip that connects a ferry with a drive or another ferry, and the schedule changes by season and by how many vessels are running. What people do today: Riders pick the right PDF from several on each route page and check live status separately on 511 NL. Why it is still unsolved: No standard timetable feed is published for provincial ferries, and the 511 NL API covers terminals and status, not schedules. What solved looks like: A GTFS timetable feed for at least three provincial routes, including Fogo Island and Bell Island, built from the PDFs, that passes the MobilityData GTFS validator with no errors and loads in a trip planner. A short note lists anything the PDFs leave unclear. Where: Newfoundland and Labrador First, list what you would need to learn from the people affected before building, as interview questions. Then propose the simplest version that would help, the screens or messages it needs, and the data it would use. Keep it cheap to run, accessible, and respectful of people's privacy. Flag anything you are unsure about instead of guessing.
Talk to the people who live it before you build.
“Arise, awake; seek out the wise and learn.”
उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत
uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata
Get a working version in front of people fast.
Using AI is not cheating. Every tool carries the work of the people who made it, and using it well is how knowledge has always moved forward. The thinking, the care for the people who live the problem, and the judgement are still yours.
“The Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.”
Open data that fits this problem.
“You cannot step twice into the same river.”
Tools matched to what this problem needs.
“Keep moving, keep moving.”
चरैवेति चरैवेति
caraiveti caraiveti
Ship it responsibly, and find help and funding.
“While we teach, we learn.”
Homines dum docent discunt.
Kit written for this problem from its brief; every link was checked. Links go to each provider's own site. Zetema is not paid for any listing.