The builder's path
For: Developers can't get a working, machine-readable list of current boil water advisories in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“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.
current boil advisories report and community water reports
dataset description, contact email and the broken file
the department behind the water resources portal
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: Developers can't get a working, machine-readable list of current boil water advisories in Newfoundland and Labrador. Who it hurts: People building alert apps, maps or news tools for communities under boil water advisories. The moment it hurts: When someone wants to be told the day an advisory starts or ends for their community. What people do today: The open data file no longer downloads; the current list is a report in the Water Resources Portal's viewer. Why it is still unsolved: The portal's report runs in a viewer with an export menu, not at a fixed file address a program can fetch on a schedule. What solved looks like: A public CSV, JSON and RSS feed of current advisories (community, water system, date issued, reason), updated daily by a scheduled job from the portal's report, keeping each day's snapshot so advisory lengths can be worked out. Checked against the portal's report on 10 different days. 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.
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”
Tools matched to what this problem needs.
“Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth.”
δός μοι πᾶ στῶ καὶ τὰν γᾶν κινάσω
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.