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The Show Us a Better Way competition has made available information from the Ordnance Survey, NHS and Office of National Statistics, and a carbon calculator from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

"The government produces masses of data on what is happening around the UK. Information on crime, on health, on education. However, this information is often hidden away in obscure publications or odd corners of websites," explains the competition website.

"We're confident that you'll have more and better ideas than we ever will. You don't have to have any technical knowledge, nor any money, just a good idea," the site continues.

One example idea listed on the site is a combination of mapping data form Ordnance Survey and crime statistics to produce a map of crime hotspots.