Ontario gives access to residents’ health data in hopes of building better healthcare-related tools

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A new project coming out of Ontario wants to create better healthcare-related tools for its citizens. How are they going to do this? By giving access to its residents’ health data. Ontario has entrusted medical research organization University Health Network and MaRS Discovery District (which Quartz describes as a “cross between a tech incubator and WeWork) to develop a platform that will give approved researchers and companies access to its citizens’ health data.

Called Project Spark, the goal is create an API or a way for developers to request information from the government’s data cache from its 14 million residents. With the API, developers can create apps that will give doctors access to a patient’s full medical history or give Ontarians complete access to their health records and even record health issues as they occur. Researchers, on the other hand, could be given another level of access to get anonymized data on Ontarians that meet certain criteria and assist in their studies.

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Microsoft's Project Spark beta now available to Xbox One

Microsoft announced that its Project Spark beta program will now expand to Xbox One. In December, the Spark beta opened on Windows 8.1, welcoming more than 250,000 fans to the world-creating game. With cross-platform capabilities and through the power of Cloud Saving, “Project Spark” creators can build on a Windows 8.1 device, and then pick-up a controller to continue playing on Xbox One or vice versa.

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Project Spark enters global beta

For Windows 8.1 gamers, Microsoft and Team Dakota have a treat for you today. The highly customizable Project Spark is now ready to accept beta players. It will be available first with Windows 8.1 users (Xbox One players will gain access early 2014) and will be in beta until the game officially launches next year.

What can you expect from Project Spark? You can customize the game and play what other players have created. Mold and shape the world with paints and biomes and use the brain system to add behaviors to anything in the game and bring them to life.