Toronto's open data initiative has made life better in this city for anyone who's relies on a bus or streetcar to get to work. But in addition the helpful TTC apps out there, developers have also capitalized on the available information to improve our access to city run services across the board. The latest example is Rink Time, a straightforward app that makes finding outdoor skating and shinny times around Toronto a cinch.

Truth be told this information is already available on the city's ice rinks website, but the app re-packages it with a geographic feature that simplifies one's search by providing the most useful schedules, namely for rinks that are closest to you. One can search by postal code (most effective), intersection, former borough, and probably other ways I didn't bother to test out.

Created by ThinkData Works during a hackathon last month, Rink Time is definition of an easy to navigate use-specific app. Try it out next time you're looking to go for a skate or play some shinny.

Photo by Benson Kua in the blogTO Flickr pool.