Hudson Valley Open Data Hackathon 2025

Learn, Collaborate, and Explore Your Genius Using Open Data, Open Source and AI

Join us for an exciting half-day hackathon focused on leveraging New York State's Open Data resources using cutting-edge AI technologies and open-source tools. This event brings together developers, data scientists, civic tech enthusiasts, and public sector innovators to create impactful solutions for our communities.

When: Wednesday, March 26, 2025 - 11:00am - 4:00pm

Where: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Darrin Communications Center (DCC), 51 College Avenue, Troy, 12180 

Registration: Space is limited to 200 participants. Teams will be formed on-site, though participants are welcome to register as pre-formed teams of up to 4 people.

 

2025 Theme: "Unlocking Public Data Insights with Open Source and AI"

Using GDG support we explored "Build with AI" resources and applied these to NY State Open Data.

150 + people attended, congratulations to six teams winning!

See final pitching recorded on YouTube: 

• Episode 1 - four teams presented: Safe Walk, NYC Safe Commute, Green Walk Finder, Smart Predict
• Episode 2

JUDGES:

• Karl Ulrich
• Daniel Raj Jeevaguntala
• Santosh Borse
• Josh Gurwitz
• Wesley Turner
• Anuj Tyagi

Judging Criteria: 

1. Problem Expression
2. Use of Open Data
3. Use of AI
4. Presentation
5. Solution
6. Impact
7. Team Collaboration
8. Future Plans

WINNERS

FIRST PLACE:

• Public Transit Planning: William Chen, Michael MacIsaac, Sravan Parakala, Sachin Mitra
• Safe Commute:  Adam Kaplan, Colin Farley, Daniel Kirtman, Aaryaman Thuloj

SECOND PLACE:

• Green Walk Finder: Misha Awad, Matthew Eshed, Nick Ciuica, Shannon Higgins, Sutherland Brown, Zuriel Aviles, and mentor Joe Torreggiani
• Smart Predict: Shreenidhi Srinivasan, Soumeek Mishra, Robert Haney, and mentor John Krupavaram Pole Bhakthavatsalam

THIRD PLACE:

• Endocrine Watch: Connor McCormack, Dave Long, and Mark Ferran
• Safe Walk: Hemanth Macharla, Dhanwanth sai Dasari , Yashwanth Bezawada, and mentor Tahreem Arif
   

What to Expect:

• Hands-on Workshop Sessions: Learn to integrate NY State Open Data APIs with popular AI frameworks
• Project Development: Work in teams to build innovative solutions using public datasets
• Expert Mentorship: Receive guidance from experienced data scientists and civic tech leaders
• Demo Showcase: Present your solutions to fellow participants and judges

Challenge Focus Areas:

• Transportation and mobility analysis
• Environmental data visualization
• Public health trends
• Education metrics
• Urban planning and development
• Government transparency tools
• Any topic you are passionate about that Open Data can assist with

Prize Categories:

• Most Innovative Use of AI
• Best Public Impact
• Technical Excellence
• People's Choice

Who Should Attend:

• Civic tech enthusiasts
• Students and researchers
• Software developers
• Data scientists
• UI/UX designers
• Public sector professionals
• Curious, innovative minds

Resources Provided

• Access to NY State Open Data Portal
• Cloud computing credits
• AI model templates
• Technical documentation
• Development environments
• Mentorship and support

Required Skills

• Basic programming knowledge
• Familiarity with data analysis
• Interest in civic technology
• Collaborative mindset

What to Bring

• Laptop with relevant development tools
• Ideas for civic innovation
• Enthusiasm for public data

Partners

• NY State Technology Office
• Local Tech Companies
• Civic Tech Organizations
• Open Source Communities

Join us in transforming public data into actionable insights and innovative solutions for New York State residents!