This year's theme is: "Using Open Data for Social Good"
Your goal is to create an application that addresses problems using the resources provided in the Hackathon Toolkit below to address the research questions and give insight into a social problem in the selected community.
Each team will select one of the following challenge areas:
Dutchess County NY (event sponsor)
Workforce Development Institute (sponsor workforce development challenge)
What is Social Good?
Social good is something that provides benefits to the largest number of people in the largest possible way.
What Are Some Problem Areas We Know Exist?
| Health & Wellness | Public Safety | Social Services | Food Insecurity |
| Transportation | Economic Development | Clean Water | Housing & Shelter |
| Environment | Sustainability | Education | Poverty |
| Disaster Relief | Social Justice | Climate Change | Domestic Violence |
What Evidence Do We Have Support Our Focus?
| Community Issues | Health Issues | Environmental Health |
| Homelessness | Sustainability | Dutchess County Government Website |
| Environment | State of the County |
What Questions Should We Think About?
a. What type of application using open data can be designed to address a community problem to provide social good?
For example, can an exploratory data analysis of an open dataset reveal patterns and trends that provide insights?
b. What features of an open data-driven application can effect change in community behavior or its perspective of a social problem?
For example, how can providing access to open data help a community?
c. What types of positive effects and social changes may be accomplished with an application using open data?
For example, what beneficial changes can occur in a community that has access to open data?
d. What relationships between variables are present in the data sources we are using?
For example, is there a relationship between homelessness and veteran status?
e. What is the big picture in all of this?
For example, in developing an open data application to make a small change. what does it mean for the entire community?
What Resources Do We Have?
There are links to a variety of useful resources, including datasets, source code samples, and map-related files. Each problem statement (the social challenge) will be accompanied by a background narrative containing data sets and resources that can be used in developing solutions to the presenting problem. Each team is also encouraged to perform online research and brainstorming sessions to fully deconstruct the problem domain and factor that knowledge into the design of their solutions! Be resourceful! Be brave! Be a problem-solver!
Access the Hackathon Toolkit
