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The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) has opened registration for UAE Hackathon 2019: “Data for Happiness and Wellbeing” and invited the public to register, according to the emirate in which they reside or want to participate in, through the website https://hackathon.ae.
The hack fest in its second edition will be organized during the Innovation Month, February 2019, in all emirates. It will be organized in Abu Dhabi from 3 to 5 February, in Sharjah from 10 to 12 February, in Ajman from 11 to 13 February, in Umm Al Quwain from 12 to 14 February. The third week will witness the UAE Hackathon launch in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah from 19 to 21 February. This, year the UAE Hackathon will be organized in Umm Al Quwain independently. Dubai will witness the UAE Hackathon organization from 24 to 26 February. The TRA announced that the closing ceremony will be on 3 March, which coincides with the International Open Data Day. Three winners from each emirate will be honoured.
H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mabnsoori, TRA Director General, commented on the Hackathon preparations, saying: “The first edition of the UAE Hackathon in 2018 achieved impressive results, through which we have been able to apply the culture and practice of data analysis, with the participation of hundreds of competitors from students, employees, entrepreneurs and others. This effort is part of the UAE’s directions expressed by the wise leadership through launching the Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the Fourth Industrial Revolution Strategy, the Blockchain, and others. Through the Hackathon, we enable the participants to develop useful solutions and programs to address several challenges. This year, the same principle will be applied, but with different challenges inspired by the needs of the participating government entities. The Hackathon represents the partnership between the public sector, companies, universities and the customers.”
The TRA approved nine topics covering challenges to be addressed by the UAE Hackathon. Topics include trending technologies, environment, data for resources sustainability, safety, health, employment, education, social development and justice. In cooperation with other government entities, TRA set a number of challenges within the above topics to be addressed in the UAE Hackathon. Such challenges include using Blockchain to develop government services and handling personal data, developing tools to improve food security and resources sustainability. Challenges also include creating smart tools or applications to reduce accidents, using big data to predict future trends in medical treatment, improving the chances of job-seekers, and using gamification to improve education at a primary and middle school. TRA set some other challenges to create smart tools and applications to assist people of determination, and using gamification to enhance good behavior and fight bullying among children. Moreover, TRA, in cooperation with Ministry of Justice, presented a challenge to innovate solutions to help people settle their disputes fairly, amicably and finally, without the need to go to court.
H.E. Salem Al Housani, Acting Deputy Director General for Information and Smart Government Sector, says, “The UAE Hackathon 2019 is based on concepts that include enhancing strategic partnership between government and non-government entities to create solutions and adopt valuable ideas, connecting ideas and challenges with happiness and well-being, and focusing on the international impact of the UAE Hackathon by implementing and marketing ideas in other countries as a part of the UAE’s soft power system. The TRA is also working to engage Ministry of Economy to register and protect patents, ideas and solutions devised in the hackathon.”
He continues, “The UAE Hackathon 2019’s goals include achieving the objectives in the National Online Service Index (OSI), in which the UAE seeks to achieve the first position, which will contribute to realising the UAE National Agenda 2021. It aims also to enhance investment and spread awareness of open data, support the UAE strategies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Artificial Intelligence, which depend on open data. The Hackathon goals include applying the concepts of digital government, smart city and age of big data, in addition to spreading knowledge and innovation in data analysis to develop solutions and take decisions. The UAE Hackathon 2019 will support government entities to publish their data on the national data portal (bayanat.ae), and enhance teamwork among federal and local entities.
It is worth mentioning that the UAE Hackathon is an innovative event organized by TRA. Its first edition was launched in February 2018. The Hackathon aims to bring together all categories and segments of society such as university and high school students, employees, entrepreneurs, IT professionals and others to develop solutions and ideas, using available big data. Seven hackathons will take place across the UAE; each emirate will host a hackathon event. Three winning teams will be selected in each emirate and a closing ceremony will take place in March to honor the winners.
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