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Streets and transportation
Fatalities and serious injuries continue to occur in the transportation network, and even one is too many.
We believe that the combination of data, technology, and your talent can help shape our approach to reaching our goal of zero transportation related fatalities and serious injuries as part of our Moving Towards Zero Strategy.
Developers, data scientists, designers, and strategists of Vancouver are invited to join our Hackathon and propose solutions to reach our goal.
Top three ideas will win
- First place - $5,000
- Second place - $2,000
- Third place - $500
Dates
- September 7, 6pm to 12am
- September 8, 8am to 12am
- September 9, 8am to 5pm
Location
Wayne and William White Engineering Design Centre, Room 102
2345 E Mall, University of British Columbia 
Contact
Bring your ideas and perspectives to VANquish collisions for good!
Register for this free event
Sign up as a team or individual.
As an individual, connect with other participants through our online registration platform. Or, join a team when you arrive to the event.
Teams can range from two and six participants. Working alone is not allowed.
Each team can only submit one solution.
(117 KB)The challenge
What interventions will move us more quickly towards our zero transportation related fatalities and serious injuries goal while encouraging active travel, especially for vulnerable road users such as seniors and children?
Focus areas
Seniors
Seniors are involved in 40% of fatalities and 22% of serious injuries, while only representing 14% of the population.
How can we reduce transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries for this group?
How can the City make active travel safe and comfortable for seniors, especially in neighbourhoods with a large senior population and near amenities most visited by seniors?
Children
Children are one of the most vulnerable road users.
How can we apply safety measures for children as they travel to school, spend time at playgrounds, and move around the city?
Pedestrians and cyclists
People are extra vulnerable when they are walking and cycling, and account for 60% of the transportation related fatalities and serious injuries each year.
How might we make our streets safer for people walking and cycling?
Community amenities
Public parks, schools, and community centres should be some of the safest places in our city.
How might we reduce transportation-related incidents for people using these community amenities?
Datasets required for tackling the challenge will be released on the event launch on September 7, 2018 at 6pm.
Event details
Who should attend and why?
Register if you are a unique thinker and problem solver
We invite anyone interested in the following subjects:
- Big data
- Web app development
- Data and technology to identify issues and solutions
- User interface
- Graphics design
- Data stories using maps and graphics
Help your community save lives and prevent injuries
You will also:
- Build something by the end of the weekend
- Collaborate directly with subject matter experts
- Showcase your skills
- Network
- Win prizes or get swag
- Have a great time
Hackers retain the intellectual property to their creations.
What to bring, agenda, and judging
What to bring
All you need is your brain, computer, and any chargers you might need.
We will be providing a limited number of sensors and hardware, such as Raspberry Pi, to enable hackers to develop custom hardware solutions.
Friday, September 7
| Time | Events |
|---|---|
| 6pm | Registration opens | Dinner |
| 6:30pm | Hackathon kickoff | Opening remarks |
| 7:30pm | Team formation | Hackathon begins |
| 12am | Venue closes |
Saturday, September 8
| Time | Events |
|---|---|
| 8am | Venue opens | Breakfast |
| 12pm | Lunch |
| 6pm | Dinner | Expo briefing |
| 12am | Venue closes |
Sunday, September 9
| Time | Events |
|---|---|
| 8pm | Venue opens | Breakfast |
| 12pm | Lunch |
| 1pm | Expo kickoff |
| 2:30pm | Expo ends |
| 3pm | Top 5 pitches |
| 4pm | Awards |
| 5pm | Event ends |
Above noted meals are included.
How solutions will be judged
The following criteria will be evaluated by the judges:
- Innovation: how unique is the solution?
- Feasibility: how easily can the solution be implemented?
- User experience: what is the overall experience of a person using the product?
- Strategic thinking: is the solution scalable? Will it continue to be relevant for the foreseeable future?
- Alignment with challenge: did the solution clearly identify the problem they are attempting to solve? Is the solution relevant to the identified challenge?
Keynote speaker: Dr. Tyrone Grandison
Dr. Tyrone W A Grandison is the first-ever Chief Information Officer of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. His experience includes:
- Deputy Chief Data Officer at the US Department of Commerce (2015-16), where he co-founded the Commerce Data Service
- White House Presidential Innovation Fellow (2014-15) working with the US Department of Labor and the US CENSUS Bureau.
- Adviseing the Government of Jamaica on their Information Technology strategy
Dr. Grandison has been recognized by:
- FedScoop as "The Most Inspiring Up and Comer" in the US Government (2015)
- National Society of Black Engineers as Pioneer of the Year in 2009
- Federal Computer Weekly as a "Rising Star" (2016)
- Institute for Education as "High Impact Presidential Innovation Fellow" (2016)
He has also received the IEEE Technical Achievement Award in 2010 for "pioneering contributions to Secure and Private Data Management". Dr. Grandison has authored over a 100 technical papers, co-invented over 47 patents, and has written a couple of books on Privacy and Trust Management.
Sponsors
Gold
Our gold sponsors include University of British Columbia Faculty of Applied Science and joint Smart Cities Project with City of Vancouver and City of Surrey.
Bronze
Our bronze sponsors include Later and MicroTraffic .
