News

Fastest Team Wins Open Data Fest!
2013
Aug 04

Young programmers, designers, marketing experts and active citizens rocked in the Open Data Fest – a hackathon in Klaipėda. Teams were formed on Friday and spent a sleepless weekend at the Lithuanian seaside. Check photos of the event here.

Participants of the Open Data Fest had tens of great ideas how to reuse data of public institutions to develop innovative products and services, such as mobile apps. Finally they decided to develop seven ideas of the long list.

  • Team named after the famous book character called doctor “Ai Skauda” developed an app, that helps to arrange the doctors’ appointment. The team worked all days and all night to achieve the best results.
  • Team “HITSA” tried to work on creating virtual city guide, but later they decided to specialize their idea and develop an app for drink challenge.
  • “Lithuanians like to spend time at lakes when the weather is good. That’s the best thing you can do in summer in Lithuania”, says members of team “Ežerock”. That is why these people developed an app, which helps to find best places to chill out at the lakeshores.
  • Team “Greičiau” (faster in English) developed a program which directs the drivers how to go around various obstacles on the road. “If you spend 1 minute per day using our app and checking for the best route, you avoid traffic jams and save 5 days per year”, states this team.
  • Team “Utena-Šiauliai” decided to solve the problem that every tourist faces in the unknown city. The app, which they developed using open data, should point the place where a person is and direct him to his final destination using public transport.
  • Team “Miesto nuotaikos” consists of 6 people, who didn’t know each other before the hackathon, but they will work together in the future as they strongly believe in the perspective of their idea. The app they are developing is also based on open data and should indicate the mood of the city. It could be useful for private business and public institutions. 
  • Team “Touraco” had less time than other to work on their idea as they joined the hackathon a little bit later. However, guys worked hard and did their best developing an alternative city guide.

After final pitches of the teams, jury decided that the 3rd place winners of the "Open Data Fest" is team "Utena-Šiauliai".

Team "Miesto nuotaikos" took the 2nd place.

The main prize and biggest applauses went to team "Greičiau".

Special prize for using the biggest amount of open data was dedicated to the team "Ežerock".

The idea of the “Open Data Fest” was spurred by Lithuanian developers’ success during international open data hackathons. The experience of the other countries reveals that the prototypes developed during hackathons usually evolve into actual services or products. For example, government’s open data once applied innovatively contributed to improving public transport system in the US, and led to a more efficient parking system in Ireland (parkya.com).