Imagine, mid-July in Mumbai. It’s hot. It’s been raining heavily for weeks. The roads are flooded and rails are so deep under water that trains aren’t running reliably. You try to drive to work, but even the state highways are abysmally congested. You’d stay home, but you know the rain won’t stop today, tomorrow, or the day after. It’s not going to stop for weeks.

It’s monsoon season. 

For the 12 million people living in Mumbai, the 4-month monsoon season can be severely debilitating in regard to mobility. The heavy rains and turbulent tides can make commuting by car, rail, and even on foot, not only a time-intensive endeavor, but also a dangerous one.

But it doesn’t have to be. You can help improve mobility in Mumbai during the monsoon season by submitting apps and software that leverage vehicles and information - such as wiper blade status, types of transportation, and APIs, datasets, etc. Providing software that arms people with tools to manage monsoon storms, can literally change economies, communities, and lives.

Ready to start building your digital umbrella? Take a look at the challenge requirements below and visit the Resources page for links to relevant data, APIs, and more. Don’t forget to click the “Register” button to make sure you receive all important challenge updates.

Eligibility

This challenge is open to:

  • Individuals (who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry); Teams of eligible individuals; Organizations (up to 50 employees)
  • Organizations with over 50 employees may compete for the non-cash Large Organization Recognition Award.

Requirements

Content: Submitted solutions must focus on improving mobility during the monsoon season by including software that leverages vehicles and information (e.g., wiper blade status, types of transportation, and APIs, datasets, etc.).

Solutions must include a software component such as: 

  • an SMS or text message delivery to feature phones
  • a native smartphone or tablet app (iOS, Android, Blackberry, Kindle, Windows Mobile)
  • a web app (mobile or desktop)
  • a desktop app (Windows PC, Mac Desktop)
  • software running on other hardware (including, but not exclusive to, wearable technology, open source hardware, etc.)
  • custom hardware which includes a software component (wearable technology, etc.)

Language: All submission materials must be in English or, if not in English, you must provide an English translation of the demo video, text description, and testing instructions as well as all other written materials submitted. 

Supplemental Material: You must submit a demo video (hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or Youku) that walks through the main functionality of the solution via screencast or video. You must also submit at least one image/screenshot of your working solution.

New & Existing Solutions: Solutions may be newly created or pre-existing. If you are submitting an existing solution (developed prior to this competition), you must include new features/functionality added after the submission period began. Your new features must specifically aim to improve mobility during the monsoon season and leverage vehicles and other information. If you are submitting an existing solution, you will be required to explain the new features on the submission form.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

USD$30,000 in prizes

Grand Prize

Second Prize

Third Prize

OpenXC Integration Prize

Popular Choice

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

How to enter

  1. Read the Official Rules to confirm you meet all eligibility requirements.
  2. “Register” to access the submission form and start your draft.
  3. Create a working solution that meets the requirements above, demonstration video, and take some screenshots of your solution.
  4. Provide a way for us to access your solution.
  5. Submit before the deadline!

Judges

Alok Kejriwal

Alok Kejriwal
CEO & Co-founder, Games2win

Rajiv Makhni

Rajiv Makhni
Group Managing Editor, Tech, NDTV

Rich Strader

Rich Strader
Director, FTSI Center Head & AD Delivery Operations

Sujatha Ramdorai

Sujatha Ramdorai
Professor of Mathematics, Canada Research Chair

Dr. Jayanthi Rao

Dr. Jayanthi Rao
Research Engineer, In-Vehicle Infotainment and Connected Features, Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford

Dr. Thirumalachari Ramasami

Dr. Thirumalachari Ramasami
Former Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India

Nigel Harris

Nigel Harris
President Ford India

Judging Criteria

  • Quality of the Idea
    Includes creativity and originality of the idea.
  • Implementation of the Idea
    Includes how well the idea was executed by the developer.
  • Potential Value
    Includes the value provided to drivers, pedestrians, and residents in Mumbai during monsoon season.

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