The NSSN DataHack at CEBIT 2019: a peak hour story
Dr Zhitao Xiong — stuck in Sydney’s peak hour traffic — came up with a brilliant idea that led to the creation of the NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) DataHack competition which begins on 29 October 2019 at CEBIT Australia.
“I realised there are proportions of people from everywhere, with specific travel schedules, goals and destinations who compete with me during the peak hour,” said NSSN Research Theme Leader and DataHack Marshal Zhitao Xiong. “Ideally I want all the cars to disappear because I want to drive my son home very fast, and this is how the DataHack story started.”
The NSSN DataHack 2019 will take place from 29 to 31 October at the International Convention Centre Sydney. Across three action-packed days on the CEBIT 2019 expo floor (expo booth C1), the NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) will host the NSSN DataHack 2019.
Six teams of four from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), University of Sydney, Australian National University (ANU), University of Technology Sydney (UTS), the University of Newcastle and Macquarie University will compete for the title of champion and $5,000 in prize money.
“We want the teams to suppress their academic curiosity so that they don't treat this as a research projects,” said Zhitao. “The products or services we are looking for are not restricted. So the teams should feel free to develop any mobile apps, or websites, or even insurance option.”
Sponsored by the NSW government’s Data Analytics Centre (DAC), GoGet, Here Technologies and Microsoft, the teams will hack through an enormous amount of data to create tangible products for end-users.
The NSSN DataHack Marshal, Dr Zhitao Xiong and mentors from different organisations such as Microsoft, GoGet, Here Technologies and DAC will be available to assist and guide the teams throughout the DataHack challenge.
“I advise the teams to use the data sets provided by our sponsors, because our sponsors can provide more help and mentorship in that case,” Zhitao added.
On 29 October, the challenge — currently a top-secret document held by the DataHack Marshal — will be revealed during the Opening Ceremony on the Industry stage at 10.00 am.
The NSSN Co-Director, Professor Justin Gooding will officially open the DataHack, followed by a full briefing by Dr Zhitao Xiong. The hacking begins at 10:30 a.m. at NSSN DataHack booth (C1 expo floor).
On 31 October, the teams will pitch their solutions to the judges on the Connect stage at 2:30 pm. The pitching session is followed by a panel discussion that is moderated by Founder & CEO of Hackathons Australia, Angela Chan. The DataHack concludes with the award ceremony at 4:00 p.m.
NSSN DataHack Venues at CEBIT Australia 2019
The judging panel for NSSN DataHack 2019 at CEBIT will consist of academics, experts and entrepreneurs. The NSSN is honoured to be joined by the following judges: Dr Susan Pond, Chair, NSSN; Dr Ian Oppermann, NSW Chief Data Scientist; Dr Neil Brittliff, Data Scientist, Microsoft; Ms Shona Chisholm, Community Engagement Lead, Here Technologies; Ms Nicole Noye, Non-Executive Director, GoGet Carshare; and Mr Murray Baker, Entrepreneur, AllNET Technologies and Mezrit.
Only one team can be crowned the winner of the inaugural NSSN DataHack and receive the $5,000 prize, but that is not where the story ends. The NSSN aims for great ideas to flourish. Therefore, any team that presents an innovative design with a tangible impact will be supported by the NSSN in the journey ahead.
About NSSN
The NSSN is a consortium of the nine leading universities across NSW & ACT: UNSW, The University of Sydney, UTS, Macquarie University, Western Sydney University, University of Newcastle, University of Wollongong, Australian National University and the University of Canberra. Funded by the NSW government, the NSSN brings together expertise in academia, industry and government to position NSW and Australia as a global leader in smart sensing innovation.
About CEBIT Australia
CEBIT is Australia’s largest biztech conference and exhibition, showcasing the dynamic merger of business and technology and future trends that will transform and disrupt the industry, drive economic growth and change the future of work. The expo will attract over 35,000 delegates across three days at the Sydney International Convention at Darling Harbour. For more information, please visit https://www.CEBIT.com.au.
Media: Shahrzad Abbasi — 0466548145