In its seventh year, HackVT awarded $9,500 in cash to four teams on Saturday.
Teams from around Vermont as well as teams from New York and Massachusetts developed apps using geospatial data provided by the Vermont Center for Geographic Information. The annual event is an opportunity for coders and developers to show off their skills, engage in friendly competition and design innovative apps using specific data sets. LaunchVT, a program of the Lake Champlain Chamber, organizes the annual event as a way to bring together, and celebrate, our local tech talent. This year, prizes went to:
First Prize Winners: Hackers from the NEK
First Prize – $5,000: Hackers From the NEK (VT) designed an app called Vermont Cow Talk that let’s you ask a local cow(bot) for suggestions on what to do in their area.
2nd Place: Mind Control
Second Prize – $3,000: Mind Control (VT) designed an app called PopUp History that notifies your smartphone when you are near an important landmark, historical site, or recreational area.
Student Prize: UVM CS Crew
Student Prize – $500: UVM CS Crew (VT) designed an app called Fish Vermont that populates a map with fishing locations based on your search requests for type of fish, boat access, surface type and location.
The theme for this year’s hackathon was Undiscovered Vermont. Teams were required to use at least one data-set from a curated list open data-sets from the State of Vermont. “The world knows and loves our maple syrup, fall foliage, beer and skiing – but do they know about our semiconductor industry or the best place to hear a painted bunting and how can we use data to understand snowfall totals, emergency response needs or wildlife movement?†said Cathy Davis, Executive Vice President of the Lake Champlain Chamber. Davis explained that the organizers challenged the teams to discover something new about Vermont and to communicate it in a new way, providing valuable access to important information. She continued “We’re thrilled that so many teams participated and we love the apps they created in a short 24 hour period. Vermont’s home to really talented coders and developers and we want the world to know it.â€
HackVT is powered by LaunchVT, a program of the Lake Champlain Chamber.
Presenting sponsors of the 2017 HackVT include MyWebGrocer, Green Mountain Power, FairPoint Communications and the University of Vermont Health Network. Additional support provided by C2: Competitive Computing, BTV Ignite, Dealer.com, Vermont Department of Economic Development, Pwnie Express and Logic Supply.
Visit www.HackVT.org to learn more and follow the latest updates via #HackVT on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.