• WATCH

Weather and Climate Hackathon (WATCH)

The Weather and Climate Hackathon (WATCH), taking place from September 19-21, 2024, is an international event organized by Bronx Community College of the City University of New York (BCC/CUNY), in collaboration with the US Consulate Hyderabad and the US Consulate Mumbai. Hosted by the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar, India, this Hackathon aims to address critical challenges related to weather, climate change, and air quality through innovation and technology.

The WATCH Hackathon will bring together students and faculty from various higher education institutions (HEIs) and organizations across India. Participants will harness data from a network of 22 weather and air quality stations, installed through US State Department grants and a National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant, to develop innovative programs, tools, or apps. These solutions will enhance public awareness, provide insights into local climatic and air quality conditions, and contribute to global efforts in combating climate change.

The Hackathon challenges participants to develop solutions in five key areas: Precision Farming, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in weather/climate/air quality applications, Air Quality Improvement, Heat Waves, and a fifth surprise theme to be announced on September 17, 2024. The event will culminate in a pitch competition where the most impactful and innovative solutions will be recognized.

Themes

The WATCH Hackathon will focus on five key themes aimed at addressing critical environmental and public health challenges. These themes encourage participants to leverage data and technology to develop innovative solutions.

Theme 1

Precision Farming

  • Importance of using micro weather stations to enhance decision-making processes for farmers.
  • Providing real-time weather data to improve agricultural practices.
  • Developing user-friendly interfaces and mobile applications for farmers to access and utilize this data efficiently.

Theme 2

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in Weather and Climate Applications

  • Utilizing AI and ML to better understand and predict weather and climate patterns.
  • Exploring the potential of AI and ML to forecast climate change impacts and improve preparedness.
  • Increasing understanding of how AI and ML technologies could influence global greenhouse gas emissions and climate policies.

Theme 3

Air Quality Improvement

  • Strategies for improving both indoor and outdoor air quality, with a focus on scalable, effective solutions.
  • Developing tools to optimize indoor air quality in commercial buildings, improving public health and comfort.
  • Addressing outdoor pollution challenges, particularly in urban areas, with innovative technologies and approaches.

Theme 4

Heat Waves – Heat Island and Other Effects

  • With global temperatures on the rise, managing heat index levels has become critical for public health.
  • This theme encourages the development of solutions that leverage data and technology to predict heatwaves, enhance public awareness, and mitigate heat island effects in urban settings.
  • Solutions could focus on improving prediction models, engaging communities, and developing effective mitigation strategies for heat-related risks.

Theme 5

Hack Away!

  • This theme will be announced on September 17, 2024, adding an element of surprise to the Hackathon and encouraging participants to think creatively and adapt quickly.

Schedule

*Timeline is subject to change/tentative

Day 0: Thursday September 19

16:30 – 17:00 Team Registrations
17:00 – 20:00 Introduction of teams

Ice-breaking sessions

Poster presentations

Meet the jury and mentors

Dinner at venue

Depart for KIIT Tower.  End of day’s proceedings.

Day 1: Friday September 20, 2024

07:30 – 08:00 Depart KIIT Housing Tower for Campus-6, Auditorium
08:00 – 08:45 Breakfast at Campus-6 Auditorium
09:00 – 09:10 Welcome: KISS-DU and introduction of teams
09:10 – 09:13 Remarks by Alexander McLaren, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad
09:13 – 09:16 Remarks by Sita Raiter, Public Diplomacy Officer, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai
09: 16 – 09:30 Keynote Address : Climate Proofing our Future: Preparing for Climate Extremes – Prof. Peter Groffman, City University of New York
09:30 – 09:45 Talk on Climate Communication
09:45 – 10:00 TEA BREAK
10:00 – 10:10 Hackathon Rules and Procedures
10:10 -13:00 Theme Five – Hack Away!
13:00 – 14:00 LUNCH BREAK
14:00 -15:00 Theme Five – Time to Pitch!
15:00 -17:30 Tap Your Hackathon Mentor – Fine Tuning Your Main Pitches

Day 2: Saturday September 21, 2024

07:30 Depart KIIT Housing Tower for Campus-6, Auditorium
08:00 – 08:45 Breakfast at Campus-6 Auditorium
09:00 -12:00 WATCH – Main Pitches
12:00 – 13:00 LUNCH BREAK
13:00 Announcement of Results [Both Pitches]
13:15 Certificate Distribution
13:45 Closing Remarks
14:00 WATCH ends!

Partners

The WATCH Hackathon is supported by the following partners and funding agencies:

  • Bronx Community College of the City University of New York (BCC/CUNY)
  • US Consulate Hyderabad
  • US Consulate Mumbai
  • Host: KISS Foundation

These partnerships, funded through US State Department public diplomacy grants, enable the Hackathon to engage participants across multiple states in India, fostering innovation and collaboration on a global scale.

Jurors

  • Niraj Kumar
  • Ankit Saxena
  • Peter Groffman
  • Shalini Bharat

US Public Diplomacy Grant Principal Investigators

  • Paramita Sen, M.Sc., Lecturer, Bronx Community College of The City University of New York
  • Neal Phillip, Ph.D., Professor, Bronx Community College of The City University of New York

Mentors

  • Niraj Kumar
  • Ankit Saxena
  • Shweta Saxena
  • Asutosh Acharya
  • Aditya Vaishya

Participating Universities

The following institutions are confirmed participants in the WATCH Hackathon:

  • Anurag University, Telangana, India

  • Woxsen University, Telangana, India

  • Meridian School for Boys and Girls, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, India
  • National Institute of Technology Warangal, India
  • Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering, Nigdi, Pune, India
  • Usha Mittal Institute of Technology, SNDT Women’s University Mumbai, India
  • Ahmedabad University, India
  • Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
  • Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
  • Pandit Deendayal Energy University Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
  • Vignan’s Institute of Information Technology, Visakhapatnam, India
  • Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology, DY Patil Deemed to be University, Navi Mumbai, India
  • Mahindra University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
  • Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, USA
  • Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
  • Sri Sri University, Odisha, India
  • Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
  • XIM University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

Rules & Guidelines

  • The proposed solution should be explicitly aligned to one of the four pre-announced WATCH themes
  • The proposed solution should be original and innovative
  • The official language of WATCH is English
  • The participating teams must include in their pitches: a) Demonstration of the proposed solutions highlighting their technical and practical merits, b) A presentation explaining the key features, benefits, challenges and scalability of the methodology preferred
  • The proposed solution that are closer to the deployment/implementation stages will receive higher weightage in the overall jury evaluation
  • Every team gets 5 minutes to make their pitch to be followed by 3 minutes of Q&A. A grace period of another 2 minutes may be granted to the team per judges’ discretion, after which There will be a penalty imposed by deducting 0.5 points
  • For the fifth theme (to be announced soon), every team gets 3 minutes to make their pitch to be followed by 2 minutes of Q&A. There will be a penalty imposed by deducting 0.5 points from the total score for every extra 30 seconds taken by the teams to pitch.
  • The poster submissions should be made in a PDF format and will be printed in the dimensions of 6 ft (width) x 4 ft (height)
  • All participants own the rights to their ideas. However, participants must duly acknowledge any trademarks, patented or copyrighted materials included in the application
  • All participants must sign the Data Protection, Privacy and IP rights consent form. All ideas and pitches will be ethically treated and accessible to the evaluation panel, partners, and select members from the organizers
  • The winning teams will be duly rewarded
  • All rewards shall be transferred to the institutions and universities, which the participating teams represent. The host institution is thereafter required to equitably transfer the rewards to the winners, with the reward amount preferably being used toward improvement of the innovative solution that the winning team presented at WATCH.
  • Rewards are non-transferrable by the winners. The organizers reserve the right to change the rewards at any time without prior notice
  • The winners will be selected by a “Jury” panel. By making their pitches for WATCH, the participants release the organizers from any and all liability for any claims, costs, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the decisions of the Jury.
  • The participating teams and institutions agree to the use of their names, photographs, and any other relevant information relating to any publicity related activities
  • The organizers reserve the right to disqualify any participating team member or the entire team who is found to have violated the guidelines of the program and terms and conditions stated at any stage/phase of the program. The decision of the organizers shall be final and binding
  • The organizers reserve the rights to amend these terms and conditions at any point in line with the overall objectives of the program
  • In the event of any participating team disagreeing with any of the WATCH rules and regulations or the Jury, the participating team will have the right to withdraw their submission. To the extent permitted by law, the rights to litigate, to seek injunctive relief or to any other recourse to judicial procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or in connection with WATCH are hereby excluded, and the participating teams expressly waive any or all such rights.

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