Win Cash Prizes at Alameda County Hackathon

Alameda County Apps Challenge 2015.1 is the fourth community hackathon sponsored by Alameda County in its effort to increase citizen engagement and broaden public understanding of local government by opening access to data created and kept by County agencies and departments. The Union City event is expected to bring together more than 120 software developers, community members, activists and entrepreneurs for a full day of creativity, collaboration and innovation. It will be held 8:30 am to 6:00 pm on Saturday, April 25 at James Logan High School, 1800 H Street, Union City. Register online.

The upcoming Apps Challenge is being co-hosted by the offices of Alameda County Administrator Susan S. Muranishi and County Supervisor Richard Valle, whose district includes Union City. The event is being produced and managed by Alameda County’s Information Technology Department.

“This event will offer a new opportunity for us to raise public awareness about the many facets of County government,’’ Muranishi said. “It’s also an exciting way we can leverage the vast pool of talent and creativity available in our community to enhance the services we provide.’’

Added Supervisor Valle, a James Logan High School graduate: “These Apps Challenge events reflect some of the great new approaches we in local government are taking to engage the public. These efforts are opening doors to new ideas on how we can better meet the needs of the people we serve.’’

A Grand Prize of $3000 will be awarded to the most inventive and user-friendly app or concept that benefits Alameda County residents, businesses and visitors. A second prize of $1500, a third prize of $500 and honorable mentions will also be awarded.

Participants in the April 25 event will have access to the nearly 180 data sets available through the Alameda County Data Sharing Initiative at http://data.acgov.org. The data covers a wide range of topics, including public safety data, a listing of Certified Green Businesses, public health data, maps of senior services and more.

--Information from County of Alameda; Image Patch Archive

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