Wellington's first-time civic Hackathon will take place in the suburb of Miramar on November 1 and 2.
An intensive session where participants are given a civic problem, data and tools to solve the problem, the focus of the Miramar event is traffic management and flow.
All material created after two days will be made available for free with no one holding proprietary rights to what is created.
“We know that traffic around Miramar and Strathmore in particular can be very dense at certain times, causing issues for all traffic types,” says Ian Apperley, co-organiser, Hackathon.
“We know that within eastern suburbs and to and fro from the CBD that the amount of traffic is increasing.
“We know that traffic ebbs and flows and that its behaviour is subject to a variety of factors such as events, weather, time of the year, and the airport.”
The organisers have collected various data from multiple sources. Araflow, one of the sponsors, is putting up sensors that can pick up cellphones as they pass various points - Wellington city has been using Araflow technology to track pedestrian flows.
A cross-section of attendees has registered so far, including developers, cyclists and urban planners with Apperley expecting that around 50 people will take part.
At the end of the Hackathon, participants will vote for the top few ideas or applications created, which will be taken to Wellington City Council.
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“We're looking for prototypes and good ideas,” Apperley says.
The Hackathon approach will be documented and refined so that it can be applied to other suburbs with the same or different challenges.