The Great Urban Hack
Developers, designers, journalists:
Join Eyebeam Art + Technology Center & Hacks/Hackers NYC on Nov. 6 & 7 for The Great Urban Hack, a two-day, overnight, open-source hackathon that celebrates the city.
Design, report on, code and create projects to help New Yorkers get the information they need while strengthening a sense of community.
Whether it’s news, politics, government information, arts, culture, education, transportation, environment or health related — any journalism or technology project that helps residents connect to their communities is welcome.
We’ll feed you throughout the hackathon, while a program of optional presentations will keep your brain (and your energy) going. Bring an open mind, a possible open-source project idea and a willingness to collaborate.
Register now for The Great Urban Hack, a “marathon for geeks,” and get ready to build your best open-source ideas for journalism, civic engagement and technology in the city.
A big thanks goes to our sponsors, the Knight News Challenge, Patch, Aol, and WNYC for helping to make The Great Urban Hack possible.
We look forward to hacking all day and all night with you.
More info and RSVP to this event via the Hacks/Hackers NYC Meetup site: https://www.meetup.com/hacks-hackers-nyc/
••• GROUND RULES
1. Projects should not be under development prior to the start of the event. Pre-existing code libraries, APIs, sketches, and similar raw materials are allowed, but the spirit of the event encourages participants to build what they can in 36 hours.
2. Choose an Open Source Initiative-approved license http://www.opensource…, or, if for a non-code project, a Creative Commons license if an OSI license does not meet your needs.
3. Projects aren’t limited to code or an app. Creating websites, design systems, information graphics, maps, etc. are OK!
4. We encourage participants to work with at least one person at the event who they don’t already know.
5. We encourage coders and non-coders to work together, with both types actively participating throughout the project’s development.
Teams that have elements 4 & 5 get extra points from the judges. (Yes, there will be judges.)
Winners receive glory in the form of Twitter karma and other online and offline publicity TBD. And maybe tickets to something very cool.
You can come even if you don’t have an idea, are not a coder. Come find a team to work with. Scholarships are available for talented people or folks with ideas that must happen.
•••
More info:
To help you, we have lined up data sets, APIs, and speakers who will give you ideas and help you with your projects. Streeteasy.com is introducing its brand new API, which gives access to aggregated data like number listings and average prices. A speaker from the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (www.nyc.gov/html/doitt) will talk about the data sets the city has made available. And reps will talk about the Big Apps contest (nycbigapps.com) which launched with real prize money. Heath 2.0 Developer Challenge / Nat’l Cancer Institute will be here talking about their current challenge, plus folks from Bit.ly and Chartbeat will be on hand to talk about their tools. We will also have entertainment, local comedians. And there is more.
The NY Senate CIO will also be in attendance to encourage developers to hack against the Senate’s APIs (NYSenate.gov/devlopers ) & the Manhattan Borough President’s Office will be in attendance to ask the community to best build SpeakUPny, a site dedicated to municipal civic engagement.
More great info here: https://www.meetup.com/hacks-hackers-nyc/
