List of hackathons in Edinburgh, United Kingdom in 2018

This will be a hands-on session building working technologies, and developing innovative scenarios and use-cases for low-cost, location-based products and services.  The main session will run in the morning, and we have the space for the whole day, so particpants will be able to continue to work through the afternoon, with a social session at the end of the day. We intend this to be an enjoyable, informal day exploring the technology and considering future use scenarios. You don't have to be a coding expert to take part! Run by James Stevens of SPC, Deptford, London & Mark Gaved of the Open University. Other participants from the MAZI project, who have experience of building community community WiFi networks, will also be on hand. Materials will be provided, but participants are welcome to bring extra materials, a suggested list will be provided in the week before the event. The hackathon will use MAZI project DIY WiFi networking technologies and toolkits based on Raspberry Pi 3. The Hackathon is Part 1 of the 2 part event: Program Or Be Programmed: The implications of small data, local context and “Do-It-Yourself” technologies. Presented as part of the DataFest18 Fringe Events Event web page: https://www.datafest.global/events-feed/2017/12/20/program-or-be-programmed-the-implications-of-small-data-local-context-and-do-it-yourself-technologies Presented by the EU H2020 funded MAZI project (Developing a DIY networking toolkit for location-based collective awareness http://www.mazizone.eu), the event will present an alternative view on data technology, focusing on “small” data, citizen empowerment and grassroots action. The MAZI project is a three year project investigating the uses of low-cost community WiFi networks and the software services that can be built with them. MAZI is working on four pilot studies, in Berlin, debating rights to the city; in London, helping marginalised communities find a voice when faced with gentrification; in Zurich, encouraging democratic participation; and in Greece, exploring how artists can help local communities reflect on their situation.

Wittin, in partnership with Abertay University and Dundee City Council are collaborating to host the Dundee Public Data Hack alongside DataFest18. The event will be held at University of Abertay White Space and run from Saturday 17 March to Sunday 18 March 2018. The Dundee Public Data Jam is a unique opportunity for Dundee Council to explore data in collaboration with entrepreneurially minded data scientists, games developers and ethical hackers to develop ideas that would benefit the running of Dundee Council. The focus is for projects that look specifically at Smart City Data and improvements in sharing and understanding. These can range from games and visualizations to infographics and storytelling. Teams, of up to five members, will be formed on the day to hack together a project to be presented to the rest of the hackathon for prizes voted on by members of Wittin, Abertay University and Dundee City Council. Co -Organised by Abertay University: Abertay University is the number one university in Europe for undergraduate computer games degrees and in the world top 10 for postgraduate degrees according to the prestigious Princeton Review. The UK’s first Centre of Excellence in computer games education, Abertay was also the first University in the world to offer degrees in computer games back in 1997. Since 1888, Abertay has been preparing students for the world of work and more than 92% of graduates go into employment or further study within six months of graduation. The University was first in the world to offer degrees in Ethical Hacking, where we uniquely train students in offensive security. Co-Organised by Dundee City Council: Dundee City Council as part of the Smart City Programme are developing an open data program within the city. The Programme seeks to enhance Smart City activity by using Data and Digital Technologies to accelerate and transform the delivery of city services. The vision in Dundee is to enable the city to become more liveable and resilient through the use of Data and Digital Technology. This will aid and facilitate delivery of city priorities through improved community engagement, integration of service delivery and innovation that Smart City and open data approaches can provide. Adopting a Smart City approach make public services more effective and efficient and the cities themselves become more attractive to investors. Dundee is one of seven cities working on open data, backed by money from the European Regional Development Fund through the Scottish Cities Alliance (SCA). The SCA was established to collaborate on economic development initiatives and includes all seven Scottish city local authorities. It has three main priority programmes for Scotland’s cities – the low carbon economy, city infrastructure investment and smart cities.Dundee City Council have launched an open data platform to share data about the city. Over the coming year organisations in Dundee plan to share over 100 datasets to the platform which will be available for re-use by anyone - from interested citizens, to developers wanting to use the data in apps or games. Photo by MolybdenuM 91: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mistahmo_ninetyone/8733329606/

The DataVisFest is a DataFest fringe event, aiming to develop creative data visualiztion concepts, prototypes, and future collaborations between data collaborators, visualization designers, and the general public. Data on inequality and inclusion are being gathered through a variety of services, governmental organisations and charities. These data are often stored in repositories and databases, accessible primarily to people with the particular interests and skills to use them. There is a great opportunity to make these data more accessible to people without technical data skills, helping them to connect with critical issues in their communities and beyond. This participatory and collaborative event focuses on data visualisation practices and aims to explore the question of how to (re)present data about (in)equality and inclusion in a way that engages a public audience. How can abstract, invisible, intangible, and steadily updating “data” be grasped in a way that helps us humans discuss and make better decisions about the future of politics and society as well as on a daily basis?  Our DataVisFest is similar to a hackathon, but it does not necessarily involve coding. More information can be found online: https://datavisfest.wordpress.com Schedule: https://datavisfest.wordpress.com/page This event is organised by the School of Informatics and the Edinburgh College of Art. For more information, please contact: Benjamin Bach, Lecturer in Design Informatics and Visualization, University of Edinburgh Cat Magill, Research Assistant, University of Edinburgh Dave Murray-Rust, Lecturer in Design Informatics, University of Edinburgh Ewan Klein, Professor of Language Technology, University of Edinburgh

The idea behind VIRAL is to bring together a group of creative and innovative individuals with a passion for marketing and put them in a Hackathon-like setting with the aim of developing comprehensive marketing plans for start-ups associated with the King’s Entrepreneurship Institute.  Under the mentorship of experts from the industry, you will be given the tools develop a detailed marketing plan for a start-up and even be given a budget to implement this and gain hands-on experience in marketing and advertising! Prizes include Letters of Recommendation from the Start-Ups and Work Shadowing Opportunities in the field of marketing.  Open to all University of London Students! Free pizza lunch, coffee and snacks provided! 

If you are interested in wikidata, then you're invited to participate in the Wikidata Hackathon - Festival of Creative Learning. You'll get to learn how to add data to Wikidata and then you'll get to hack on one of three data hacks -- Women in Medicine, The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft, or a Nautically themed data hack.

Scottish techies and non-techies! Do you have ideas on how to help increase data literacy in Scotland? If so, Creative Stirling invites you to participate in Creative Innovation in Scotland: Big Ideas from Small Cities -- a full-day event to gather ideas for a future hackathon focused on creative approaches to place development.

Do you enjoy being creative? Are you struggling with a challenge? Do you like sharing ideas with others and learning something new? This is a unique opportunity for people from across Social Services to get together and problem solve creatively. Hosted as part of the Firestarter Festival, we will be exploring different ways of thinking and doing- co-production, systems thinking and equalities- and applying these methodologies to ‘live’ problems in groups. Throughout the day we will be working through a variety of different exercises which will be accompanied by presentations, workshops and group work. So if you are up for a day of productivity, creativity and fun, where we will explore and celebrate the power of people, communities and relationships then why not come along. The event is free to attend.  Lunch and refreshments will be provided