From 26 to 28 January, IT enthusiasts gathered at the New Uzbekistan University in Tashkent for the sixth edition of the "Open Data Challenge" hackathon.
This annual competition was organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) together with IT-Park Uzbekistan and the IT company Virtual Group. State partners were the Statistics Agency and the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan.
More than 200 young people gathered in teams and competed to develop technological solutions based on the data opened by public authorities. The hackathon covered four categories: government, social, business, and anti-corruption.
Each sector had three winning teams that crafted innovative solutions. These included an IT solution offering a sign language assistant for individuals with hearing and speech impairments, an AI-based operator tailored for the business sector, the integration of blockchain in government agencies to enhance cost transparency, and an approach aimed at identifying the causes of traffic jams.
This popular event offers a unique opportunity to further demonstrate the practical relevance and applicability of open data. At the same time youth is engaged in proposing solutions to current challenges.
Open data plays an important role in the monitoring and evaluation of state bodies' activities. In addition to strengthen public control and its anti-corruption component, the publication of data has direct economic impact and a hugely untapped social potential.
Through the development of new services and products that offer responses to known problems or gaps, new jobs are created, and the IT community is strengthened.
Taking into account the multifaceted aspect of data, the development of an open data ecosystem in Uzbekistan is an integral part of the PCUz' activities to promote economic development, as well as good governance.
