UNDP presents Climate Action Hackathon in Zambia

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched a Climate Action Hackathon in Zambia for app developers to create new web or mobile applications that give out weather data in areas trying to adapt to climate change in the region.

Under the UNDP programme called Climate Information for Resilient Development in Africa (CIRDA), software developers will be invited to Livingstone, Zambia from March 15-17 to participate in the Climate Action Hackathon.

The developers can either work individually or as a team to:

• Create prototype mobile and information-system-based applications and technological solutions to share actionable weather and climate information with a variety of stakeholders, sectors and end-users.
• Connect technology with people to bridge the last mile.
• Build scalable systems that react to more frequent storms, increase in lightning, erratic weather patterns and long-term climate change.
• Create technological solutions that are built for Africa and solve local challenges.
• Design and develop next-generation applications to improve on existing systems and methodologies to use climate information and reach end users.
• Leverage existing information, networks and human capacity to seed innovation.
• Communicate existing climate information in an innovative and easy-to-understand manner to catalyze action, improve productivity, save lives and empower end-users.

CIRDA Programme Manager Bonizella Biagini said “The main goal of the hackathon is to find ways the application development community can help African weather services bridge the last mile with practical solutions to help people prepare and protect themselves from more frequent and severe storms, erratic weather patterns and long-term climate change.”

UNDP will fund up to 25 developers’ travel and accommodation expenses and their daily allowance. There uis also a virtual event that will run parallel to the onsite one to allow other developers participate remotely. To apply visit  www.undp-alm.org/climate-action-hackathon, Deadline is the 17th of February, 2016.