Barco India, a visualisation and collaboration technology company, recently concluded it’s first-ever Hackathon – Barco Geekathon 1.0, at Noida. The event, which witnessed participation by 130 professionals from across the country, was organised as part of the Company’s endeavour to focus on software development in India. The contest was designed to inspire the developer community and tech enthusiasts of the country. This is also Barco’s attempt to identify talent capable of contributing to the Company’s growth and digital transformation.
The participants, comprising mainly developers and tech brains, were expected to solve real challenges pertaining to smart cities, governance, safety & security, public health and transportation. The participants came from the colleges and organisations of Mumbai, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jaipur and other parts of India.
Of the 41 teams that participated, 10 made it to the finals. The teams were marked on the basis of idea (impact and ingenuity), design document and final demo (user experience, scalability, market fit). The event also hosted external judges like Daniel P Nath, partner – inFeedo and K Y Iyer, SVP & head of technology, Times Network. The winners (team TAZITURN) won a cash prize of INR 1 lakh and the runners up (team SHARP) won a cash prize of INR 50,000.
The teams used technologies, platforms and languages, such as machine learning, data analytics, blockchain, computer vision, IoT, C++, Node.js, android apps, iOS apps and Python, to arrive at solutions for India’s Smart City Mission. The solutions revolved around providing road safety, newer trends in the traffic system, environment management, water management, , waste management, managing natural calamities or epidemics, smart governance through citizen’s feedback and remote physiotherapy.
Barco Geekathon 1.0 offered teams of developers and enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to create breakthrough ideas and solutions to support India’s Smart City Mission. The participants also enjoyed networking with each other and Barco mentors, while working on the challenges posed, for two days at a stretch.
The event was seen as an opportunity for the Company to promote its brand and also identify some of the best talent for its software labs, where it builds real-life applications to help resolve issues pertaining to growing urbanisation.
