Public Invited to Take Part in County Hosted 'County Apps Challenge' Hackathon at Dublin High

Information submitted by Alameda County—

Alameda County will continue its push for greater community participation and government transparency on Saturday, May 3, at the Alameda County Apps Challenge 2014.1, a unique day-long event designed to challenge the public to create web and mobile applications using Alameda County open data sets.

The Apps Challenge will run from 8:30 am to 7:00 pm on Saturday, May 3 at Dublin High School, 8151 Village Parkway, Dublin.

Alameda County Apps Challenge 2014.1 is the third hackathon sponsored by Alameda County in its effort to increase community engagement and broaden public understanding of local government by opening access to data created and kept by County agencies and departments. 

The Dublin event is expected to bring together more than 100 software developers, community members, activists and entrepreneurs for a full day of creativity, collaboration and innovation. 

A Grand Prize of $3000 will be awarded to the most inventive and user-friendly app or concept that benefits Alameda County residents, businesses and visitors. A second prize of $1500, a third prize of $500 and honorable mentions will also be awarded.

Participants in the May 3 event will have access to the nearly 130 data sets available through the Alameda County Data Sharing Initiative at http://data.acgov.org. 

The data covers a wide range of topics, including public safety data, a listing of Certified Green Businesses, public health data, maps of senior services and more. 

The cost to participate in Alameda County Apps Challenge 2013.1 is $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. Government employees may participate for free.  For more information about the Apps Challenge and to register for the event, please visit: http://code.acgov.org.