Open Datathon: A Marathon for Open Data in Green and Circular Economy
- Nishan Kumar Aryal
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Acknowledgment: This post was delayed in publication and may contain outdated information. We appreciate your understanding
YouthMappers Nepal allied with the Open Tech Community to celebrate the Open Data Week in the month of March 2024 (ODW24). With a motive to reach the mapping community around different corners of the country, an Open Datathon event was organized for the week. The event began with a series of orientation programs with student clubs of different colleges in Kathmandu. These orientation events aimed to promote open technologies, encourage the use of open data and share insights on upcoming Open Data Week 2024. Through these pre-events, we were able to reach around 500 students across the students collectively as well as to incorporate new open data enthusiasts in the community.
Open Data Week Pre-events
A series of pre-event orientation sessions were conducted at different colleges from the 25th of February- the 29th of February. The host colleges were very supportive of the event considering the fact that the student clubs in respective colleges were the main targets for ODW24. The details of the event, colleges, and some clips are presented as follows:
Date | College Name | College Location |
Feb 25 2024 | Virinchi College | Patan, Lalitpur |
Feb 26 2024 | Texas International College | Chabahil, Kathmandu |
Feb 27 2024 | Institute of Crisis Management Studies (ICMS), Samarpan Academy | Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu |
Feb 28 2024 | Medhavi College | Sankhamul, Kathmandu |
Feb 29 2024 | St. Xavier’s College | Maitighar, Kathmandu |
Feb 29 2024 | Amrit Campus | Lainchaur, Kathmandu |
Open Data Week 2024 Main Event- Open Datathon
The main event for Open Data Week, “Open Datathon” was organized with an event theme of “Open Data for Green and Circular Economy” focusing on sustainable practices that align with an elaborate global effort to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. On a week-long schedule beginning from the 2nd of March to the 7th of March, the event was set to dig through the prospects of open data in endorsing sustainable practices, especially on building Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Before starting the event, an online application portal was set up for the interested student clubs and trams to submit their ideas. Several applications were received, out of which 7 teams were selected based on the novelty of the ideas and their creative presentation. The top 7 teams and their ideas were:
Team name | Submitted Ideas |
Dumba | Easing in public transportation |
Impact Minds | Finding accommodation easily |
TechBug | Improve local bus transportation |
Team Infinite | Community driven farming |
Nyano Nano | Managing parking spaces |
Team ICMS | City pollution analysis |
Glocal | Recycling city and community waste |
Event Schedule
The Open Datathon even had a multifaceted schedule with two sessions in-person and four remote sessions of mentorship with proficient mentors from different sectors. The first day of this weeklong event was a gathering of teams and mentors in the venue (ICMS event hall) to share their ideas through an interactive discussion.
In the first half, the participants and audiences registered themselves and were involved in networking tea sessions which was followed by an introduction of the team and the mentors who will be assisting through the event. Moving on to the second half, the teams were allowed to their respective ideas and develop workable plans on their ideas while mentors monitored the activities. This session ended with a refreshment break of an hour after which mentors were assigned to each team to assist them in finalizing the work plan on the ideas. Finally, the first day of this event ended with a closing session and discussion on details of the next day.
On consecutive four days, remote workshops were conducted with two sessions each day. All the mentors were allocated a day for guiding and sharing plans to execute the ideas. In the first session, the assigned mentor gave presentations on how to develop a strong idea whereas in the second session, the participants discussed their ideas with mentors, asked questions, and shared their views on their own projects.
Eventually, the last day of the event was a closing ceremony, presentation of the team products, and declaration of the winner. A panel of judges analyzed the work plan, the product, and its presentation and decided on a winner. The judges were Mr. Nishan K. Aryal, YouthMappers Regional ambassador for Asia-Pacific, Mr. Bhawak Pokhrel, a senior mobile engineer at Kathmandu Living Labs (KLL), and Mr. Arjun Gautam, a community representative for Open Tech Community.
Out of the seven teams that participated, team “Dumba” from Amrit Campus was declared the winner for their outstanding product idea called “YetaUta” which was about making the transport system in busy areas smoother and more efficient. In addition, this team displayed unique ways to improve how people moved around crowded areas. Apart from their novel product, their distinct approach to the problem and hard work put into the idea was what made them stand out and make them a winner.
Mentors for the Event
The mentors of the event were as proficient and diverse as the students who participated in the event. The first day of remote mentorship was led by Mr. James Shrestha, a representative from OKN held discussions on working with Open Data. For the second session, Mr. Bhawak Pokhrel from KLL gave guidance on civic technology. Likewise, the regional ambassador of YouthMappers, Mr. Nishan Kumar Aryal, gave sessions on exploring the GCE initiatives in Nepal on the third day of the remote mentorship session. Lastly, on the fourth day we had a session on data storytelling and project continuation which was led by Ms. Sarila Ngakhusi from WLiT.
Event Summary
Summing up, the open datathon organized by YouthMappers Nepal was a successful event including mapping enthusiasts from different corners of the Kathmandu chapter. One of the prime reasons for organizing this series of events was to nurture a practice of learning, sharing, and growing together among the students while bridging the gap between educational institutions and the actual field/work environment/industries. It would be safer to say the event was successful in working as a network of prime industrialists and blooming student mappers and data enthusiasts.
One of the reasons for focussing on Green and Circular Economy during this marathon, was to promote sustainability through technological interventions. All the participating teams, mentors, and supporting organizations were keen to drill down to a solution to the real world problems associated with the greening concept.
Though the datathon has ended, it has given rise to new ideas and strategies that every participant can implement to work on more effectively. Among the ideas presented, project ideas such as Mapping of the trekking trails, gamifying the pollution control mechanism, pollution analysis, and simplifying the public transportation sounded very unique and potent enough to bring the Open Data set. Hopefully, the ideas born out of this event will get a platform to flourish and come in a practical usage making it easier to the community.
About the Author
Nishan Kumar Aryal was a YouthMappers Regional Ambassadors for Asia Pacific Region.
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