Civic-minded hackers are gearing up for Delaware’s second annual Open Data Challenge this weekend.
Open data is a collection of information straight from a public source, like state government.
Delaware has an open data portal anyone can use to look at everything from how the state is spending money to a list of birth records.
“They might use it to be a check on government to see that taxpayer funding is going to the right places. They might also use it for economic development,” said Dana Rohrbough, director of the state Government Information Center.
“This gives them a better way, a better opportunity to interact with information that belongs to them,” Rohrbough said.
Come Friday, teams will use these kinds of datasets to create programs or virtual tech that solve a problem related to this year’s theme “Access to Hope through Innovation.”
The first and second place teams will earn grants to help flesh out their prototypes, funded by the Department of State.
The Open Data Challenge kicks off Friday June 2 at 6:30 p.m. It'll run through the weekend at 1313 Innovation in Wilmington.
You can find more information about the contest and how to register at www.opendatachallenge.com