TransportHack FAQs

The term ‘hackathon’ is a combination of the words Hack and Marathon and is used to describe an event where developers, start-ups, entrepreneurs, data aficionados, business analysts and innovators come together to solve a real validated problem and deliver a product with great market appeal. Hack in this context means quickly solving something, it isn’t a reference to computer crime. The ‘hack’ is a solution or concept developed quickly, but given the time restrictions isn’t necessarily robust, complete or optimised.

TransportHack is a two-day creative problem-solving event hosted by the Transport Portfolio and Ministry of Data. A diverse range of agency data will be available for you and your team to produce creative, original ideas, build prototypes and pitch solutions.

The Transport Portfolio consists of the Department of Transport (DoT), Public Transport Authority (PTA) and Main Roads Western Australia.

The Ministry of Data hosts hackathons to solve the most curious technological problems faced by Government agencies. Ministry of Data hackathons are different to other open data government hackathons as they provide validated challenges from the agencies involved. These problems are not only challenges for Western Australian Government agencies but also internationally and across other industries.

If the solution answers one of the challenges, then it meets our criteria of success! Stereotypically hackathons lead to software based solutions however, a wide range of solutions are acceptable including audiovisual presentations, business cases, reports and even artwork.

Tickets to attend TransportHack will be available for purchase from Thursday 19 September via EventBrite.

Free events don’t require any commitment from participants and our experience shows that around 20 – 30% of people who register for a free event don’t show up. There are only limited tickets available to TransportHack, so no-shows prevent someone else from registering and attending. By charging a nominal fee, participants are usually more committed before they register. The weekend is fully catered, so you will get your monies worth. No refunds will be offered.

Generally, hackathons are fun and intellectually stimulating. People have described them as a buzz of excitement. Over the course of the weekend you get to work on a problem and hopefully find innovative solutions. The Transport Portfolio will be releasing diverse data to support the event, so it’s a great opportunity to get stuck in and see how your knowledge, experience and insights might help solve one of the challenges. Teams can work collaboratively at the event venue (WeWork), which will be open from: • 6pm until late on Friday 18 October • 10am until late on Saturday 19 October • 10am until event close on Sunday 20 October

You don’t have to bring all the things below however you may require: • A laptop, mouse and mouse pad • Adapters and charging cables • USB Thumb drives, hub or external hard drives • Headphones • Phone and charger • Bluetooth adapter • Your imagination, a friendly attitude and team spirit The weekend is fully catered. If you have special dietary requirements, please ensure you state these as part of your registration.

No. On the first evening of TransportHack, we will help those without a team to find others in the same situation and create a team for you.

There’s no limit on the size of teams however, teams tend to work best with three of four people. Large teams often have a difficult time collaborating to develop a final solution. In some cases, we may advise you to think about splitting in to smaller teams.

There are four good reasons to participate: 1. You will be helping to solve real transport challenges that the Transport Portfolio is specifically interested in. By finding solutions, you are helping the wider Western Australian community. 2. You own the Intellectual Property (IP) of whatever is created over the weekend, so you own whatever you develop. Terms and Conditions for the data resources are available on the Ministry of Data website. 3. There are prizes! A judging panel will award a first and second prize ($4,000 and $2000 respectively) for the most innovative and practical solutions. Other small prizes will be announced at TransportHack. 4. Selected teams will be asked to pitch their ideas and creations to senior decision makers within the Transport Portfolio. This is the opportunity for the work undertaken at TransportHack to evolve into a project that could make a real difference.

You do. Any solution or product you create at the event remains the property of the person or persons that built it.

Visit the TransportHack web page or attend the launch party at 5:15pm on 19 September in the Exhibition Hall on Level 2 at 140 William Street Perth. The TransportHack web page includes Terms and Conditions and a longer list of FAQs, which both provide more information about the event, covering topics like Intellectual Property, eligibility, judging criteria and contact details.