Fwd: [open-sustainability] Your country needs you: #FloodHack this Sunday!

[Steven Flower]

FYI

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Joshua March <jo...@conversocial.com>
Date: 14 February 2014 20:54
Subject: [open-sustainability] Your country needs you: #FloodHack this Sunday!
To: open-sust...@lists.okfn.org

Hi guys, 

The government called a meeting today with a number of major UK tech companies to discuss what the tech and developer community could do to help with the flood crisis engulfing the UK. 

As part of this, the Environment Agency agreed to open up real-time data on flood levels/status, mapped across the UK, so that developers can utilize the data for free (at least for the next three months). 

We're organizing a hackathon THIS SUNDAY in Shoreditch, London, to build apps on top of the data to try and help people keep up to date with the issues in their area (or areas they're traveling to), and get the data they need on how they can get help, how they can volunteer etc. 

There are more details below, and on the hackpad page: https://hackpad.com/UK-Flood-Help-February-2014-QFpKPE5Wy6s

This is obviously super short notice, but an amazing opp to build something that could actually help thousands of people. Google have agreed to host it, and will be sending developers, as will Facebook, Microsoft and many other start-ups in the area (including my own). 

Please spread the word, and come down if you can make it!

 

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Calling all developers!

We have been hit by the worst flooding and weather the UK has seen in our lifetimes. Getting the right information to people about the problems affecting particular areas, and the right places to turn to help (or for information on how THEY can help volunteer) is crucial. The government has near real-time data on flooding levels and alerts, mapped out across the entire country, which they want to put to the best possible use. Following a meeting called today at Number 10 with leading technology companies, the Environment Agency, the Government Digital Service, the Open Data Institute and the Cabinet Office are working to open up this data to the public for the next three months, allowing developers to build innovative applications that can help those affected by the flooding. 

This Sunday at 10am, join developers from Google, Facebook, Twitter, Conversocial, Datasift, Mother, Taskhub and more for a hackathon, hosted by Tech CityUK at Google Campus in Shoreditch, where the Open Data Institute will share the flood level data with developers and be on hand to help throughout the day. The Cabinet Office will be choosing the most useful applications demoed on the day to be promoted to flood victims across the country. 

Please register for the hackathon here.

Your country needs you!

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Hopefully see you Sunday,

Josh

Joshua March Founder & CEO, Conversocial e: jo...@conversocial.com | w: www.conversocial.com Find me on: Twitter LinkedIn

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