A competitive hackathon saw Bolton students use their data skills to change the way we think about the climate crisis.
Teams from the University of Bolton were tasked with interpreting complex environmental data in a more engaging and accessible way.
The hackathon was part of Bolton Council’s broader commitment to making its data more open and accessible to everyone.
The campus event was organised by Bolton Council and the University of Bolton across November 16-17.
The session was opened by Cllr Nadim Muslim, the council’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Service Delivery whose portfolio also includes a Digital focus.
An opening presentation was given by Hannah Roden of Data Mill North, a collaborative website for publishing data, who provided some context to the event.
Students were then given open access to the council’s climate data and tasked with presenting the information using tools such as interactive whiteboards, computer code, analytics, or apps.
Seven groups of students, made up of undergraduates and postgraduates, then presented their research to an invited audience.
‘Team Mountain’ were declared winners as Ash-Lee Ashton, Umara Aktar, Nathan Barron and Ike Igweze impressed with a presentation that championed the use of reusable energy and planting sustainable grasses.
They will now receive a work placement at Bolton Council to further their learning.
Cllr Muslim said: “This event was such a great opportunity for students at The University of Bolton.
“We are delighted the winning students will have the opportunity to do a short placement to see their data results work in real life.
“It also helps build on the council’s focus of using digital to improve the lives of residents.
“By working in partnership with organisations across the borough, we can achieve great outcomes for all that live and work here.”
As part of the council’s commitment to Open Data, more data sets will be published online at opendata.bolton.gov.uk when the domain launches in the coming months.