HopHacks adds civic track, using open source platform from Paris

HopHacks is adding a design track focused building technology to improve city life at its fall event.
The 36-hour student hackathon is scheduled to be held at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood campus from Sept. 14-16. Registration is already closed, according to its website, but there’s some news relevant to all of Baltimore to pass along. For the first time in the series, the biannual event will include a Civic Hack design track among the options for building, according to the JHU Hub.
https://twitter.com/HopHacks/status/1037769169415143425
To source ideas, City Councilmembers compiled a list of community issues, and city data will also be provided. Participants will have access to Lutèce, an open source platform developed by the City of Paris. The platform includes 400 modules designed specifically for city government use.
City of Paris IT representatives will also be onhand for a workshop as the event begins on Friday. They’ll also be among the judges, along with representatives from city government and MICA. The winning team will get a chance to work with Baltimore City IT to prototype products, among other prizes.
“HopHacks and Hopkins students are part of a unique intersection between a university environment and the Baltimore community,” student organizer Andrew Wong told the Hub. “As part of both communities, we are enthusiastic about pushing students to use the skills they learn here and elsewhere to give back to our city