Here are the 3 winners from the DCx Challenge

Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the Chief Technology Office (OCTO) have announced the winners for the DCx Challenge.

The challenge called on developers to adapt gigabit app solutions that address public safety and public health. Bowser and OCTO partnered with the Verizon 5G Lab, located in Alley powered by Verizon, where finalists gained access to a working 5G node to test their high-performance applications. This challenge and the winning cash prize was funded through D.C.’s partnership with US Ignite and the Smart Gigabit Communities program.

This challenge follows the inaugural GigabitDCx that Bowser and OCTO hosted earlier this year.

“We look forward to growing this program, reaching more innovators in DC, and truly working with our tech community to solve real challenges in the District,” DC Government CTO Lindsey Parker said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have been able to partner with US Ignite to not only offer an innovation award, but also the opportunity to work with so many diverse, talented entrepreneurs on a common goal for the betterment of the District.”

The three semifinalist teams showcased their solutions during the WeDC Futures Forum at Eaton DC on Oct. 2. After witnessing the solutions, the expert panel of judges decided to award all three teams with a cash prize.

Daniel Bernstein and Brendan Freehart of Arlington, Virginia, took home the $10,000 grand prize for Safe Lane. This solution distributes a monitoring system that leverages deep learning and existing traffic camera feeds to provide bike lane enforcement officers with real-time notifications of bike lane obstructions, as well as historical analysis to arm District public safety agencies with the information they need to prioritize resourcing and staffing to reduce traffic fatalities and accidents on the road.

Haven of D.C., which took home $7,000, submitted the Self-Action For Everyone (S.A.F.E) card which would use 5G to empower all D.C. residents to access emergency care with a single button. S.A.F.E. is an IoT card that fits in a purse or wallet and allows the owner to trigger emergency care with a single button press.

ENGR Dynamics of Silver Spring, Maryland, took home a $3,000 cash prize. This team submitted Public Safety Sensor Fusion (PS2F), which increases first responder safety and effectiveness via automated video analytics and sensor fusion. With 5G, PS2F has the potential to use precise indoor positioning to track personnel on-scene and gigabit networking to stream sensor data to mobile devices.

OCTO also announced the launch of HubDC.tech at the event. This online platform serves as a centralized hub for anything someone wants to find out about the D.C. tech world, including public challenge information like this one. OCTO is still shaping and updating the platform, and it’s calling on the tech community to help.