SensorUp sponsored 100 cloud servers for Singapore’s CXA Smart Cities Hackathon 2017

by Steve @ Singapore – I was blown away by the Singapore Smart Cities Hackathon 2017.  As the technology sponsor of Singapore’s CXA hackathon 2017, I had an opportunity to fly to Singapore, spend 24 hours with the participants, and see many innovative smart city applications created from scratch. The high quality IoT work done and the energy shown by the hackathon participants in the short 24 hours really really impressed me. During the hackthon, of course the “typical” IoT devices (e.g., Arduino, rapsberryPi, Edison, robotic arms, etc.) were used. But guess what did I see? I saw advanced techniques such as SLAM, blockchain, Natural Language Processing (NLP), OpenCV, BLE beacons, etc. And of course, many teams used SensorUp’s SensorThings Cloud as their IoT cloud platform (heart). BTW, did I mention that we sponsored 100 Cloud servers for the hackathon? We also offered our cloud monitoring infrastructure for the hackathon. Organizers were able to see in real-time the servers’ health status, usage status, etc.

It’s worth to share what makes this hackathon standing out.

1. Real-world problems: The eight challenge topics were real-world problems provided by sponsors. Sponsors, such as Changyi airport and PSA Singapore, identified their pain points and provided to the hackathon participants. These real-world problems make the hackathon much more meaningful and potentially useful in the future.
2. Technical Trainings: Before the hackathon, there were multiple technical training sessions so that the participants were well equipped with the latest IoT technologies and skills when the event started. For example, one of the training sponsors, NangYang Polytechnic, provided several training workshops on SensorThings API before the events, so that the participants can connect IoT devices to the SensorUp Cloud effortlessly with open standards.
3. Energy: I could feel that the organizers just loving doing this. This is the 13th (!!) national hackathon they organized. Their passion really made a difference. Some organizers spent 24 hours at the venue without going home!

Don’t forget to watch this highlight video of the hackathon.  Hope you can feel the energy and fun just like me.