The Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) is seeking participants for our first ever hackathon!  Organizations and individuals interested in applying their data science skills to solve environmental management challenges are encouraged to register.

The goal of this event is to select a vendor with which TBEP can enter into a contract to develop a tool that fills an indicator and reporting gap in our current efforts.  During the 9-hour event, self-selected teams will work with a dataset from a list of priorities provided by TBEP, and then conceptualize, develop, and present an open science-based workflow that supports routine reporting on status and trends of that team’s chosen estuarine health indicator. 

The winning team will be eligible for consideration of a contract with TBEP for $20,000 to carry out indicator development and implementation, potentially including the workflow presented at the Hackathon.

What to Expect

Hack the Bay! This is your chance to conceptualize a workflow for routine reporting on status and trends of a bay health indicator.  The hackathon will be a timed event during which your team will choose an indicator for reporting, conceptualize a reproducible workflow that synthesizes existing data, and develop a reporting product that readily conveys status and trends. Eligible indicator subjects are listed above and links to potential datasets for these indicators will be provided to participants before the hackathon. The event will culminate with each group providing a short presentation on their workflow and product.  All proposed methods must use open source tools that promote the use of open science at TBEP as one of our cornerstone strategies.

All registered participants will work together as a team to develop the reporting workflow.  Teams can register together on the event webpage.  Individuals not registering with a team will be assigned to one before the event. An ideal team includes data scientists, resource managers, subject matter experts, science communicators, and those with knowledge of indicators, resource needs, or regional ecology.  Having at least one team member with strong coding skills (e.g., R, Python) is a must.  Delegation of tasks during the hackathon is key to success.  For example, one member should be the team captain that oversees all activities, another should be the subject matter expert for the dataset/indicator, a coder (or two or three) should be chosen for data wrangling/synthesis, a coder should be chosen for creating data visualization/reporting products, etc. 

All teams will present a short, five-minute presentation during the last hour of the hackathon.  At least one member of the team must present the team’s proposal, but multiple team members can also contribute. A slide template is provided and must be used by each team. This presentation will be used to choose a winner based on average scores from a panel of judges that evaluate the merit of each proposed workflow.  Each group will be scored using this rubric.

Each team member should bring a laptop with WiFi capabilities and any necessary software that will be used to develop the reporting workflow.  Teams are strongly encouraged to use a shared online workspace that will facilitate collaboration during the hackathon, e.g., GitHub, Google Drive, Trello, etc. This space should be chosen and shared among team members prior to the hackathon.  The dataset(s) that are planned for workflow development can also be downloaded prior to the event.

What to Bring

• All teammates
• Laptop (don’t forget your chargers!)
• Extension cords and surge protector/power strips
• Data (download before the event)
• Cell phones for WiFi hotspots
• Other accessories, like HDMI cord(s) or storage devices (external hard drive or flash drive)
• $10 for lunch

What’s Provided by TBEP

• 1-2 tables per team
• Chairs
• Wifi
• Projector and screen for presentations
• Large notepads and writing utensils
• Stickers!

Registration Details

Individuals or teams can register for the Hackathon.  All participants must attend in person.  All participants should register in advance.  There is a limit of 120 participants in a maximum of 12 teams.  Once the maximum number of participants have registered, a waitlist will be opened.

Registering as a Team: Each team must have at least 5 and no more than 10 participants. Teams that organize in advance of the event should register together.  At registration, each team should designate a team captain, provide a team name, choose up to 3 indicator subjects, and provide a short description of any skills or capabilities that they’re looking for in additional teammates (20 words maximum).  If the team is less than the maximum of 10 people, TBEP may assign individual registrants to the team. 

Registering as an Individual: Individual participants that register without a team will be grouped with other individuals to create a new team or added to an existing team.  Priority grouping will go to teams with less than the minimum 5 participants, followed by teams that do not have a maximum of 10 participants.  At registration, each individual should choose up to 3 indicator subjects and provide a short description of any skills or capabilities that they can provide on a team (20 words maximum). TBEP staff will aim to match individuals with teams or other individuals based on their interest in indicator subjects and the complementarity of skill sets.

Webinar

An informational webinar about Hack the Bay! will occur on Wednesday January 8th, 11am to noon.  Attendance is not mandatory but strongly encouraged.  The webinar will provide important details about event logistics, how to prepare, and additional information about TBEP reporting workflows.  This will also be your chance to ask any questions prior to the event. Please register for the webinar before January 8th.

Timeline

November 4, 2024: Registration opens

January 8, 2025, 11:00-12:00pm: Webinar for interested participants

January 22: Deadline for registration 

January 24: Registrants on waitlist notified of availability

January 27:

• 8:00am: check in begins
• 8:30am: recommended check-in time for all participants
• 9am: welcome and overview of the hackathon
• 9:30am-4pm: hack!
• 11am-2pm: lunch available at venue
• 4:00pm: stop hacking!
• 4:00-5:00pm: team presentations
• 5:15pm: Hackathon wrap up and Coder Club presentation
• 5:30pm: Judges deliberate (free time, networking)
• 6:00pm: Hackathon winner announced
• 6:30pm: Optional off-site social at Gaudin Kitchen + Bar

Hackathon Winner

The winning team will be eligible to be considered for a contract with TBEP with a value up to $20,000.00.  Teams will be scored by a panel of judges during each presentation using a scoring rubric, with the winner chosen based on the highest score.  In the event of a tie, the final winner will be chosen by consensus among the judges. Winning the Hackathon does not guarantee or require the team to consider a contract with TBEP, nor do all team members have to consider or enter into a subsequent contract. For teams consisting of multiple entities, the team must agree on which entity, or entities, may enter into a contract with TBEP.  

Additional Questions

Any questions about Hack the Bay! can be sent to Dr. Marcus Beck at .

Intellectual Property

Please be advised that by participating in this event you understand and agree that any ideas, concepts, or contributions you share may be viewed by any attendee, including TBEP staff.  There is no protection of intellectual property generated during the hackathon.  All TBEP activity is noticed, open to the public, and otherwise compliant with Florida’s Sunshine Law. 

About TBEP

The mission of TBEP is to build partnerships to restore and protect Tampa Bay through the implementation of a scientifically sound, community-based management plan.  Learn more at https://tbep.org/about-tbep/.