Goal

The theme of this hackathon was an outbreak. The goals was to analyse datasets about previous outbreaks and epidemics. Then we had to process this data and use this to create something original and predictive. We had the whole night to come up with something. Meanwhile the amazing organizers took care of food, drinks and entertainment. You can read more about the hackathon on HLN.

Solution

We chose to test the realism of the game Plague Inc. We collected data and compared this to datasets about Ebola. Then we looked for reasons why it would, in-game, spread differently in certain countries. We managed to substantiate this with datasets about healthcare, GDP and trade. Our concept to use Plague Inc. as a predictive and interactive simulation, combined with an enthusiastic pitch got us the 4th place. It was a unique experience and I am definitely planning on doing more hackathons.

29-30 January, 2020