Hundreds Accept the State’s ‘Code Challenge’

Posted on Aug 27, 2016 in Featured, News, Press Release

HACC kickoff panoHONOLULU – Approximately 220 coders and innovators answered the call to apply their collective creativity to improving Hawaii state government.

Gov. David Ige and state Chief Information Officer (CIO) Todd Nacapuy today welcomed participants to the state’s Hawaii Annual Code Challenge (HACC), kicking off the month-long competition and showcase of local tech talent.

Participants formed teams and selected from diverse challenges, some personally presented by state officials and staff, to tackle over the next several weeks. Among the presenters were state Coordinator on Homelessness Scott Morishige and staff representing the Departments of Accounting and General Services, Agriculture, Health, and Public Safety, and others.

The HACC coder teams will return on Sept. 24 to present their solutions for judging and winner selection. Awards will go to top participants, and outstanding projects will be considered for implementation.

Gov David Ige

Gov. David Y. Ige welcomed approximately 220 participants to the HACC.

Presented challenges included the following:

  • Campaign Spending Profiles (Department of Accounting and General Services)
  • Family Visitation and Scheduling (Department of Public Safety)
  • Farmers’ Market Locator (Department of Agriculture)
  • Made in Hawaii Products (Department of Agriculture)
  • Jobs for Disabled Citizens (Department of Health)
  • Institute for Human Services (Non-Profit)
  • Homeless Outreach and Services (Office of the Governor)
  • Age Friendly Initiative (University of Hawaii and City and County of Hawaii)
  • Open Challenge for Schools

“With roughly 220 in attendance today, I’m impressed by the great interest shown in helping to improve how state government engages and serves the public,” CIO Nacapuy said. “We’re grateful for the support from the professional and non-profit community, who likewise see the value of developing our local IT workforce.”

The HACC is the result of collaboration across public and private sectors. In coordinating the event, the CIO-led Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) partnered with the High Technology Development Corporation, DevLeague, Empowered Presentations, Hawaii Open Data, Blue Startups, Sultan Ventures, and XLR8UH. Award prizes are being underwritten by sponsors such as Hawaiian Electric, Kaiser Permanente, KPMG and Verizon. Additional support is being provided by DataHouse, eWorld Enterprise Solutions, Socrata, Uber, Unisys, DRFortress, and Hawaiian Telcom.

For more information and updates on the progress of challenge projects, visit https://HACC.hawaii.gov.

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