The city of Toronto is set to hold its first disaster hackathon next month, in an effort to find innovative solutions to help cities better prepare for events such as floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and severe storms.

The “DisasterTech Hackathon” will be presented by insurer Aviva Canada and innovation hub OneEleven. It will be held from Oct. 13 to Oct. 15, in OneEleven’s location at 325 Front St. W #4, Toronto.

Developers, designers, emergency preparedness experts, coders, lawyers, front-line workers, insurance professionals, and many more are invited to contribute their ideas on the matter and help develop real solutions.

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Participants will be grouped into teams as they analyze extensive data sets and case studies before coming up with a disaster solution concept. All concept entries will be presented to a panel of judges, and the three winning teams will each receive $7,000.

“With the introduction of new technology platforms and social media, information can travel at rapid speed,” OneEleven CEO Bilal Khan told Metro Toronto. “I’m not sure that we’ve fully integrated some of these new tools into processes and systems in the disaster relief efforts.”

According to Khan, the hackathon is the perfect opportunity for industry experts to view disaster issues from another perspective.

“No-one has the answers but it’s all about being proactive and thinking ahead,” he said. “We need to be better prepared.”


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