Calling All Coders! We Have a Mission!
$306 Billion is the estimated economic losses in 2017 due to Natural Disasters. Last year, we saw catastrophic floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and hurricanes across the globe. Millions of people were affected by this and millions more vulnerable to the wrath of nature. Yes, we cannot stand a chance against stopping such fury but we can help reduce the impact it has on human lives and livelihood. Software has enabled us to get closer to people all around the world and solve a lot of challenges but has had a very little impact on disaster. We can change this now!
Call For Code
Developers from all over the world can come together to build software that can help in disaster management. IBM is a founding partner for the Call For Code challenge which aims to bring developers from all over the world together to build global solutions that are sustainable and help us all in terms of disaster preparedness.
Individually, we might be good at one technology, but we can form teams and build solutions that can produce tremendous results. Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, App development can all come together to form a complete software solution that can handle end-to-end processes during a disaster situation. This is a platform that provides opportunities for people like us, who want to do things that impacts the world in a positive way.
Dear coders, this is a call for code. A call to join hands in building solutions that can help humanity across the globe. Great outcomes come from collaboration, so, let’s join this cause.
The Support You Get
The challenge requires the submissions to be hosted on the IBM cloud. The Lite Tier of the IBM cloud gives coders free access to APIs like Watson API for performing machine learning tasks, or Virtual Machines to host the code. This way, there is no expense incurred to the developers to build and deploy their solution.
Upon registration for the event, all participants get access to the Call for Code slack channel to discuss, collaborate and ask for assistance from the IBM team.
Winning entries who would like to make the project open source will be guided by the Linux Foundation to make sure all the aspects of making a project open source are taken care of.
Summary:
- IBM Cloud support – Free Lite Tier
- Open Sourcing support by Linux Foundation
- IBM driven Slack communities to get technical support from IBM Team or connect with fellow developers.
Incentivization
Incentives are like fuel for engines. They help us stay motivated and reward us for accomplishing a breakthrough in a critical task.
Call for Code is giving $200,000 for the winning entry and $20,000 for the second and third place winners. It’s definitely a large sum of money for anyone in the world.
A software that boosts the readiness for disaster preparedness in multiple communities across the world calls for a celebration. Seema Kumar, IBM country Leader for Developer Ecosystems and Startups has mentioned that there will be a grand ceremony for prize distribution with a music concert type of an event.
I had attended IBM Code Day a few months ago to cover the event as a tech journalist and trust me when I say that the IBM hosted events are magnificent and something to look forward to.
Benefits
Call for Code challenge isn’t like any other coding competition or hackathons that you might have participated in. In this challenge, you have a lot of benefits:
1. Project implementation and execution
The winning entry will be applied to real communities where the solution will be most apt. This would allow the developers to test the solution in real scenarios and provide an opportunity to scale it or improve its efficiency.
2. Connect to VCs in the industry
IBM has helped a lot of startups to grow and reach the masses. The winners of the Call For Code challenge will get connects to top VCs in the industry. The winning team can take this build a startup around their solution and get the funding necessary for the implementation on a larger scale.
3. community interaction and solution deployment
The winners will have an opportunity to deploy their solution with an IBM Corporate Service Corps team.
Challenge Details
Following are some of the important details and resources for you to get started on the challenge:
- Submission Deadline: 31st August 2018
- Resources on techonogies and domain: https://developer.ibm.com/callforcode/resources
- main website: https://callforcode.org/
Hope that we can bring out some elegent solutions and that can make the world a better place.
