Hackathons

Some frequently unanswered questions.

What is a hackathon?

n. a design sprint-like event; often, in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers, project managers, domain experts, and others collaborate intensively on software projects. (Wikipedia)

Here is a popular introduction by Oleg which, in his humble opinion, and in spite of - or perhaps even with thanks to - the ponies, has aged well: https://forum.opendata.ch/t/make-the-most-of-hackathon-season/167/1 🐴

What roles are involved?

The traditional make.opendata.ch hackathons had only three roles: Ideator, Developer, Designer. At geohackmin, the first cividi-organized hackathon, we defined the following roles:

• 🖍️ Designer (30%)
• ⚙️ Coder (30%)
• 🏢 Urbanist (30%)
• 💡 Challenger (5%)
• 🛡️ Operator (5%)

Preparation

There are excellent handbooks out there that cover this in detail. We may put in some effort to more up-to-date documentation, for now here are some links:

• https://geohackweek.github.io/preliminary/00-geohack-intro/
• https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Hackathons/Handbook
• https://handbook.mattermost.com/contributors/contributors/how-to-run-a-hackathon
• https://forum.opendata.ch/t/a-guide-to-remote-hackdays
• http://handbook.opendatalab.eu/
• https://guide.mlh.io/