IRRI, Smart team up to find best agri apps with BIGAS Hackathon!

Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and wireless services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) are calling on all mobile developers to create and pitch web and/or mobile applications that could be the next big tech push for rice farming. In celebration of National Rice Awareness Month, IRRI and Smart through its developer community program Smart Developer Network (DevNet) are staging "BIGAS Hackathon", a developer event that aims to produce apps that can further enhance the impact of rice production technologies.

The two-day “BIGAS Hackathon” will be held from November 10, 2012, Saturday at 11:00 am until November 11, 2012, Sunday at 2:00 pm.

IRRI and Smart are looking for innovative solutions in many aspects of rice research, ranging from complex computational problems to the creative use of games and social networking. This could be mobile and/or web apps that could improve the collection and study of research data, provide information and/or technologies to farmers or extension workers, index library and other institute data, improve institute processes and procedures, store survey data better, or speed up survey data processing,  design a digital moisture meter, and more.

The “BIGAS Hackathon” is open to all developers especially those based in Laguna and nearby cities and provinces. This is a free event, but registration is required. Transportation (bus from Makati City, Metro Manila to IRRI), food and accommodation will be provided for free to registered participants only.

The winning teams will receive prizes from IRRI and Smart and will get the chance to further develop their applications for public release. Interested developers may read full mechanics and register at  http://bigashackathon.eventbrite.com/.

Smart DevNet is Smart’s developer community program, targeted at developers on desktop and mobile platforms interested in using Smart’s technology platforms such as network tools and APIs. It organizes its own developer events and sponsors other developer groups’ events, meetups and hackathons.

Smart DevNet’s hackathons have discovered outstanding mobile developers across the country, among them is the Davao-based team of Rolly Rulete who created the Project NOAH Android application launched in October.

Smart, through its Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), is also tapping students to create mobile apps for communities, with Bataan Peninsula State University’s Palay Checker winning the top mobile app honors in last year’s SWEEP Awards.

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