Hackathons

Hacking is creative problem solving. Hackathons, also called codefests or hackfests, are design marathons in which affected citizens, software developers, graphic designers, project managers and others come together for a short period of time to work intensively on a software project designed to meet a particular civic need. The goal of hackathons is usually to produce a functioning software application by the end of the event. Hackathons can engage the public in helping the government solve citizens’ problems. The best have educational workshops running in parallel. Well organized hackathons can strengthen community bonds by welcoming newcomers, providing an opportunity for participants to learn something new about problems they are interested in, and encouraging civic engagement and cooperation.

Hackathon Best Practices

Clearly articulated. Projects should have a clear question or problem they are trying to tackle and a reasonably specific proposed solution.

Attainable. Most projects will likely accomplish less than imagined in the limited time they have. Project goals should be managed so that participants are able to feel sucessful at the end of the session.

Incorporating newcomers. Projects should have ready-to-go tasks for newcomers with a variety of skills and at a variety of skill levels. For coding projects, these tasks cannot require an intimate understanding of the code base.

Small groups of subject matter experts and other participants working together. Hackathons provide a unique opportunity to bring citizen concerns to the coding and tech community. Multiple small mini-project groups of 4-8 participants should be comprised of a mix of subject matter experts and other participants.

Training and education. Educational workshops running in parallel to small group projects can help bridge the divide between coders and other citizens, as well as spreading technological fluency to the wider community.

Project leaders. Each small group should be headed by a subject matter expert. A subject matter expert guides a project to real-world application.

Organized. The project leader’s role should be to coordinate, ensuring each team member has something to work on and helping to welcome new team members.

Open data. Successful hackathons require a generous supply of open data available to coders.

Follow up. One of the ultimate goals of the hackathon should be to create a community around the developed application that endures, post-hackathon: users of course, but also support for the technical needs of the app (security, data, hosting on a site, etc).

Venue/Technical. An appropriate venue must provide: proper seating, one power strip per table, fast and reliable wifi, a space for presentations including projector and microphone, accessible entrances and wheelchair-friendly seating space, and accessible bathrooms.

Managing Liability Issues

Privacy
Issues.
⚠️ Registration data will often contain personal information
⚠️ Privacy issues may also arise with respect to the application developed, as such applications often collect user data for both analytic and personalization purposes.
Managing Issues.
✅ De-identify as soon as possible. If personal information absolutely must be collected, it should be stripped away as soon as possible.
✅ Limit data collection to only that which is needed. Collection strategies such as bicycle numbers and heat maps rather than individual-specific routes avoid engaging more serious privacy concerns.
✅ Ensure that partners or contractors follow collection restrictions. When purchasing data from private companies, ensure that they are upholding their own privacy obligations under relevant legislation.
✅ Follow good privacy practices.
✅ Follow good security practices.

Intellectual Property Issues
Issues.
⚠️ Legal authorship of apps will lie with their authors, as these authors are not employees of the municipality.
⚠️ As such, allocating liability resulting from use of the app in question could be contentious.
⚠️ Data partnerships between public entities and private companies raise complex issues of who owns the data that results from them.
Managing Issues
✅ Contractual licensing or assigning of copyright of the hackathon-produced app and resulting data to the municipality if the municipality is not the sole producer or analyzer of the data.
✅ Licensing of the technology if it is patentable.
✅ Licensing if use of a trademarked technology is necessary.
✅ Warranties and representations of ownership and/or non-infringement to avoid future disagreements.
✅ Contractually allocating liability arising from app use to either the municipality, the author or the user.
✅ See also: intellectual property issues.

Hackathon Resources

• Joshua Tauberer, “How to Run a Successful Hackathon” (Creative Commons License, 2014); online: https://hackathon.guide.
• An often-cited and accessible how-to guide for running inclusive, civic-minded hackathons. Some of the advice applies to event-planning more generally and seems geared toward first-time event hosts; e.g. the venue must have sufficient bathroom facilities; if providing food, accommodate a range of dietary restrictions, etc. The hackathon-specific advice, however, is precise, practical and grounded in real-world experience.

• Major League Hacking, “Hackathon Organizer Guide” (Creative Commons License, ); online: https://guide.mlh.io.
• Major League Hacking’s “Organizer Guide” consists of a series of articles for organizers to consult in the months leading up to the event. Article subject range from “Build a Killer Leadership Team” to “Setup a Placeholder Website” to “Keep Hackers Motivated”.

• “Do Better At Conference Diversity” (Open Source Creative Commons License); online: http://conference.hopper.org.nz.
• A New Zealand-based, open source guide to promoting greater diversity at conferences and hackathons. A practical guide that provides advice on speaker selection, t-shirt design, accessibility, and team diversity training, among many other topics.