Hackathon: CoronaThon

After closing the applications on Monday, we didn’t anticipate the tough selection process ahead, as we received nearly 100 applications within 12 days. This shows how seriously and proactively the entire community has approached the current situation, and it also gives us an additional push to continue creating such opportunities.

Based on the defined criteria, the submitted solutions were evaluated on how sustainable, impactful, feasible, and innovative they were, as well as whether the solution could be replicated and the timeframe required for its realization and implementation. Because, don’t forget, we are looking for solutions that will help Montenegro in the fight against the coronavirus, and in its swift recovery from the upcoming crisis. We considered that the solutions must be practical and beneficial to individuals, communities, and businesses.

These are the 15 teams whose work we will follow from April 24th to 26th, when they, together with their mentors, will work on their solutions in a virtual environment. Read the short descriptions of our teams in detail, choose your favorite, and on Sunday, April 26th, from 16:40, follow our YouTube live stream and their solution presentations! Don’t forget, the best of these 15 selected teams will receive significant support from the organizers to quickly turn their idea into action.

Here are our teams:

AB+ – When you hear their team name, you know they will be talking about blood types and blood units that save lives. Frequent posts on social media about urgent blood unit needs, AB+ will try to replace this with a mobile app and website where voluntary blood donors can access information about blood reserves in their city or nearby hospitals. Users will also have access to their own donation records and will receive important notifications about urgent cases. The team members have prepared additional features, and we are sure that, like all other proposed solutions, this will be very helpful even after the pandemic ends. The AB+ team consists of Stefan Fuštar, Danijela Marković, Miljan Marković, and Vuk Đuranović.

Breaking Bad – This team noticed how difficult it is to have complete information about market supply and demand, even in the age of the internet and new technologies. What inspired them to apply to our competition are the problems faced by most chronic patients and frequent questions about where to find a particular medication. Breaking Bad, consisting of computer science students, has the idea to create an app that will allow quick searches for medications by name, and users will receive information about which pharmacy has the requested drug. The team, consisting of Teodora Benić, Nikola Lešić, Vasilije Rakočević, and Filip Radvić, will try to develop this solution further, and we are confident that mentoring support will be invaluable to them.

Corona CheckUp – For this opportunity, a team from healthcare and programming fields has come together to develop an app that will help both citizens and the healthcare system. They propose a solution for analyzing data about infected individuals and their contacts by using an app where citizens can check their risk of coronavirus infection through a set of personalized questions based on their symptoms and demographic data. On the other hand, as stated in their proposal, the app would significantly assist healthcare workers in analyzing data and monitoring the epidemiological situation. The team includes Nikola Ljumović, Ana Jokić, Milena Popović Samardžić, and Milena Petrović.

Doorg – Or as they say in their proposal – Door to Government, is a team with the idea to create an extension that will allow users to quickly and easily submit queries to the relevant state institution without having to visit the counter. By sending a message, users will start the entire process, with the option for real-time communication with an available official or, in case of unavailability, users can leave their contact information for later communication. The Doorg team plans numerous other innovations to improve their solution, making it easier for both citizens and government officials. The team members Dušan Sekulić, Đorđe Lacmanović, Vuk Samardžić, and Mileta Dulović will make sure we no longer wait in lines.

MENTALIKA – The team decided to unite programmers, psychologists, and UX/UI designers to develop an Android and iOS app together. The team members Branka Ćalasan, Jovana Strugar, Marko Tasić, Savo Popović, and Kosta Bajović will offer a solution aimed at supporting mental health in crisis situations, all based on research they plan to conduct. Detailed answers to your questions will come on Sunday when they present their idea and solutions.

MOJA CRNA GORA APP – This team has also developed a way to help Montenegrin companies and small businesses. With an Android and iOS app, they will enable all companies to have an online presentation, and the inclusion of geolocation will make it easier to find businesses. Besides these functions, the app will also allow the purchase of gift vouchers, delivery or ordering systems, and interconnection of entrepreneurs. The team consists of Dario Vuksanović, Vanja Vuksanović, Krešimir Miljanić, Saša Banjac, and Branko Pejić.

Open Box Studio – Offers a solution that can be invaluable during the pandemic, especially when considering future steps and the gradual easing of movement and work restrictions. Doors, handles, public surface holders, and elevator buttons are surfaces most frequently contaminated. Open Box Studio offers a solution that will help ensure that viruses last for a short time on such items that everyone touches by making the most frequently touched items from copper, where viruses have been proven to survive for a shorter time, using new 3D printing technology. The team consists of Miloš Radović, Tina Kuzman, and Una Jovović.

Parapet – Just like all our other teams, Parapet carefully analyzed the situation and noticed that many people might lose their jobs after the crisis or their salaries may no longer be enough. Their goal is not to scare you, but to help those who want additional income by connecting them with those who need their skills. By creating a special platform or social network, they will allow anyone offering services or skills (childcare, photography, graphic design, translation, crafts, etc.) to create a profile and gain more visibility than standard small ads. The team members Marko Babić, Balša Milunović, Matija Brajović, Filip Đurišić, and Mladen Mihailović will present this idea, and we can’t wait to see how the Montenegrin version of UpWork will look.

Psihoteka – A team of cheerful psychologists united to help the Montenegrin community overcome the current crisis. The Psihoteka team believes that mental health is the foundation of everything and can help citizens emerge from isolation and quarantine mentally stronger, with fewer consequences. After creating a guide for overcoming the crisis of isolation, they have gone a step further and now plan to develop a web app, where they will make their guide interactive. The app will track the user’s progress and include features such as audio, video, and notes. The Psihoteka team, consisting of Jevrosima Pejović, Branka Nikočević, Mina Gazivoda, and Milena Žujović, will be supported by programmer Dragan Gazivoda and expert in design and social media marketing Zombijana Bones.

RemRes – The team sees the current pandemic as completely changing the medical equipment production industry and has the idea to create remote-controlled ventilators (RemRes) and a module that can be installed on existing ventilators to enable remote control. This will allow a doctor to monitor and control the ventilator from a distance. The team, consisting of electrical engineering student Edin Hot and Ph.D. candidate Alija Dervić, will present their idea during the competition.

Štreberko – A team planning to develop online “tools” to help young people or those who lose their jobs during the crisis find new ones. Aware of the changes in the job market and the fact that candidates often lack the necessary knowledge about creating resumes and presenting their skills, this team will create a virtual career mentor who will help job seekers from LinkedIn profile optimization to job search strategies and interview tips. The team consists of Milo Radulović, Srđan Tomović, and Marina Đurđić.

Team Respira – Comprising graduates and doctors, this team aims to create low-cost mechanical ventilators and a software solution to manage them remotely, which would be especially useful given the global demand for such devices. The team includes Ilija Vuksanović, Spasoje Šćekić, Filip Asanović, Božidar Pavlović, Žanka Anđelić, and Ardijan Mavrić.

The Duo – Their idea is to create a platform where all physical and legal entities can offer unused resources, which they can either lend, earn from, or establish partnerships with users. This platform would make resource usage in the economy more efficient and particularly help young entrepreneurs whose companies are going through tough times. The team members are Uroš Bulatović and Andrej Šeter.

Trguj.Me – After this hackathon, they could be the first association you have with the “Montenegrin Amazon.” They plan to create an online store focused on selling products from local producers, allowing them to avoid the costs of building their own website. The platform will even automate parts of digital marketing, including retargeting and product promotion. The team consists of Tijana Soković, Vesna Ivanović, Sanja Lazić, Marina Radunović, and Ivan Radunović.

YouLearn – If you have kids and struggle to come up with fun educational activities, YouLearn is the team for you. Tatijana and Aleksandar Dlabač plan to develop a portal to easily create interactive and fun tasks based on the P.A.G.E. game engine. They describe the platform as “YouTube for learning,” especially suited for teachers who will be able to track their students’ progress and conduct online tests.

Do you think any of these teams can change or ease life in the community? Don’t forget to support them on CoronaThon’s social media or suggest improvements during the two days of the competition. Make sure to follow your favorite team’s solution presentation on the final day of the competition!

The CoronaThon is organized by the UNDP, Ministry of Science, Ministry of Culture, in co-organization with DevClub, Alicorn, Digitalizuj.Me, the Science and Technology Park, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Tehnopolis, and Mtel Digital Factory, with significant support from the entire IT community. Media partners include TV Vijesti, Vijesti Portal, RTCG, Portal Analitika, and Portal CDM. Organizers have provided a prize fund of 13,000 EUR, and the winning solutions will receive additional support and media promotion for implementation.

The competition finale is scheduled for Sunday, April 26th at 16:40.

Source: Coronathon.me