Forum, Good for Business, Innovations, Latvia, Technology, Telecomunications

At the event organized by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) and the Latvian Open Technologies Association (LATA), the main prize of 1000 euros from Tieto Latvia was won by the CareQueue team. Their application will help quickly distribute kindergarten spaces in Riga, help users process application documents and provide information about private kindergartens, as well as show availability of nannies near family homes or workplaces.

CareQueue team. The 1st place. 

The idea author Aija Sadoviča is a mother herself, and she developed the solution with teammates Artūrs Oņiščenko, Jānis Baiža, Mārtiņš Bruņenieks, Rolands Bondars and Rolands Kalvāns. Four open data sets from the Riga Municipality and Latvia's open data portal were used to specify the location and availability of all preschool institutions.

“We feel incredible and are extremely happy about the work we've done! Currently we have a semi-finished prototype that could help children in the Riga area find kindergartens without the long waiting lists. Every year 20 thousand parents place their children on kindergarten waiting lists, where the waiting period ranges from several months to years. The main problem we discovered while making the prototype is that the current data available on the portal shows waiting periods, which don't match the priorities by which children are actually accepted to the kindergartens. We plan to further develop our solution and, if possible, adapt it to other cities in Latvia as well,” says CareQueue team representative Jānis Baiža.

Mentors emphasised that the CareQueue app would have demand in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, where people also face problems with kindergarten accessibility.

ComeBack team. The 2nd place.

The second place and 750 euro prize from LATA went to the team ComeBack. They developed a site to help people wanting to emigrate to Latvia make better choices about which city in Latvia to return to. Evaluation criteria include housing availability, infrastructure and social services. In the future the team expressed a desire to integrate a fourth criteria - job opportunities. The site also provides detailed descriptions for three recommended cities.

Piesien.lv team. The 3rd place.

The third place and 500 euro prize from eazyBI was won by the team Piesien.lv. They developed an app for Android and website, which allow users to search for existing bicycle parking, as well as recommend where new bicycle racks should be installed. Team representatives emphasised that the amount of cyclists has increased by 40% over the past year, yet the infrastructure remains the same. Both companies and local governments can use this app to improve infrastructure and develop a network of bicycle parking spaces to support demand.

“Open Data have tremendous potential when used appropriately, and the hackathon format is a great way to absorb new information in a short period of time. It helps problem-solving become more focused on developing a new solution, which can improve on the work of government, as well as provide economic value. We invite all businesses to use the data sets available on the Latvian Open Data Portal and create innovative services,” urges Director of Institute of Technology of LIAA Edgars Babris.

“Hackathon participants elegantly demonstrated that the potential of open data use is limited only by one's imagination. It can be used to develop a wide range of ideas and products that would make our daily lives more comfortable, more interesting and safe. We hope that the ideas created during this hackathon will be further developed and commercialised. We also invite public authorities and private companies to continue opening up new data sets,” says Chairman of the Board of LATA Jānis Treijs.