The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Climate Information for Resilient Development in Africa (CIRDA) has announced it is inviting software developers, mobile application gurus and innovation specialists to Livingstone, Zambia from March 15-17 to participate in the Climate Action Hackathon.

The UNDP said the hackathon will generate ideas and early prototypes for mobile and online applications to provide climate and weather information to protect the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable African communities adapting to climate change.

The UNDP will provide up to 25 travel scholarships for hackers to cover their travel, lodging and meals during this event  that will run in parallel to the UNDP workshop “The Last Mile: Saving lives, improving livelihoods and increasing resiliency through tailored weather information services for a changing climate.”

Hackers will work individually or in teams to create mobile apps, messaging solutions or data management systems that address Africa’s persistent challenges in adapting to climate change, and share early warnings and accurate climate information across the continent.

Climate Action Hackathon participants will be supplied with raw weather and climate data as well as access to global experts in meteorology, climatology, technology, and communications from the UNDP, IRI and the Brown Institute- a collaboration between Columbia University and Stanford University designed to encourage and support new endeavors in media innovation.

“The main goal of the hackathon is to find ways the application development community can help African weather services bridge the last mile with practical solutions to help people prepare and protect themselves from more frequent and severe storms, erratic weather patterns and long-term climate change,” said CIRDA Programme Manager Bonizella Biagini.

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