Urban mobility, energy and emissions - Decode Dubai tackles big city problems

As Dubai passionately pursues its strategy to become a smart city by the turn of the decade, Dubai Internet City recently hosted eager startups at the second edition of Decode Dubai: a 48-hour hackathon to inspire local tech aficionados to create novel smart solutions that help to elevate Dubai’s smart city status.

Nearly 200 competitors – a mix of technopreneurs, coders, hackers, developers and designers – were in attendance at opening night, reflecting the city’s small yet thriving tech community.

There were also non-UAE techies as well. Irina Sushko and Neven Solidov – software developers from Bulgaria – decided to compete on a whim. Sushko blogs about her travel experiences, occasionally undertaking software development work to pay for her expenses: “I’ve travelled extensively and what so many adventurers seek, especially those in the millennial generation, is a more local, authentic experience. I figured joining the competition would be a good way to push myself to produce an app in two days.”

While some participants already had a team and idea, others had to pitch their ideas in the hope of finding collaborators. The majority of the 25 pitches fell into the ‘shopping and retail’ category. Ideas included a collaborative community wall, an intuitive dining recommendation app, a job site for physically challenged individuals and door to door auto services.

Original article by Natasha D’souza

Continue reading at Wamda:

Urban mobility, energy and emissions – Decode Dubai tackles big city problems