The final round of the 2023 Hackfest took place on July 28 at the Hanoi University of Mining & Geology. The “Lifeline Assistance” application, developed by the DTU-DZ team of five IT students, won first prize.
The application leverages the open spatial data tools and services in the OpenStreetMap (OSM) ecosystem to locate and assist people in distress and identify the nearest rescue center.
Twelve teams of IT students from all over the country competed in the finals. The annual OSM Hackfest was organized by the Open Mapping Hub, Asia Pacific (OMH-AP). It was held in Vietnam for the first time, at the Hanoi University of Mining & Geology, in coordination with the Vietnam Free & Open-Source Software Association (VFOSSA) Club. The contest aims to raise awareness and mastery of open-source technology and platforms, and open maps and data, for IT, computer science and engineering students.
The DTU-DZ team is awarded first prize
The twelve teams were required to clearly demonstrate their use of current open-source technology, or unlimited new tools and services, to solve problems related to: Disaster & Climate Resilience; Public Health; Gender Equality; Sustainable Cities & Communities; or Displacement & Safe Migration.
Four universities presented at the 2023 OSM Hackfest finals:
- Hanoi University of Mining & Geology (7 teams)
- Phenikaa University (2 teams)
- University of Transport & Communications (2 teams)
- DTU (1 team).
Each team presented details on their various projects, and the DTU “Lifeline Assistance” application team of Le Thanh Truong, Truong Cong Thach, Tran Trung Truc, Nguyen Ngoc Khanh and Phung Van Manh had chosen a popular topic, which quickly impressed the jury:
First Prize:
- “Lifeline Assistance” by the DTU-DZ team from DTU
Second Prize:
- “ClassGuard,” by the GDSC HUMG team and “Air Quality Monitoring System,” by the CNTT CLCK66 team, both from the Hanoi University of Mining & Geology
Third prizes:
- “Applying Unity AR technology in combination with OSM for a geotourism promotion application,” by the PGDC team
- “Creating tourism culture map using OSM,” by the PKA-AioT team from Phenikaa University
- “Web warning - natural disaster & flood prevention,” by the Overthinking team from the University of Transport & Communications
Prospect awards:
- “Real-time urban heat island and local flooding hubs alerting” by the Dino4squad; “Creating safety warning app for fishers at sea”, by the HTTT team; and “Creating public health map”, by the HUMG-DHT team, all from the Hanoi University of Mining & Geology
- “Website selling and introducing environmentally friendly products combined with articles and videos calling for environmental protection,” by the SFIT Environment team from the University of Transport & Communications
“The negative impacts of climate change, environmental pollution, and international warfare negatively affect peoples’ lives worldwide,” said Mr. Nguyen Quoc Long, from the DTU School of Computer Science, who personally mentored the DTU team. “Millions will lose their source of income and necessities as habitats are destroyed. Therefore, the development of a program to provide relief to areas suffering from disasters and conflicts is vital, which inspired the concept of our DTU Lifeline Assistance project.”
The SOS interface allows victims to signal for help
The data on the “Lifeline Assistance” web application includes information on streets, areas, locations, and other spatial elements. The system uses the OSM API to access and download OSM data files related to the area in need of support. Next, the open tools and services in the OSM ecosystem are applied for data processing and information visualization. The Mapbox Studio tool allows the creation and customization of maps based on OSM data, which allows the app to display locations in detail. Furthermore, the Nominatim service in the OSM ecosystem is used for search and geolocation based on the address or coordinates data. This allows the app to pinpoint the exact locations where help is needed and makes it easy for helpers to access and classify information.
“When we first heard about the contest, it was almost too late to enter, and we were confused by the regulations,” said DTU-DZ team leader, Le Thanh Truong. “When we researched the project in more detail, we found it more meaningful. Our team then made careful preparations, based on our capabilities and competitive spirit. The time pressure motivated us perform at our best in the competition, ably mentored by Professor Nguyen Quoc Long, who provided us with a work room at his house and even fed us, which allowed us to concentrate and increase our productivity and efficiency.”
(Media Center)