Innovating for a cleaner tomorrow: our company hackathon experience

In today’s fast-paced tech landscape, innovation often thrives in unconventional environments. One such event that has gained popularity in recent years is the hackathon. A hackathon is a collaborative event that brings together people from different backgrounds to brainstorm and create innovative solutions to specific challenges, all within a limited timeframe. These events foster a culture of creativity, teamwork, and rapid problem-solving, making them invaluable for companies looking to harness the collective intelligence of their employees.

Navigating through React Admin documentation

Waste time no more

Last July, our company hosted a hackathon to address one of our time’s pressing issues: waste management.

The challenge was to develop an app that would enable citizens to report litter in their surroundings, encouraging individuals to take an active role in keeping our environment clean. The project aimed not only to provide a tool for reporting trash but also to raise awareness about the impact of waste on our ecosystems.

The hackathon unfolded over an intense four-hour period, during which participants collaborated across departments, sharing insights and expertise as they brainstormed features for the app. Because the schedule was very tight, they sought a solution that would yield results in the shortest possible time.

Coding the way through the solution

The goal was to use the right technologies to create an app that requires geolocation, database access, and smartphone integration, integrate the app with OpenStreetMap, and utilize React Admin to streamline the development process of the webpage, letting us to have different experieces as a user or as ad admin. By the end of the event, a functioning prototype equipped with an administrator’s panel emerged, showcasing technical capabilities and a deep understanding of the environmental issues at play. We’re using these libraries mainly because they’re free to use, but also because they’re easy to use, with good documentation and good community support.

We also use Firebase as a temporary database, useful also for mobile version. Firebase is a no-brain-go for hackathon users, because it provides a ready-to-go database, configurable via JSON and with all the basic security settings already on the go.

Wrapping up

The challenge was undeniably a success, and attendees found the collaborative effort invigorating, as cross-functional teamwork often breeds innovative ideas that wouldn’t have surfaced in a traditional work environment. In conclusion, our hackathon yielded the exciting groundwork for a potentially transformative app and fortified our company culture.

The overview of Venerdì Protetto is available here.