AUS wins the UAE’s biggest data analysis challenge

SHARJAH: A team comprising computer science and engineering students from American University of Sharjah (AUS) recently won first place in the UAE Hackathon: Data for Happiness, the country’s biggest data analysis challenge. The competition aimed to use data to develop innovative solutions and ideas that contribute to the happiness of the community.

The winning team comprised AUS students Mumtaz Ummar, Arwa Ibrahim Alblooshi, Donthi  Sankalpa, Karam  Ahfid, Ahmad Mohammad Khater, Labeeba  Begum and Hassan  Al Ali.

Held in conjunction with the UAE Innovation Month, the competition was launched by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), with the objective being ofbringing people together with the common goal of using technology and data to solve challenges around a certain topic for happiness. By leveraging UAE’s new initiative on data sharing, the teams had the task of utilising specific datasets to make informed decisions on problems and give solutions.

The AUS teamselected “environment and climate change” as a topic to base its project on from among eight options offered by the hackathon. The other areas included: transportation and traffic congestion, health and safety, sustainable development (post-oil age), education, gender balance, social relations in the UAE community, and enhancement of lifestyle.

The team’s winning project focused on developing a mobile application for energy conservation that utilized electricity consumption data to not only compare individual usage with other consumers but also to compete with other application users, and rewarding those making the extra effort to reduce their electricity consumption.

The judges’ panel looked into some key aspects of the AUS team’s project such as: the application prototype developed, the use of the provided datasets, the importance of the issue being tackled, the potential impact of the solution on people’s lives, and most importantly, how the solution contributed towards making the UAE a happy country.

GLOBAL DAY

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah and President of American University of Sharjah (AUS), the university will hold its 20th annual Global Day festival from Mar.15–16.

Thirty-three countries will be represented during the two-day event, which promises to be bigger, better and more “global” than ever before. Global Day 2018 is one of the most anticipated events of the year and showcases the different cultures represented among the AUS student body.

Organised by the Office of Student Affairs, the event is open to the public, and gives students a chance to share their cultural diversity through traditional items, cuisine and folklore music. In addition to ethnic stalls and pavilions depicting cultural heritage spread over the AUS Main Plaza, visitors can also sample a wide variety of traditional food. Colorful indoor cultural performances will also be held in the Main Auditorium, giving students a chance to display their talent.

The event is open to the public from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. each day.

Read more: http://www.gulftoday.ae/portal/403d6321-2fb4-4159-850f-599875526a5f.aspx