At the Cabinet’s weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Su Tseng-chang received a briefing from the Executive Yuan’s Office of Science and Technology on the results of the 2019 Presidential Hackathon. The central purpose of the event is to bring people together to find innovative solutions, he said, a goal he has always encouraged government agencies to strive toward.

For this year, the Hackathon’s second annual incarnation, an international track was added to promote exchange and develop models of close international cooperation. Twenty-three teams from 15 nations participated in this portion of the competition.

As for the domestic portion, five winning teams were selected, including the Judicial Yuan team for a system that translates court judgment legal terms into plain language and provides sentencing references, as well as the team from the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Health and Welfare for a project that improves care and assistance for senior citizens. These tools view problems from the public’s perspective and apply science and technology to find solutions. All of these efforts are the product of brainstorming, collaboration, learning and problem-solving by government agencies, who also share data and information systems with one another to create greater value, the premier said.

Projects from last year’s winning teams have been gradually implemented this year, Premier Su continued. More than a competitive event, the Presidential Hackathon can truly create and promote services for the public’s benefit.

The Office of Science and Technology said that the theme of the 2019 Presidential Hackathon is “Smart Nation,” where hackers work together and share resources to innovate and improve government services. Five domestic and two foreign winning teams were selected in July following three months of demonstration and review.

Date: 2019-08-01
Source: Department of Information Services, Executive Yuan