Virginia Datathon
Former Governor Terry McAuliffe announced in April 2014 the first Virginia Open Data Portal and in September 2014, the first Virginia Datathon was held during the Commonwealth of Virginia Innovative Technology Symposium (COVITS) in Richmond, Virginia leveraging data in the Open Data Portal. The event was a first of its kind among state governments across the country. Teams from across the state were challenged to create applications using state data to promote efficiency and transparency within state government. The teams presented their projects to a panel of expert judges and conference attendees who voted for the best team. The spirit of the event prevails today with participants engaging in the sandbox provided and leveraging technology, exercising creativity, and wielding data to develop transformative solutions addressing complex problems.
The event is now produced by the Virginia Office of Data Governance and Analytics and still leverages the Virginia Open Data Portal but powered by new technology. Event participants include state agencies, students, localities, non-profits, and private sector employees.
A virtual kickoff will be held on April 12, 2024 when registered participants are briefed on this year’s theme and provided with the datasets. Teams will have nearly a week to develop an innovative solution and presentation related to the proposed challenge. On April 19, 2024 everyone is invited to the Richmond ACCA Shriners Center where a panel of judges will review the team presentations and awards will be announced.