Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, November 1, 2019 —IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, in partnership with BHP Foundation and Unread Media, hosted the “Water and Mining” Data Hackathon at the Hub Innovation center recently. The event was organized by IFC’s From Disclosure to Development (D2D) program to encourage young and tech - savvy contestants to use existing natural resource data sets for innovative solutions that address Mongolia’s water issues.
The event offered participants an opportunity to be trained and supported by Mongolia’s top water and data experts to improve their water data analysis skills and communications strategies. While over 480 applicants registered as teams or individually, 12 teams were selected for the 36-hour hackathon.
Welcoming all participants, Rufat Alimardanov, IFC Resident Representative for Mongolia, said, “There is a growing demand for industries and governments to be more transparent. Therefore, we need to focus on using existing data more effectively . ” Addressing the contestants, he added, “Your enthusiastic participation clearly shows the interest in this subject and that we can find ways to improve data literacy, which can help address development challenges . ”
The finalists at the event included digital entrepreneurs, data journalists, analysts, and environmental enthusiasts, who covered a range of topics, such as efficiency of water usage, water resource levels, participatory water monitoring, sustainable water usage, and others.
The “Miners” won the hackathon for designing a water allocation decision-making model and for developing a game to increase stakeholders’ knowledge. The second place went to “Beelog” for developing a cost-effective sensor that can measure river contamination in real time and send notifications when required. The third place went to “M-team” for developing an ‘M-Index’ to measure appropriate usage of water along with a proof of concept to mainstream it through a digital platform.
The winners will continue to work with the Hub Innovation Center to develop their ideas further. Dagvasuren, Team Leader, Beelog, said, “This event helped us realize that the youth need to play an active role in order to access information about the mining sector. This will enable them to identify issues and resolve them.”
Ayurzana, Team Leader, Miners, said, “Participating in this Data Hackathon was a learning experience. It helped us discover several datasets, research findings , and statistical information on water and mining that we have never used before.”
The winning team was awarded a cash prize of 4 million MNT along with a three-month membership to the Hub Innovation Center. The runner-up team received a cash prize of 2.5 million MNT. Sponsored by Oyu Tolgoi LLC, the second runner-up team received a kindle reader and a plaque. The remaining participants received a one-month membership to the Innovation Hub.
The event was supported by the Hub Innovation Center, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, and IFC’s Signatories of Voluntary Code of Practice on Water Management and Mining initiative.
Mining is a dominant part of the economy of more than 80 countries including Mongolia. The World Bank Group believes in the importance of responsible mining. In December 2015, IFC and MIGA, members of the World Bank Group, arranged $2.2 billion in debt and guarantees to support the world-class Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine, which is set to generate jobs and growth in Mongolia for decades.
For more information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/2327653784163603/
About IFC
IFC—a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work with more than 2,000 businesses worldwide, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities where they are needed most. In fiscal year 2019, we delivered more than $19 billion in long-term financing for developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, visit www.ifc.org
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