MTC Hackathon Eyes New Ideas For Meeting Regional Mobility Challenges

OAKLAND, Calif., March 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) will convene a two-day Connected Car Hackathon to challenge participants to transform how we get around the Bay Area. Scheduled for the weekend of April 9-10 and taking place at MTC's headquarters in Oakland, the event is being organized in partnership with Automatic Labs Inc.

MTC and Automatic have teamed to promote better driving behavior through a new program known as Drive Smart Bay Area. Building upon this partnership, MTC and Automatic will offer hackathon participants the use of real-time data feeds coming from connected cars to build apps and tools that encourage motorists to drive smarter and safer, and to consider alternative modes (such as public transit) when traveling in the Bay Area.

The Connected Car Hackathon is free and open to all Bay Area residents and employers. "We are hoping to attract Bay Area programmers, developers, artists, technologists, data analysts, environmental stewards, travel behavior experts, commuters and others who are interested in using technology to address our region's transportation challenges," said Virginia Lingham, the MTC program manager in charge of the event.

Automatic will have engineers on hand to help participants make their applications and integrations a reality. "One of Automatic's goals is to improve efficiency and help drivers make smarter choices," said Thejo Kote, CEO and co-founder of Automatic. "By working with MTC, we're helping to realize that goal to better serve drivers across the Bay Area and beyond."

Those interested in participating can learn more about the Hackathon, including rules, prizes and the submission process, at http://connected-car.devpost.com/.  Registration is limited, and attendees must secure a ticket to attend the event.

MTC is the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area's transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency. MTC is committed to finding ways to inform drivers about how to improve their driving habits, vehicle performance, and reduce emissions.

Automatic is a San Francisco-based technology company empowering drivers by bridging the gap between the car and the connected world.

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SOURCE Metropolitan Transportation Commission

Related Links

http://www.mtc.ca.gov