Climate Data Safe Hackathon #1: Prototype
“How might we collect, verify and host, and share climate data in a scalable and sustainable way?”
Climate Data Safe is excited to announce the #1 Climate Data Safe Hackathon: Prototype, a 48-hours event dedicated to building a community and system to save climate data for good. Hosted by Safecast, the Japan-based NGO known for mapping radioactivity since the Fukushima Nuclear disaster, this hackathon will bring together experts and enthusiasts to prototype a system and website/app that makes climate data open, verified, and useful when climate data is threatened.
Why does this matter and why now?
Climate data is essential for shaping a sustainable future and guiding decisions in every sector of the economy. Accurate and timely data ensures we can respond to climate crisis, adapt to the challenges ahead, make informed decisions, measure impacts.
But today, we face critical threats:
Political Vulnerabilities: Climate datasets are increasingly subject to manipulation, editing, and even erasure due to shifting political priorities.
Complexity and Accessibility: Many climate datasets are difficult to access, understand and use, leaving citizens, researchers and decision-makers without the tools to act effectively.
We are called to innovate, ensuring that climate data is not only protected and verified, but also open, understandable, and empowering for individuals and organizations.
Your skills and creativity are crucial to building a better way forward.
Who Should Join?
We welcome participants from all backgrounds and skill levels, including:
Coders and developers
Designers (UX/UI, graphic, etc.)
Climate scientists and environmental advocates
Data enthusiasts and analysts
Community organizers
Innovators with fresh perspectives
What are the Focus Areas?
Vision: to protect climate data, develop a clear, unbiased, and censorship-resistant strategy with strong data governance.
Data Verification: Ensure data trustworthiness and authentication, making it useful in times of environmental emergencies.
Data Scaling: Handle large amounts of climate data affordably, safely, and energy-efficiently.
Data Visualization & Collaboration: Collaborate, process, visualize, and share meaningful data locally and globally.
Community Building: Grow the movement sustainably with inclusive and localized data, supported by a sustainable business model.
What will we create?
Our overarching problem statement is:
“How might we collect, verify and host, and share climate data in a scalable and sustainable way?”
The urgent problem
Political Instability: We need to protect data from being erased, edited, or otherwise compromised.
Access Barriers: We need to create systems that make climate data universally accessible and understandable.
The long-term problem
Resilience: We should ensure data systems are built to last, preserving information for decades or centuries.
Empowerment: We should make climate data actionable for individuals, communities, and organizations in all fields.
The solution we will co-create will reflect these principles:
Open: Solutions that are transparent, inclusive, and accessible.
Safe: Systems designed to protect both data and participants.
Verified: Mechanisms to ensure accuracy, reliability, and quality.
Useful: Tools that are easy to use and deliver actionable insights.
Scalable: Solutions that grow and adapt with increasing demand.
Sustainable: Approaches that minimize environmental impact and ensure longevity.
Now, we move into the Prototype phase, where you'll collaborate with like-minded individuals to create tangible solutions.
Is it a one-off event?
No, this is a series of event, to innovate and build together, and grow our team of volunters
Hackathon #0 Concept : Dec 27-28 2024, Read the Documentation
Hackathon #1 Prototype: Jan 24-26, 2025 (this edition)
Hackathon #2 Alpha Release: Feb 21-23 2025
Hackathon #3 Beta Release: Mar 28-30 2025
Join us in protecting the future of our climate data
This is more than a hackathon — we are building the infrastructure for the future of climate data together.
More information on the website: https://www.climatedatasafe.org/event/186/