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SAS Hackathon harnesses technology to solve realworld challenges
T he SAS 2022 Hackathon recently launched and the South African Hackathon team of eight members have taken their place alongside 69 others worldwide in identifying a real-world problem that can be overcome through the novel application of technology .
Led by Michael Austin , Research Develop , the South African Hackathon team from Dake Solutions – one of SAS ’ s local strategic partners – had been tasked with identifying and challenging a use case and technology that can create social value .
Speaking after the launch event , Kelly Lu , Lead on Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence , SAS South Africa , said : “ The SAS Hackathon is a great opportunity to put an innovative idea to the test . Not only are participants provided with software like the SAS Viya platform to build their use case , but they are also given access to SAS training content . Teams will have everything they need to turn their ideas into reality , while also exploring entrepreneurial approaches and networking with fellow innovators .”
Drawing together teams from many sectors including banking , energy , life sciences , insurance and telecoms , this year ’ s Hackathon entries are dominated by the healthcare space , which shows that there is a global focus on societal health and wellbeing .
Similarly , the proposal from Dake Solutions aims to solve realworld problems of identifying various lung diseases and mitigating the associated risks that these bring . The ability to identify these diseases early and accurately will not only potentially save lives but enhance the industries where lung diseases can impact productivity negatively .
Hari Khamandula , Executive for Technology at Dake Solutions , said : “ As a leader in analytics , we are excited to collaborate with SAS on a solution that will have a global impact on lung ailments .”
Technologies at the South African team ’ s disposal include the SAS Cloud environment on Microsoft Azure , the full SAS Visual Data Science and Decisioning stack , open-source R and Python .
An adjudication process featuring a jury of experts will determine the finalists in May 2022 , based on how well the solution has addressed the use of technology , the process followed and implemented , and the value brought to society through application of the solution . The winning solutions for each category track will be announced in September 2022 at SAS Explore and will receive on-going support from SAS to be brought to market in viable commercialised form .
Previous winners include a solution led by ‘ War on Cancer ’, a social app and company created by cancer survivor Fabian Bolin and dedicated to improving the lives of everyone impacted by cancer . Members can connect , share stories , ask questions and assist each other in managing cancer .
War on Cancer ’ s Swedish team , in conjunction with Digital Transformation consultancy Knowit , won the start-up category in the first ever global SAS Hackathon , creating a solution that improved the app ’ s ability to help patients with their mental health over time by using Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) and Machine Learning capabilities of SAS Viya running on Microsoft Azure . The solution uses natural language processing and SAS risk scoring analytics to encourage patients to take action based on research and interactions among War on Cancer members . •
Representatives from both SAS and Dake Solutions gathered at SAS ’ s local office in Houghton , Johannesburg
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