The Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) has launched its first virtual hackathon—Code[Less]—in partnership with Microsoft. Taking place 21–24 September, the event will see 75 participants team up to solve one of the challenges, without using coding, to raise awareness of the demand for automation and innovation in the energy sector and the push toward a net-zero economy.
Using information from data partners Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (OREC), the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), and Intelligent Plant, 15 teams will spend the first three days using Microsoft Power Apps to solve their allocated challenge.
The event is free to enter and open to individuals, who will be placed into a team, or established groups. Code[Less] is open those with a range of capabilities and understanding of hackathons; coding experience is not essential. Participants will be given the opportunity to upskill and receive master classes on Microsoft’s technology as well as mentoring from the company. They will use this knowledge and their expertise, combined with creative ideas, to showcase the solutions found.
Five teams will be shortlisted to go on to present their pitch to an expert judging panel on the final day of the ENGenious Online 2020 conference, which is taking place simultaneously with Code[Less].The digital-focused sister event to SPE Offshore Europe is being held as a global virtual conference, exhibition, and networking experience this year. The symposium aims to showcase technological and digital developments and how companies implement them into everyday scenarios.
Hackathons are typically held in person and require coding to unveil solutions in data, however, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the OGTC has turned to technology to host the event virtually to deliver the same experience to participants.
“Today’s conditions are forcing a level of accelerated change in our industry,” said Colette Cohen, chief executive officer at OGTC. “To thrive in this environment, we need to have the right technology and data to power our decision making and we need to respond at pace. So, working with Microsoft and our data partners, we have created Code[Less] hackathon challenges to stretch the best minds and teams.”