Tackling the challenges of urbanization through technology and innovation was the focus of young entrepreneurs, civic workers and tech experts who participated in a 12 hour-plus hackathon at Brampton City Hall Sunday, part of the federal government’s Smart Cities Challenge.

Teams of competitors pursuing up to $2,000 in prizes worked on data- and technology-based solutions that aim to make the fast-growing community just west of Toronto a better place to live, said Devin Ramphal, Brampton’s innovation and tech sector manager.

He said Brampton is among hundreds of municipalities taking part in the challenge that offers a top prize of up to $50 million to the municipality, local or regional government or Indigenous community that adopts the best smart cities approach to social, environmental and other challenges. Participating communities are free to solicit ideas and Brampton decided on the hackathon for reasons including its ability to engage the city’s talented young people, Ramphal said.

Other goals are to allow students to interact with and learn from professionals in the software and technology industry, which in Brampton includes more than 200 companies, and to provide a model for the rest of Canada to solve real-world problems though through data and connected technology, he said.

Students from across Brampton’s high schools were on hand Sunday, with participants eligible from Grade 8 through the first year of university, said Love Takshak, a Grade 12 senior who helped organize the event. The hackathon was put on by the city in partnership with Chinguacousy Secondary School’s WolfHacks science, technology, engineering and mathematics organization and with the support of community groups and corporate sponsors.

He said the hackathon was open without charge to any registered applicant, including academics and freelance software writers, with some 200 taking part who were provided with access to equiment and facilities such as 3D printers.

Ramphal said competing teams boasted a strong female complement and worked on technology concepts that could be applied to urban issues in categories including housing and immigration. Participant Shehrgar Assad, a 17-year -old student at Marc Garneau C.I. in Toronto, said he and his team members are developing a seniors-friendly fitness tracker app that offers voice assistance, a simple interface, analytics and links.

“I got the idea after I watched my dad using the Apple health app and he had to type everything in manually.”

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