Break New Ground at the Cross Border US-Canada Hackathon

| Adam J. Hecktman

I like hackathons. I like IIT’s Idea Shop. I like breaking new ground. Lucky for me, these are all coming together. For the first time ever on the weekend of February 26th-28th, the Department of Homeland SecurityState Department, the U.S. Chamber of CommerceDickinson-Wright and Northof41.org have collaborated to host a Cross Border U.S.-Canada Hackathon. This is a friendly competition between hackathon teams in Chicago and Toronto to see which city can create the most unique apps.

The goal of the U.S.-Canada hackathon is to develop APIs that will integrate with the Department of Homeland Security’s open data in order to simplify the importing/exporting process for entrepreneurs on both sides of the border. Microsoft will be a corporate partner, contributing developer tools, cloud services, and expertise to help teams utilize the best of the cloud as part of their project submissions.

By way of background, Canada and the U.S. have pursued significant initiatives that promote exports and cross-border investment, as well as negotiated trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), and most recently in the news the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to open new markets.  These efforts have resulted in more companies than ever engaged in cross-border trade.  However, these increased volumes of trade require enhanced electronic platforms to serve all cross-border companies – that is, from large multi-nationals to small-and medium-sized entities.

The winning teams will be awarded cash and prizes totaling over $15,000.  In order to join in the fun, RSVP to: https://crossborderhackathonchicago.splashthat.com/

Follow the discussion on Twitter: @northof41 #time2trade #letsmovethings #uscanadahackathon

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Adam J. Hecktman

You may recognize Adam. He’s a regular on TV, you can hear him on the radio, he’s penned numerous articles and is the co-founder of the Chicago City Data Users Group. But some of Adam’s most important work is done behind the scenes in his role as Microsoft’s Director of Technology and Civic Engagement for Chicago. Tech giants, universities and government leaders turn to Adam for guidance on all matters technology, and he happily obliges, helping Chicago overcome challenges and capitalizing on new, exciting opportunities.