The City of Johannesburg (COJ) is urging software-developers to enter the GeoJozi Developer Challenge to help improve the allocation, maintenance and visibility of street addresses across the city.
In a statement, the COJ says developers under the age of 30 with an interest in apps, maps, data, urban development or cities can enter the GeoJozi competition which focuses on location technology.
According to the city, with rapid urbanisation, local governments face increasingly complex and fast-changing urban landscapes that need to be effectively managed and serve their residents.
GeoJozi is being run for the first time this year by the city in partnership with Wits University's Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) and mapping software company, Esri South Africa. It will be hosted at Wits' Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Braamfontein.
Marcelle Hattingh, director of corporate geo-informatics for the city, explains: "Street addresses specify points of service delivery. They are essential for electricity, water, refuse, sewage, emergency services, land ownership, parcel deliveries, safety and security, being able to vote and countless other critical services and functions. A street address can save a life."
Professor Barry Dwolatzky, director of JCSE at Wits University, says: "As the world becomes more digitised, more real-time data about cities is becoming available. This data can help to manage cities better and make them smarter. A street address informs us of location, and that is where geographic information system comes in. It's all about a specific position or the coordinates on earth."
The winning solution will earn its creator R150 000. Second and third places are worth R100 000 and R50 000 respectively. The winning ideas may also be implemented by the COJ.
Patrick McKivergan, MD of of Esri SA, says: "This initiative will encourage young developers to develop their skills in location technology.
"As the technology partner of the GeoJozi Challenge, Esri will be providing the location platform on which the GeoJozi contestants will develop their solutions. It will consist of toolkits for the development and data on which the contestants can base their solutions for the street addresses and location issues."
Developers need to register at http://www.geojozi.joburg by 31 August.
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