‘Elephant Decoder Hackathon’ Aims to Create Pathway for Tech Solutions to Curb Human-Elephant Conflict

As the network that strives to find tech based solutions for social challenges, SLT-Mobitel has partnered with the Department of Wildlife Conservation to host ‘The Elephant Decoder Hackathon’ which aims to address the growing Human-Elephant conflict by way of seeking innovative and practical solutions to help curb its recurrence.

Through this initiative, SLT-Mobitel is inviting tech enthusiasts and anyone with innovative ideas to apply and register for the Hackathon and come up with a solution for an early warning system that could detect an elephant in a pre-defined area. With the lives of 122 humans and 407 elephants lost in year 2019 alone, Sri Lanka is ranked as the country with the highest annual elephant deaths and the second highest human deaths. Hence, the human-elephant conflict is therefore, a lingering problem and one which requires immediate attention where the lives of affected villagers and these gentle giants can be maintained.

To enter ‘The Elephant Decoder Hackathon’, applicants can log on to www.sltmobitel-elephant-decoder.com and submit their ideas and solutions. The hackathon will help pave the way for members of the public who display an interest in this issue to engage with the hackathon and present invaluable technological knowledge or ideas that might support the implementation of an early warning system that could detect the presence of an elephant in a pre-defined area.

SLT-Mobitel has appointed an eminent panel of mentors and judges with an array of knowhow and expertise. The panel will include resource persons who hail from appropriate policy-making government offices, who are hardware experts in the industry, etc. The selection panel will take up the initiative of evaluating ideas submitted by applicants and in line with the selection criteria. Once the selection panel shortlists a number of ideas/solutions, these will be regarded as eligible solutions to receive a private session with the selection panel and their concepts and ideas would then be further evaluated and refined through the expertise of the selection panel where the feasibility of the proposed solutions would be evaluated. Depending on the performance and feasibility level of the solutions, the three most optimal solutions will then be selected by the panel and the winner would be announced at the end of the evaluation process. Winners will be awarded cash prizes.

The most optimal concept or solution which comprises the required standard will have an opportunity to be recognized and deployed in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Conservation, especially in areas that have been extensively impacted by the human-elephant conflict. This will be initiated under the guidance and expertise of the selection panel and team members of the selected solution. For more information on the competition, applicants can log onto www.sltmobitel-elephant-decoder.com.