Data Challenge

Tell a story with data 

The Data Challenge will bring together three competitive events, the Open Data Visualization (5^th annual), Data Analytics (new), and Data Sprint (new) on March 11^th and 12^th, 2021 at a location on campus (to be disclosed soon). Take up the challenge and demonstrate the power of data, with the flexibility to take part remotely.

In every challenge, there's opportunity

Participants and teams will have the chance to showcase their ability to tell a story driven by data in three unique competitive formats. Teams can take part in all three competitive events. It is an ideal setting for citizens to get engaged, to meet leaders in academia, government, and private organizations, and to explore the world of data science. 

Important information

	Data Visualization	Data Analytics	Data Sprint
Live date	Mar. 11, 2021	Mar. 11, 2021	Mar. 12, 2021
Registration
Opens	Sep. 8, 2020	Sep. 8, 2020	Sep. 8, 2020
Closes	Feb. 28, 2021	Feb. 28, 2021	Feb. 28, 2021
Type	Team and individual	Team and individual	Team and individual
Team size	1-4 members	1-4 members	1-4 members
Data sets
Type	Open	Controlled (4-5)	Controlled (single)
Available	Yes, see below.	Jan. 4, 2021	Mar. 12, 2021 (morning)
Category
Presentation round	Yes	Yes	Yes
Time	4 mins	6 mins	4 mins
Eliminations	Yes	Yes	No
Finals	Yes	Yes	Yes
Prizes	1st, 2nd, & 3rd place	1st, 2nd, & 3rd place	1st, 2nd, & 3rd place
Submit by date	Mar. 11, 2021	Mar. 11, 2021	Mar. 12, 2021
Poster round	Yes (infographic)	Yes (teaser poster)	NA
Prizes	1st, 2nd, & 3rd place	1st, 2nd, & 3rd place	NA
Submit by date	Mar. 1, 2021	Mar. 1, 2021	NA

Data Visualization Competition (5^th annual)

Teams will assess and analyze data related to one of the 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and present to an audience to communicate a recommendation, story, or new idea. This allows for better decision-making and more varied solutions to problems that span a wide range of social, environmental, and economic topics. 

Presentation round

Each team will be required to present their data story to a panel of judges through data visualizations (charts, graphs, etc.) using any software (PowerPoint, Tableau, Keynote, etc). Participants have the option to take part remotely via Microsoft Teams. 

• The presentations are limited to four minutes, which will be followed by a ten minute question and answer period.
• Eliminations and finals
• Submission deadline: All teams must bring their completed presentations on a laptop for the competition on Mar. 11, 2021.

Infographic round

The infographic posters will be displayed throughout the competition venue. A winner will be selected by our panel of judges and announced at the competition. You will neither be presenting your infographic posters or required to be present while they are on display.

• Dimensions 20x30 inches, PDF or JPEG file format, minimum DPI of 300.
• Submission deadline: Mar. 1, 2021.

Infographic example

Data sets (open)

• You may use any open data sets available to the public that relate to at least 1 of the 17 Goals in the 2030 Agenda.
• You also may use the data found on the Sustainable Development Goals Data Hub.

Register now

• Individual Registration (complete by Feb. 28, 2021)
• Team Registration (complete by Feb. 28, 2021)
• Teams can have one to four partcipants.
• Both individual and team registration are required (even if you are the only person in your team).

Data Analytics Competition (new)

Teams will get to put their analytical skills to the test and present their insights to an audience. Teams must choose one of the five data sets provided (available Jan. 4, 2021). The data sets will cover different industries (healthcare, financial, computer science, geomatics, etc) from the private and government sector. What insights are you able to discover? How well can you separate the useful information from the "noise"? What outcomes are you able to predict? What are your recommendations?    

Presentation round

Each team is required to present their data insights to a panel of judges explaining how they arrived at those insights through a data analytics platform of choice (R, PowerBI, Zoomdata, etc). Teams must be able to convey their complex analysis as simply as possible, and tell a story. Participants have the option to take part remotely via Microsoft Teams. 

• The presentations are limited to six minutes, which will be followed by a ten minute question and answer period.
• Eliminations and finals
• Submission deadline: All teams must bring their completed presentations on a laptop for the competition on Mar. 11, 2021. 

Teaser poster round

Using only 3 sentences, how much curiosity can you generate for your presentation? The teaser posters will be displayed throughout the competition venue. A winner will be selected by our panel of judges and announced at the competition. You will neither be presenting your teaser posters or required to be present while they are on display.

• Dimensions 20x30 inches, PDF or JPEG file format, minimum DPI of 300.
• Submission deadline: Mar. 1, 2021.

Teaser poster example

Data sets (fixed)

• Five data sets will be provided on Jan. 4, 2021.
• Teams must select one data set to work on.

Register now

• Individual Registration (complete by Feb. 28, 2021)
• Team Registration (complete by Feb. 28, 2021)
• Teams can have one to four partcipants.
• Both individual and team registration are required (even if you are the only person in your team).

Data Sprint Competition (new)

This fun hackathon-style competition will put your data skills to the test in a time-tied scenario. There is no preparation required as the data set will provided on the morning of the event (Mar. 12, 2021) itself. Can you tackle a data set with speed, accuracy, and creativity? Choose your teams wisely!

All participants will require their laptops for the event.

Presentation round

All the teams will get to work on a single robust data set over two hours, so speed, accuracy, and creativity all count! The ring master (data sprint guide) will present three questions to help guide your analysis. All the teams will have one chance to present their findings to judges and can use any software of choice (PowerPoint, Tableau, PowerBI, etc). All participants must bring their own laptops to the venue.

• The presentations are limited to four minutes, which will be followed by a ten minute question and answer period.
• Submission deadline: All teams must bring their laptops for the competition on Mar. 12, 2021. 

Data sets (fixed, single)

• One data set will be provided on Mar. 12, 2021.
• Teams will have 2 hours to work on it and make a presentation.

Register now

• Individual Registration (complete by Feb. 28, 2021)
• Team Registration (complete by Feb. 28, 2021)
• Teams can have one to four partcipants.
• Both individual and team registration are required (even if you are the only person in your team).

 

Showcase your organization at the 2021 Data Challenge 

Receive promotional opportunities and benefits with event sponsorship.

 

Highlights of the 2018 competition

Thanks to our sponsors for making this event possible