Hajj Hackathon to modernise the holy pilgrimage

The Saudi government will award millions in prizes for the best software ideas

CORRECTION - Co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia Jimmy Wales speaks during a hackathon in Jeddah on July 31, 2018, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. More than 3,000 software developers and 18,000 computer and information-technology enthusiasts from more than 100 countries take part in Hajj hackathon in Jeddah until August 3. / AFP PHOTO / Matthieu CLAVEL / “The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by "Amer HILABI" instead of "Matthieu CLAVEL" has been modified in AFP systems. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require.”

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (R) speaks during a hackathon in Jeddah on July 31, 2018, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. More than 3,000 software developers and 18,000 computer and information-technology enthusiasts from more than 100 countries take part in Hajj hackathon in Jeddah until August 3. / AFP PHOTO / Matthieu CLAVEL

Women attend a hackathon in Jeddah on July 31, 2018, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. More than 3,000 software developers and 18,000 computer and information-technology enthusiasts from more than 100 countries take part in Hajj hackathon in Jeddah until August 3. / AFP PHOTO / Amer HILABI

Saudi women attend a hackathon in Jeddah on July 31, 2018, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. More than 3,000 software developers and 18,000 computer and information-technology enthusiasts from more than 100 countries take part in Hajj hackathon in Jeddah until August 3. / AFP PHOTO / Matthieu CLAVEL

Saudi women attend a hackathon in Jeddah on July 31, 2018, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. More than 3,000 software developers and 18,000 computer and information-technology enthusiasts from more than 100 countries take part in Hajj hackathon in Jeddah until August 3. / AFP PHOTO / Matthieu CLAVEL

The Saudi Federation for Cyber Security CEO Nouf Abdullah Al-Rakan speaks during a hackathon in Jeddah on July 31, 2018, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. More than 3,000 software developers and 18,000 computer and information-technology enthusiasts from more than 100 countries take part in Hajj hackathon in Jeddah until August 3. / AFP PHOTO / Matthieu CLAVEL

People attend a hackathon in Jeddah on July 31, 2018, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. More than 3,000 software developers and 18,000 computer and information-technology enthusiasts from more than 100 countries take part in Hajj hackathon in Jeddah until August 3. / AFP PHOTO / Amer HILABI

The Saudi government has teamed up with Google to launch the first Hajj Hackathon, in which they ask for proposals on ways to help to modernise the holy pilgrimage.

The competition will focus on improving Hajj services in food sanitation, finance, transportation, accommodation, communications and crowd management for the estimated two million pilgrims who travel to Saudi Arabia each year.

The hackathon is attracting leading programmers from around the world to use technology and innovation to enrich the experience for those going on Hajj, according to the Centre of Communications in Saudi Arabia.

"This event is one of the most important things for a country that has great ambition to become the gateway to technology in the Middle East," Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said, during the event's opening ceremony.

The event is offering cash prizes to the top three participants, amounting to two million Saudi riyals (Dh1.96m) to transform their ideas into application-based solutions.

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The event, organised by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, will be the largest hackathon competition held to date in the Middle East.
More than 3,000 applicants will take part in the three-day event in Jeddah.

Steve Wozniak, Apple's co-founder, said success is not about imitating others but about innovation and the creation and development of ideas, and that for private enterprise to succeed, you have to work hard and "you must love what you do".
This event is part of the kingdom's commitment to stimulating innovation and reaching regional and global leadership under the objectives of Vision 2030.
Saud bin Abdullah Al Qahtani, advisor at the Royal Court and an official responsible for organising the event, said Saudi "aims to devise technical solutions that contribute to enriching and improving the experience of pilgrims".
He said one of the smart things about the effectiveness of this event is its idea is to meet and think about things to improve the experience of millions of pilgrims.