Hackathon

Winner Announcement

June 26, 2023

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the AASHTO Digital TAM Guide Update Hackathon! We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the participants who dedicated their time and effort to make this event a success.

The esteemed panel of judges have selected the following two entries as co-winners of the hackathon.

  • Danielle Spell & team from the Chicago Transit Authority
  • Chris Whipple & team from the Utah DOT

Their entries were quite different but valuable for the advancement of the enhanced digital TAM Guide.

  • Danielle’s entry showed creativity and effort in a new way of organizing the content and navigating throughout the application. The judges were impressed with the clarity of the design and the video that was created to communicate it.
  • The group from Utah DOT led by Chris Whipple submitted twenty hackathon entries. The full set of entries cam from a deep understanding of the TAM Guide and reflected well thought out improvements that users would gain value from.

The following improvements were noted as the most valuable to pursue for the digital TAM Guide Enhancements.

  • Approach to integrating new guidance that has been published since the TAM Guide completion, especially the TAM Data Guide. The recommendation is to have enough information to highlight the importance of the new information and provide a link to the new guidance.
  • Many ideas for how to improve navigation and information presentation including using icons to show repetitive elements such as definitions, use of the right side of the screen to reinforce the knowledge that is being communicated such as graphics and references.
  • Making all of the graphics downloadable as editable files so that users can adapt them for their needs.
  • Making all of the checklists downloadable as a Word or Excel file so that they can be more easily used by an agency.
  • There were many creative gamification recommendations but the one to create interactive quizzes throughout the chapters stood out as having high impact and being easier to implement.

We would like to congratulate the winners for their exceptional work and dedication. Each team member will receive a certificate for their winning entry. They will also have the opportunity to share their entries at the TRB Transportation Asset Management Conference at the TAM Guide Workshop on Sunday, July 9, 2023.

We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our panel of judges for their time, expertise, and meticulous evaluation of the projects.

Overview
Key Dates
Resources
Rules
Updates

What are we looking for?

Using the list of focus area improvements already identified and other enhancements to be made, the NCHRP research team is looking for the following on how to implement the improvements and enhancements within the digital guide:

  • Proof of Concepts—such as computer code to improve functionality;
  • Prototypes—identifying a better way to navigate the guide or adding gamification; or
  • Examples—providing an interesting application of TAM in practice.

This is a unique opportunity to provide your creative and innovative ideas in order to benefit the broader TAM community. By participating you will also receive networking and community building opportunities as well as recognition and visibility.

Submissions don't just have to be code-based. They can fall into one or more of the following focus areas. Have a great idea for the AASHTO Digital TAM Guide that's not listed here? When filling out your registration form, make sure to select "Other" for Focus Area, and elaborate on your idea in the Description.

Focus Area Improvements:

  1. Navigation enhancements regarding moving around the digital guide better.
  2. More practice examples that connect with real data and tools.
  3. Improved visualizations and ways to communicate information and concepts in the digital guide better.
  4. Linking GIS/mapping to the guide.
  5. Use and application of gamification.
  6. Introduction of web-based training functionalities.
  7. Integration of multimedia audio and video into the delivery of content.
  8. Other ideas and concepts to improve functionality.

Judges:

  • Matt Haubrich, Iowa DOT
  • Meredith Hill, Maryland State Highway Administration
  • J.P. O’Har, Gannet Fleming
  • Cristina Torres-Machi, University of Colorado: Boulder
  • Omar Smadi, Iowa State University
  • Laura Zale, SEPTA


Important Dates:

  • Winner Announcement: June 26, 2023
  • Submission Presentations: July 9, 2023 (TRB TAM Conference)

Hackathon Resources:

  • Chapter Mock-ups in a Sandboxed Development Environment

Submitting an Entry:

Eligibility:

Check back later for updates to the hackathon:

How to register?

In order to participate in the hackathon, please fill out and submit the registration form below.

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Name
What organization, agency, institution, or group are you affiliated with? If not applicable, write "none".
Focus Area
Select all that apply. If you select "Other," please provide additional details about your hackathon approach in the description section below.