The Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) is holding a competition on development of technology, information and communication (ICT) in an effort to support the disaster handling in Jakarta. By doing so, the loss caused by the disaster can be known easily.

The final result is in the form of application that will be linked to operation of automated calculation on the amount of damage and loss

Head of Jakarta BPBD Informatics Section, Bambang Surya Putra, hoped the competition could find solution in bases of technology, information, and communication related to disaster handling. There are two categories competed in this competition, special and general.

Special category is Python programming skills. Participants in this category are asked to coding for calculating damage and loss caused by flood using the Python programming language (www.python.org) from the analysis design system which has been prepared by the committee. The application is expected able to run in Disaster Information Management System used in Jakarta BPBD Disaster and Crisis Management Center (Pusdalops).

“ The final result is in the form of application that will be linked to operation of automated calculation on the amount of damage and loss ,” he said, Friday (5/23).

As for the innovation general category, participants are asked to develop an application or give their work to be used to support the disaster handling, either pre-disaster, emergency response, as well as post-disaster. The contested work is free to a variety of technology platforms. Yet, it must contain elements of information technology, such as mobile application, web based application, social media support, communication, radio, etc.

The evaluation criteria, Putra continued, is an original work that has real benefits for disaster handling, creative and attractive in its appearance, applicable by volunteers and officers, and can be connected to existing data systems in Jakarta BPBD.

“The competition is joined by individual participants for all ages and backgrounds as well as those who have an interest in disaster issues and domiciled in the Jabodetabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi),” he told.

For participants who will compete in the category of Python programming skills, they can open the website www.bpbd.jakarta.go.id which has been closed on Tuesday (5/20). Currently, they are conducting training sessions in Jakarta BPBD office. The competition will be held on May 24-25.

While for the innovation general category participants, the registration is still opened until Sunday (5/25). Participants will be selected based on biographical data and portfolio. The passed participants will present their work in front of the judges led by Onno W Purbo on May 28-29.

“The winner announcement will be held on Saturday (5/31) via e-mail and BPBD’s website,” informed Putra.

From each category, the judges will select three winners. The first winner would be invited to attend the 6th Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction in Bangkok on upcoming June 22-26 where they will present their work in front of the forum. The winners will also receive a total prize of Rp 25 million.

Through this competition, BPBD hopes to encourage the potential of the public, either students or professionals working in IT field to improve their participation in disaster handling, particularly flooding. The competition will also be attended by disaster handling experts from World Bank, Iwan Gunawan and Magda Adriani.