What do beacons have in common with literature?

On the 27th of June, a hackathon with the largest number of beacons per square metre in history will take place in the shade of Wawel Castle. Participants of BeaconValley Hackathon can count on free equipment, mentor support and exactly 24 hours to build applications based on BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) technology, which may in the future transform Krakow into a truly smart city. The Krakow Festival Office, operator of the Krakow UNESCO City of Literature programme, is taking part in the organisation of the event.

A hackathon is a 24-hour programming marathon, during which programmers, graphic designers and project managers will work on creating applications using beacons – small transmitters, which are one of the most electrifying technological solutions of the past few years. Programming teams will compete in three themed areas:

• Beacons for good, in which solutions intended for public institutions, offices and the Krakow public sphere will be created.
• Beacons for business, which is dedicated to applications that support local businesses.
• Beacons for fun, for everyone who wants to set their creativity free and create an urban game or a social application.

Within each of the competition categories, the Krakow Festival Office will offer special topics for the participants, which will allow them to take on various challenges, such as creating a common loyalty programme for city cultural institutions, libraries and bookshops, promoting e-reading and increasing the availability of literature in public space, or the promotion of literary tourism based on modern technologies. The authors of the best solutions will receive additional rewards, such as an Apple Watch, but above all a set of vouchers for e-books and books from Krakow bookshops.

The creation and development of connections on the border of literature and new media, as well as supporting the creative industry connected with literature is one of the key elements of the strategy of Krakow UNESCO City of Literature, which is coordinated in its entirety by the Krakow Festival Office.

BeaconValley Hackathon is the next stage of the project of bringing the ideas proposed by BeaconValley.io to life, which will help turn Krakow into a smart city powered by Bluetooth Low Energy. Public and commercial organisations have been invited to participate in the programme, and until the 15th of June, they could apply for free beacons. To date, over 50 institutions and private companies have applied, as well as over 150 participants. BLE technology in Krakow is intended to help provide better quality services, navigate through buildings and create loyalty programmes, among others.

The event is organised by Kontakt.io, HG Intelligence S.A. and Hub:raum, and partnered by the Krakow Festival Office, Sinersio, JIVR, Synkick, OnYourMap and the Krakow Technology Park. The event is under the honorary patronage of the Malopolska Voivodeship Marshal, Marek Sowa.

See the advertising film for BeaconValley Hackathon: