{"id":633,"date":"2026-07-31T18:34:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T17:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/applied-weather-climate\/?page_id=633"},"modified":"2026-07-31T18:40:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T17:40:56","slug":"hawc-hackathon-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/applied-weather-climate\/hawc-hackathon-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"HAWC Hackathon 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Transforming over a century of weather data into tools for the future<\/em><\/p>\n

HAWC Hackathon 2026 – Registration Form<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

About the Hackathon<\/h2>\n

The HAWC Hackathon<\/strong> challenges participants to make creative, impactful use of one of the world\u2019s most remarkable meteorological records. Since 1901<\/strong>, the University of Reading has collected near-continuous weather observations, first at its London Road campus and, since 1968, at the Atmospheric Observatory<\/strong> on the Whiteknights campus.<\/p>\n

This living dataset is more than numbers – it\u2019s a century-long story of our changing skies, measured daily, year after year. Manual observations have been made almost every day<\/strong>\u00a0for over 100 years<\/strong>, thanks to the dedication of generations of observers. It is a fantastic and unique resource for exploring the past and building tools that help society adapt to the future.<\/p>\n

\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/meteorology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2016-07-27-1552z08-0006-Pano-e1516988824638.jpg\"<\/p>\n

University of Reading’s Atmospheric Observatory<\/a><\/p>\n

Hackathon Themes:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0
\n<\/strong>1. Hyperlocal forecasting tools<\/strong>
\nBuild tools that support smarter decision-making for communities, businesses and local authorities. Judges will be looking for interesting approaches to forecasting meteorological variables and innovative uses of the observatory’s data.\u00a0
\n<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>2. Weather apps, webpages and visualisations<\/strong>
\nMake Reading’s weather history accessible, engaging and useful to the public. Judges will be looking for visually appealing outputs that tell a story, strong interactivity and a clear focus on weather and climate variables.\u00a0
\n<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>3. Weather connects to everything<\/strong>
\nLink Reading’s unique weather record to data from other fields, such as energy demand, agriculture or human geography. Judges will be looking for interesting connections between weather data and non-weather data local to Reading, and a compelling data story that brings them together.<\/p>\n

When and Where<\/h2>\n

The HAWC Hackathon will take place on 2nd and 3rd September<\/strong>, at University of Reading’s Whiteknights Campus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n