Welcome to TAF23 Hackathon!

Welcome, brilliant hackers, to The Analytics Forum 2023 Hackathon, where we'll be delving deep into the issue of food deserts! We're thrilled to have you all join us in this collaborative effort to explore innovative solutions and insights. By leveraging your diverse skills and expertise in data analysis, we aim to better understand the complex factors contributing to food deserts and help bridge the gaps in food accessibility. Together, let's harness the power of data to make a tangible impact on millions of lives and create a more equitable and sustainable future for all. Let the hacking begin! #TAFHACK

You can register for The Analytics Forum here.

The Problem: Mapping Food Deserts in the Houston Area

The history of using geospatial mapping goes back in time to 1854 when a severe cholera outbreak happened in Broad Street near Soho in London that killed 616 people. The physician John Snow is best known for his hypothesis about water contamination being the source of the pandemic. Looking at the public pumps installed on water wells in the area, Snow mapped the deaths spatially around these pumps as dots. The initial results showed that some of the pumps have more deaths clustering than others, which confirms his theory about water contamination. He also uses statistics to show connections between the water source when it?s brought from sewage-polluted areas and cholera outbreaks. Snow?s approach to representing the data geospatially and correlating that with public health was a turning point in epidemiology history, and it influenced and urged the construction of improved sanitation facilities. 

(?On the Mode of Communication of Cholera? by John Snow, originally published in 1854 by C.F. Cheffins, Lith, Southampton Buildings, London, England.

The uploaded image is a digitally enhanced version found on the UCLA Department of Epidemiology website, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2278605.)

The Hackathon

Our subject is similar (in concept) to what John Snow did back in 1854, except now we have more advanced tools to collect, cleanse, analyze, and present the data. In our hackathon, you will study, analyze, and map the food deserts in the city of Houston using provided census data. A food desert is an area, typically in urban or rural communities, where there is limited access to affordable and nutritious food and groceries. This means that the people living in these areas have difficulty finding and purchasing fresh fruits, vegetables, and other healthy food options. Food deserts often occur in areas where there are few supermarkets or grocery stores. This lack of access to healthy food can lead to poor nutrition and diet-related health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Food deserts can be caused by a variety of factors, including socioeconomic status, distance to grocery stores, and not having accessible transportation whether personal or public. Efforts to address food deserts may include the establishment of community gardens, farmers' markets, and mobile markets, as well as the expansion of public transportation and the opening of new supermarkets and grocery stores in underserved areas. There is no specific ask in the hackathon; instead, there is a goal, which is understanding and making sense of the food deserts, what could be the reason behind their existence, and how can you as a hacker help policymakers and public health officials eliminate or mitigate the effect of food deserts, using the data you have. Making use of Spotfire Mods and Data Functions is encouraged.

(A picture showing the new location of the replica pump, the handle of which John Snow had removed.)

Impact

Understanding the mapping of food deserts is a great way to identify areas with limited access to healthy and nutritious food and fresh groceries. It also helps policymakers, officials in decision-making positions, and community organizations prioritize areas that are most in need of interventions to improve access to healthy food options. Understanding the causes and extent of food deserts can also help us develop effective solutions to address the problem. For example, if the lack of access to healthy food is due to a lack of transportation options, initiatives to improve public transportation, add more bus stops on food deserts, or provide mobile markets could be effective solutions. Alternatively, if the problem is due to a lack of supermarkets in the area, initiatives to incentivize or support the opening of new supermarkets in underserved areas could be effective. In addition, mapping food deserts can help to raise awareness about the issue, mobilize resources and support to address it, or show where to focus on providing community services. By identifying specific areas where the problem is most acute, we can focus efforts and resources to make a real difference in improving access to healthy food and reducing diet-related health problems.

(There are approximately half a million Houstonians living in food deserts.)

The Dataset

The datasets used in the hackathon are coming from censuses in 2020 and 2021. They contain a variety of information ranging from food stamp data, household-related demographics, and more relevant data.

Judging Criteria