Open Data: The California Safe Drinking Water Data Challenge

Most Engaging by Design. Ready-to-Go (Feasibility of Implementation). Most Data-licious. From June through September 2018, teams from across the region formed in support of the California Safe Drinking Water Data Challenge, to leverage newly-machine-readable open data.  

With up to 1 million Californians exposed to unsafe water at some point during the year, the time is now to collaborate creatively. Droughts, floods, aging infrastructure, and other human and natural causes can disrupt the water supply and limit—or eliminiate—access to safe drinking water for days, months, or even years. While the most publicized examples are in rural areas, delivering safe, sufficient, and affordable drinking water poses a challenge in almost every region of the state. 

How might we visualize and understand the challenge of supplying safe drinking water? How might we anticipate vulnerable areas where water disruptions may occur next? Join a diverse community and growing coalition of partners working to identify, develop, and deploy solutions. The Cailfornia Safe Drinking Water Data Challenge is a collaborative effort led by the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research and the West Big Data Innovation Hub. Stanford Big Earth Water Hackathon participants have an opportunity to build upon, expand, and complement existing open data projects, connecting to the #CAWaterDataChallenge network that spans academia, industry, nonprofits, and government.