Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Global Hack Searches for Solutions

Mike O'Sullivan

   LOS ANGELES - With billions locked down at home by COVID-19, the
   internet is a lifeline, allowing people to work, study and share ideas
   online.

   It also presents opportunities, say the organizers oftheGlobal Hack, a
   virtual gathering of hundreds of thousands of people in50nations taking
   placeThursday through Saturday, April 9-11.Prizes for the best ideas
   for new platforms, applications and innovations will be awarded April
   12.

   Hackathons are usually mass gatherings of software developers and
   graphic designers who tackle problems in a competitive setting. With
   the Global Hack now underway, creative teams are working remotely to
   come up with solutions to problems raised by the COVID-19 pandemic and
   future crises.

   "We gather people together, with very different skills, different
   competencies,"said KaiIsand,a leader ofthetechnology collective
   Accelerate Estonia and head organizer for this weekend's Global Hack.

   "We brainstorm ideas,and we actually build them into working
   prototypes,"she said.

   A hackathon March 13-15 created a map of COVID-19 cases in Estonia, the
   country in northern Europe where the online movement Hack the Crisis
   started. Other teams developed a health questionnaire and a site to
   link volunteers with medical backgrounds.

.