HCMC – The Green Footprint project, which developed a software application connecting to LED stickers that light up to indicate the surrounding air quality, has won first place at the Greenovator Hackathon 2021.
Bosch and Quang Trung Software City awarded the first prize to the winning team, led by Hoang Thu Giang and Nguyen Hoang Tuan, on November 18.
The award ceremony was held in conjunction with the “Technologies for a Blue Sky” business dialogue on HCMC’s vision and progress toward cleaner air.
“From urbanization to traffic and production activities, Vietnam, especially HCMC, is pursuing growth at the expense of the environment. This urges us to take immediate actions,” said Ngo Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, Deputy Director of the HCMC Environmental Protection Agency, during her presentation at the “Technologies for a Blue Sky” business dialogue.
After five years of implementing the Environmental Pollution Reduction Program for the period from 2016-2020, up to now, the city has completed the set foundational targets.
“I thought I would not stand a chance in the competition because I am not tech-savvy,” said Hoang Thu Giang, leader of the winning project, Green Footprint. “I would like to thank Bosch for giving me this opportunity to expand my horizon. My two-month journey ended with lots of memories, laughter, and moments of awe, as the other teams were so cool.”
The Hackathon’s first runner-up was awarded to the Traffic Control project team, who used building intelligent software to analyze the traffic density at intersections as captured by CCTVs and then automatically controlled traffic lights to optimize the traffic flow.
The AirQ4Cast project team was the second runner-up for creating an AI-based application that analyzes and predicts the impact that tree cover density and traffic have on the air quality of a given land area.
“We are encouraged by the enthusiasm and capabilities of our youths’ efforts to make a difference in society, in this case, for better air quality in Vietnam,” said Guru Mallikarjuna, Managing Director of Bosch Vietnam.
“Transportation is the main contributor to air pollution in cities, and we have observed a rising trend from 2009 to 2016 for HCMC. Bosch is committed to improving air quality while securing the need for individual mobility. And we achieve this by working closely with the Government, industry, and expert working groups to provide recommendations based on research and best practices.”
On September 21, 2021, with support and collaboration from the Ministry of Transport, Bosch co-organized a webinar on air quality and sustainable transportation with the European Chamber of Commerce, where policies to promote sustainable transportation and reduce air pollution were met with technological solutions from the private sector.
