CityCamp Gainesville Hack Day

CityCamp Gainesville Hack Day

Sunday, September 20, 2026 | 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM | Reitz Union, Room G330 | University of Florida

CityCamp Gainesville is a community unconference where residents, students, city staff, and nonprofit leaders come together to work on local problems. Last year's CityCamp produced conversations on urban heat, housing, food access, and much more; this year we're adding a hackathon so those conversations turn into working software and hardware!

This is an official MLH Hack Day hosted by Florida Community Innovation, in partnership with NASA.

Tracks Participants must pick one of the following tracks and build something appropriate for the time available:

• EMERGE NASA and Environmental Data: Use NASA-supported GLOBE Observer data and other public environmental data to build a map, dashboard, notebook, visualization, or interactive public resource.
• Gainesville Community Fridge Hardware: Build a low-cost hardware prototype that helps a free, solar-powered community fridge stay cold, powered, stocked, or safe.
• TanitXR Technical: Use at least one TanitXR scan to build an interactive experience that helps a public audience explore, understand, or care about Tunisian heritage.
• TanitXR Public History and Communications: Create a usable public-history or communications experience that connects a defined audience with Tunisian heritage and community-led digital preservation.
• General Civic Tech: Build a practical tool, prototype, analysis, or public resource that addresses a clearly defined Gainesville community need.
• Queer Cybersecurity and Digital Safety: Create a defensive, privacy-respecting tool or learning experience that helps LGBTQ+ people or organizations make safer digital choices.

Submission Requirements Your project must include an artifact someone can interact with, such as a working application, script, or tool; a clickable prototype (e.g., Figma); a full brief or document; a hardware prototype; or a data analysis with a reproducible notebook, map, or visualization.

Submissions are due by 5 PM on Sunday, September 20, and must include: 1. Project Name 2. The track addressed 3. A description (at least one paragraph) covering what was built, who it helps, and how it works 4. A repository or project link (GitHub, Figma, website, etc.) 5. Team members listed on the submission

A demo video is optional but highly encouraged.

Prizes Awards will be given for Best in NASA EMERGE & Environmental Data, Best in Civic Tech 1, Best in Civic Tech 2, and Best use of Google Gemini (Gemini swag bags). The Gemini award is opt-in and open to all participants regardless of track.

Judging Criteria Projects will be evaluated based on: * Problem and impact: Understanding the real problem and potential to help people in Gainesville. * Execution: Whether the project works and is solid for the time available. * Design and usability: Whether someone would actually use the solution. * Clarity: The ability to explain what was built and why it matters.