Hack The Weather

Turning Real-World Climate Data into Solutions That MatterWeather and climate data are no longer just numbers on a dashboard. They can help us understand how our environment is changing, anticipate risks, improve decisions, protect communities, and build more resilient systems.But data only creates impact when people can turn it intoinsight, action and solutions.Hack The Weather 2026is a student-focused innovation hackathon organized byJHUB Africaat Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), challenging young innovators to transform real-world environmental and weather data into practical technology solutions.Under the theme“From Data to Impact,”participants will work with data from theConduit@Empathy climate intelligence initiative at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT), exploring how environmental observations, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, data science and software development can be combined to address real-world climate and environmental challenges.This is not simply a hackathon about building another weather application.It is a challenge to ask:What can we build when we turn environmental data into intelligence that people can actually use?🌍 The ChallengeClimate change is creating increasingly complex challenges for communities, agriculture, water resources, infrastructure and ecosystems.Kenya experiences climate-related challenges including prolonged droughts, flooding, changing rainfall patterns, environmental degradation and pressure on water resources. These challenges are interconnected: changes in rainfall affect water availability; water availability affects agriculture; changes in soil moisture and vegetation affect ecosystems; and extreme weather can affect infrastructure and communities.At the same time, large amounts of environmental data are being generated through sensors, satellites and other digital technologies.The challenge is turning this data intouseful intelligence and actionable solutions.Participants are therefore invited to explore innovative ways of using weather and environmental data to:Understand environmental conditions and trendsDetect and respond to climate-related risksSupport farmers and agricultural decision-makingImprove water-resource managementMonitor environmental changeBuild early-warning and alert systemsImprove community resilienceVisualize complex environmental informationSupport better planning and decision-makingCreate new products and services around climate intelligenceYour solution can address one of these areas or identify an entirely different problem that can be solved using environmental data.🛰️ Meet the ConduitAt the heart of this hackathon is theConduit@Empathy, a climate intelligence and environmental technology initiative at Jomo Kenyatta University of Technology (JKUAT) main campus, developed through collaboration betweenJHUB AfricaandSPACE-SI, the Centre of Excellence for Space Sciences and Technologiesin Slovenia.The Conduit brings togetherscience, technology, environmental sensing, digital modelling, education and innovationto help people better understand and respond to changes in the environment.The initiative forms part of a broader effort to integrate advanced satellite and digital technologies to improve understanding and management of water resources, environmental conditions and climate resilience in Kenya.The Conduit is equipped with environmental sensors capable of monitoring parameters such as:🌡️ Temperature🌧️ Rainfall☀️ UV radiation💧 Soil moisture🌱 Vegetation conditions💦 Water quantity indicators🧪 Water-quality indicatorsThese measurements can contribute to the calibration and validation of satellite observations and digital models of river-basin ecosystems. The broader vision is to better understand the relationships betweenwater, soil, vegetation and infrastructureas environmental conditions change.This creates an exciting opportunity for developers, data scientists and innovators to work with environmental data that has a connection to the physical world.Explore the Conduit dataConduit Data Platform:https://conduit.jhubafrica.com/Participants are encouraged to explore the available data before and during the hackathon and think beyond simple visualization.The question is not only:“What does the data say?”It is:“What can we do with what the data tells us?”🛰️ Beyond Ground SensorsOne of the exciting aspects of the Conduit initiative is its connection to a broader ecosystem ofsatellite observations, environmental sensing and digital models.The long-term vision is to combine observations from different sources to better understand environmental systems.This means participants can think creatively about combining:Ground Data + Satellite Data + Historical Data + AI + Human Knowledgeto create new forms of environmental intelligence.The goal is to demonstrate how different sources of information can become more valuable when brought together.👥 Who Should Participate?Hack The Weather is designed forstudents and young innovatorswho want to apply technology to real-world problems.You do not have to be a climate scientist.We welcome participants with backgrounds in:Software EngineeringComputer ScienceData ScienceArtificial IntelligenceInformation TechnologyGeospatial ScienceEnvironmental ScienceAgricultureEngineeringDesignBusinessResearchOther relevant disciplinesA strong team may combine different skills.For example:Developer + Data Scientist + Domain Expert + Designer + Product ThinkerYou don't need to know everything.Build together. Learn together. Solve together.🤝 Build for People, Not Just DataTechnology is only valuable when it solves a problem for someone.As you build, ask:Who will use this?What decision will it help them make?What action will it enable?What happens if they don't have it?The strongest solutions will connect technical innovation with a clear human, environmental or economic outcome.The Conduit itself represents this philosophy: connectingpeople, science, education, technology and artin support of environmental understanding and local communities.🌍From JKUAT to AfricaHack The Weather is more than a two day coding challenge.It is part of a broader effort to create opportunities for young African innovators to work with emerging technologies and solve challenges that matter locally.JKUAT's Conduit provides a unique environment wherelocal environmental observations, satellite technologies, digital modelling and innovationcan come together.JHUB Africa's role is to help bridge the gap between research, technology and entrepreneurship creating pathways for promising ideas to move from experimentation toward real-world applications.The ambition is simple:Start with data.Build with technology.Solve a real problem.Create measurable impact.🏆What Will the Judges Look For?Projects will be evaluated on more than whether they look good.We want to understand whether the solution is useful, technically credible and capable of becoming something bigger.Innovation & CreativityHow original is your approach?Does the solution demonstrate creative use of environmental data and technology?Impact & RelevanceDoes the project address a meaningful real-world challenge?Who benefits from the solution?Technical ImplementationDoes the prototype work?How effectively does the team use data, technology and engineering principles?Scalability & PotentialCould the solution be developed beyond the hackathon?Does it have potential for adoption, further research, commercialization or wider deployment?Bonus: Data-to-Impact StoryCan your team clearly demonstrate the journey from:Data → Insight → Action → Impact?🔥 Hack the Weather 🎯Don't just visualize the weather.Understand it.Don't just analyze the data.Turn it into intelligence.Don't just build a prototype.Build something that matters.From Data to Impact.Explore the data. Form your team. Build your solution. Change what is possible.Useful Resources🌐Conduit Data Platform:https://conduit.jhubafrica.com/🌍SPACE-SI & Conduit initiative:https://www.space.si/2025/satelitske-in-digitalne-tehnologije-v-podporo-upravljanju-porecij-v-keniji/🏫JKUAT Climate Intelligence Hub:https://www.jkuat.ac.ke/slovenia-president-inaugurates-climate-hub-at-jkuat/🚀JHUB Africa:https://jhubafrica.com/