Big Data Analytics (BDA) continues to drive the development of innovative and transformative applications at the fourth National Big App Challenge that was organised by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Held in the Asean Data Analytics Exchange (ADAX) headquarters, the Challenge called upon students, working professionals and entrepreneurs to develop applications that will help the public in their daily lives.

Three winners emerged from the Challenge, which are Team Ukay Wizards (first place), Team PeGIS and Team D8. According to Razman Sarit, a member of Team Ukay Wizard, the app they developed helps ease the worry of families when their loved ones are away on adventures. “The idea is to integrate with other platforms and systems to create a safe travel ecosystem for children, senior travellers and disabled travellers. The Challenge is a great platform by MDEC for young, bright talents from all over Malaysia to showcase their ideas and skills,” he said.

Team Ukay Wizards developed an app that ensure parents and guardians are notified on the travel status of their children, known as the Malaysia Airlines Unaccompanied Minor App (MUM). The app provides a value-added service for unaccompanied minor travellers and is planning to expand its capabilities to assist senior and disabled travellers too in the future.

The first runner-up, developed an app named ‘Love And Care’ that caters to disabled individuals. It aims to facilitate mobility amongst vulnerable users including senior citizens, children and the disabled. Additionally, the app also seeks to help the government provide better facilities for the target group. Meanwhile, the second runner-up, Team D8 created an app that connects potential victims like undocumented workers to relevant organisations through chatbot via an instant messaging platform.

The Big App Challenge initiative is part of MDEC’s effort to unearth hidden talent as well as spur innovation within organisations in the BDA and Internet of Things (IoT) space. By using hackathons as a platform and working alongside with various partners, MDEC is able to reach out to a wider audience, cutting across multiple industries to create the necessary ecosystem to drive BDA in the country,” said Ir. Dr. Karl Ng, Director of Data Economy, MDEC.

Throughout the year, MDEC had endorsed 14 hackathons in the field of BDA and IoT that were organised by various corporations and organisations in Malaysia. Team Ukay Wizard is one of the 28 solutions funnelled into the year-long Challenge from various MDEC-endorsed hackathons throughout the year including MAB Hackathon, MyTraffic Hack and CIMB Data Science Challenge, all of which were aimed to spearhead conversation surrounding Big Data and IoT.