Earth Day Virtual Datathon - City of New Westminster

MANDATORY SIGN-UP FORM:
[Earth Day Datathon Participant Survey (google.com)](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScBUVur8cwOcI8Tcfe-8-UMliwFE-SRbRf4wgZyYL2FvFgEfg/viewform)

All Data for Good chapters across Canada are invited to join the Vancouver Chapter and the City of New Westminster for a VIRTUAL Earth Day weekend datathon. This event will start at 9am PST on April 23rd (kick off event) and will end with presentations from 4-5pm PST on April 24th.

In this datathon, you will analyze the electricity usage of residents and businesses over time to help the City better understand trends and what factors are associated with electrical consumption. As we move towards greater building electrification, this analysis will be invaluable in drawing a comprehensive picture of the current state and help to inform the City’s future planning to reduce GHG emissions.

Utilizing a variety of open and proprietary data sets, such as building attributes, weather and census information, we will perform exploratory data analysis and use data science to provide valuable insights and try to answer a series of questions. Through this work we also hope to find ways to educate residents and businesses about their relative consumption.

As the oldest city in western Canada, New Westminster has a long and rich history. It is also unique in that it owns its own electrical utility. The City has declared a climate emergency and announced Bold Steps for Climate Action with the goal of moving New Westminster towards a zero carbon future by 2030. Please join us to use your skills and help the City make progress towards its goal!

### HOW IT WORKS ###
This is a 100% virtual event, spread out across the weekend. Kick off is on Saturday April 23, 2022 at 9am PST, and the final presentations are on Sunday April 24th at 4pm PST.

You can work independently or in teams of 2-5 volunteer data scientists to answer questions. Over the course of the weekend, you will perform data analytics and discover insights. We will meet remotely on Sunday April 24th at 4pm, when each team can present their findings to City representatives.

We welcome all skill levels for the Datathon!

### LOGISTICS ###
This event is in PST.

Registration closes Thursday April 21, 2022

Friday April 22, 2022: If you do not have a team, we will place you in one and welcome you to your team.

By Saturday April 23, 2022: All registrants who signed up on the mandatory intake form will have received a link to the kick off meeting on Saturday April 23 at 9am PST.

At the kick off meeting, the City of New Westminster and the Data for Good team will review the business problem, walk through the data, answer questions and review logistics.

From Saturday April 23, 2022 until 4pm PST on April 24, 2022: Data analysis with your team!

April 24, 2022 at 4pm PST : Presentations and Prize Draw for those who attend.

We hope you will join us!