GAGNVIST Datathon 2024 - Post-Event Report

The Event: Designing Iceland’s Future Transit

Organised by Hagstofa, The GAGNVIST Datathon 2024 brought together teams to tackle a fascinating challenge: optimising Borgarlínan’s route system in Iceland. Our team, Nerd Herd, approached this with a unique perspective - focusing on the human element of transit rather than just the technical infrastructure.

The goal was to analysd and potentially redesign the proposed routes for Borgarlínan, using data from multiple sources including geographic data, population distribution from Hagstofan, employment centers, and existing Stræto bus routes.

Challenges We Faced

Technical Limitations vs. Human Insights

Our small team of two, while passionate, faced signifcant technical hurdles when competing against larger teams of 4-5 backend engineers. Simple Python implementations that would be straightforward for seasoned developers often became time-consuming challenges for us.

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However, this limitation became our strength in an unexpected way. While other teams focused on technical implementations, we spent more time analyzing cohort behavior patterns - something largely overlooked by other participants. We asked critical questions:

  • Why do people travel to certain areas?
  • How do different demographic groups use public transport differently?

Outstanding Achievements from Other Teams

The technical prowess displayed by other teams was truly impressive. We saw:

  • Stunning visualisations of population density
  • Brilliant UI implementation
  • Great Visualisations

Their implementations and modeling were remarkable, creating tools that could process vast amounts of data efficiently. The visualizations were particularly noteworthy.

Key Takeaways

The Technology-Business Disconnect

Perhaps the most significant observation was the gap between technical capability and business utility. While many teams created impressive technical solutions, few addressed the fundamental business questions:

  • Will people actually use these routes?
  • Does this solve real transportation problems?
  • Is this economically sustainable?

The Value of Human-Centric Thinking

Our “limitation” of being less technically focused actually highlighted an important aspect of transit planning - the human element. While other teams focused on optimising for technical efficiency, we considered:

  • Community impact
  • User behavior patterns
  • Social accessibility
  • Economic viability

Conclusion

The datathon revealed a crucial lesson in transit planning: while technical solutions are important, they must be balanced with human needs and business viability. The event showed that there’s often a disconnect between what’s technically possible and what’s practically needed.

The impressive technical demonstrations from other teams were invaluable learning experiences, but they also highlighted the importance of maintaining focus on the end user - the actual people who will use the transit system.

As Iceland moves forward with Borgarlínan, both technical expertise and human-centric design will be crucial. The challenge isn’t just about where we can put train tracks - it’s about where people need them to be.

You can access the repository here.

In the end, a great many thanks to Hagstofa and all the people who organised this gagnaþon. I’m looking forward to particiapte in the next one.

“In the end, the best transit system isn’t the one with the most sophisticated algorithm - it’s the one that gets people where they need to go.”