Harnessing a Hackathon! How Informatica (INFA) improved HOME.

December 14, 2018

On December 11-14, 2018, Informatica (INFA) hosted a hackathon.   INFA staff volunteered their time to make HOME- the app that empowers caseworkers to do mobile outreach and on the spot assessments- even more powerful.

A hackathon puts brilliant minds in the same room and has them focus on a single issue.  In this case, coders spent four days using open source software to add powerful upgrades to HOME.  

The focused, intense plunge of a hackathon resulted in multiple improvements for HOME, including:

Rules engine.  INFA created an eligibility calculator. Now, based on data collected on clients, HOME will be able to determine project eligibility.  By knowing when clients meet the eligibility requirements for assistance, allows HOME to match them with projects.

Location support. INFA made it possible for HOME to pinpoint relevant services, quicker. By using zip codes or other location data, HOME can accurately identify a client’s location and instantly based the nearest agencies/services.

Linked data improvements.  INFA gave HOME a richer, more connected sets of data.  The more agencies can connect, share and analyze data, the faster clients get the services they need.  

CTA is grateful to Informatica for sponsoring the hackathon, and for the engineers who put their great minds to good use.  You made HOME stronger.