We’re super excited to be sponsoring API World 2017’s hackathon. The event will take place on 23 & 24 September in Palo Alto, California. It is considered to be the largest API hackathon in the world.

Why are we sponsoring it?

HyperTrack is still in its early days. There’s so much we need to better understand. What are your needs? What are your pain points? How do you work? What do you value? What do you dislike? How can we make it easier for you? Is what we are trying to do even clear?

We’re sponsoring this hackathon to learn. We can’t wait to meet you and hear from you. Please come and say hello if you’re in the area.

What is the challenge?

Live location is rarely the single purpose of an app. Or at least it shouldn’t be. There are already enough location sharing apps out there.

Location is powerful when it is used in the background to make the app you’re working on smarter. Being used in the background doesn't mean it isn't core to your offering. Uber’s the obvious illustration of that. The app wouldn’t work without it. But the user doesn’t even realize it. What he does know is that Uber feels like magic.

Users' location and/or activity data are very useful in a variety of ways. Used creatively, they can add an extra layer of security, power social interactions, build immersive AR experiences, empower community initiatives, make smart assistants smarter, help geotag media, generate financial insights and much more.

We want you to think about ways location tracking can enhance the value of the app you're working on. How can you make it smarter? Try to add meaningful and disruptive value.

So, what's the prize?

$5,000 cash. We’re offering the highest prize this year.

The best thing? Because location tracking can power many different use cases, you’ll be able to combine HyperTrack’s challenge with another exciting one of your choice. There’s more than a dozen challenges to pick from. You'll find no limit to what you can do. Have fun!